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Galantis
The duo performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2014.
Background information
OriginStockholm, Sweden
Genres
Years active2012 (2012)–present
Labels
Members
Websitewww.wearegalantis.com

Galantis is a Swedish electronic music production and songwriting duo consisting of Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson from Miike Snow, and Linus Eklöw aka Style of Eye. They are best known for their 2014 single "Runaway (U & I)", and their 2015 single "Peanut Butter Jelly".

Members

Christian Karlsson

Linus Eklöw

Linus Eklöw: Otherwise known as established electronic music producer Style of Eye, he also co-wrote and produced Icona Pop's international number one hit "I Love It" featuring Charli XCX.

  • History: Style of Eye, the Stockholm-born and based DJ and producer resides in the techno genre and comes from the underground scene. He explores a range of musical styles, from techno to house via distinct percussion and minimal, floating melodies. After growing up in a jazz and soul oriented family and playing a drumkit at age 10, Linus transitioned to electronic music after getting his first computer aged 15 and making "weird downtempo dubbeat and trip hop". DJing upbeat drum and bass followed at 16, and Linus moved into studio production with releases and remixes on such labels as Classic Recordings, Tiny Sticks and Rabid Records.[3]

History

2007–12: Early career

The duo initially met by chance at Karlsson's Robotberget studios in Stockholm, sometime in 2007. In 2009, Karlsson's band Miike Snow asked Eklöw, who produces and DJs as Style of Eye, to remix their song "Animal". After that, the two Swedes started hanging out in the studio together, playing each other songs and scraps of ideas. Explaining what drew him to Eklöw, Karlsson says, "He's an amazing programmer and designer of soundscapes. It was artsy, in a way. He was different."[4]

There were many unfinished ideas that the pair fiddled with and then abandoned, but it wasn't until sometime in 2012 that things really came together, when they stopped the loop-based and software-centric approach common in modern dance music and switched to Karlsson's usual method of beginning a song on guitar or piano. The duo figured out their own approach—once they create a foundation with a simple arrangement, they build it up with stirring keyboards, monumental drums, imploring vocals and inventive flourishes. "We keep the song naked, and when we feel like we have the right one, we put some clothes on it and see how it feels," says Karlsson.[5]

"We realized, this is Galantis, this is our band," Karlsson adds.[6]

2013–14: "You", "Smile", Galantis EP, "Runaway (U & I)", and international breakthrough

The duo signed to Atlantic Records' dance imprint Big Beat Records in mid-2013. Recording in a studio in the Swedish archipelago in the Baltic Sea, the duo began to focus heavily on their artistic direction. They opt to combine the excitement and big energy of electronic music with meaningful songwriting.

The first composition they agreed upon was "Smile". After that, their direction became clear. "We felt the urge to fill the dance world up with songs and with songwriting that created our sound," says Eklöw.[7]

Christian Karlsson has said: "We always start with the song. We use guitar, piano, and bass lines we don't keep to figure out which clothes we're going to put on each melody and lyric. I think that's different than a lot of others in the dance scene. They have a beat they love and then force a top line on top of it. I feel like that makes it sound like a remix. I'd rather do it our way, it's more fun too."[8]

Their first single with Big Beat Records, "Smile", was released that following November. Its controversial video premiered on Stereogum.[9] "Smile" received several remixes from various artists, and an extended mix by dance music heavyweight Kaskade.[10]

"Smile" also marked the first instance of the "Seafox", a creature that is the brainchild of visual artist Mat Maitland. The "Seafox" is the Galantis mascot of sorts, appearing in all their videos, cover art and even their live show.[11] The duo also refer to their fans as Seafox Nation and can often be seen using #seafoxnation on their social media sites.

In February, the duo released their second single "You".[12] The track was subsequently played heavily at Winter Music Conference,[13] becoming the 8th most Shazamed track at the festival.[14] Their debut self-titled EP Galantis was released on April 1, 2014.[15]

Galantis has had international success with their single "Runaway (U & I)", which debuted on October 5, 2014. The single is the second single from their debut album Pharmacy. The song subsequently shot to the top of Spotify's Global and US Viral charts[16] and became a top 10 Spotify track in the Netherlands, Belgium and Finland. In America, the track peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists chart.[17] "Runaway (U & I)" has been certified Gold in Finland, 3× Gold in the Netherlands and Platinum in Norway and Sweden.[18] Galantis released the single "Gold Dust" on February 19, 2015 through Sterogum and reached number 1 on Hype Machine's Popular Chart.[19]

Christian and Linus said: "When we started Galantis, we set out to challenge each other and experiment with all of the sounds and ideas that we find exciting. We built a studio on a small island in the Baltic Sea and our surroundings became a source of inspiration for the EP."[20]

The first song, "Smile", has been featured by Kaskade, Diplo, Tiesto, Dada Life, Steve Angello, and radio legend Pete Tong, who featured it as an Essential Tune. Their single "You" follows with a piano and vocal hook with the custom "Galantis filter", which blends male and female vocals together. Their song "Revolution" contains synths and a beat with an intended message of never giving up on your ambitions. "Help" follows and builds a piano melody into an anthem of resiliency. "Friend (Hard Times)" pairs a vocal with a deep house groove, while "The Heart That I'm Hearing" contains synths and a skittering rhythm.[21]

2015–present: Pharmacy

Galantis released their debut album Pharmacy on June 8, 2015.[22] The album was available for pre-order on April 20th, 2015. The album features the four singles "You" (from their first EP), "Runaway (U & I)", "Gold Dust", and "Peanut Butter Jelly." The 13-track album is the first LP from Galantis. The duo uploaded each song to their YouTube channel with alternate artworks for each track. The seventh track "Kill 'Em With The Love" is the only track with the seafox from the album cover. Whilst "Firebird" shares one with their most recognizable single "Runaway (U & I)".[23] On May 21, 2015 Galantis began their summer tour in support of Pharmacy which ended on August 6, 2015. There were 22 dates on the tour in total, with various performances in multiple continents including Europe and North America, and each performance was for some kind of music festival.[24]

Tour

Coachella

Galantis debuted their live show at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12, 2014.[25] Their performance came less than two weeks after their first release. In a Billboard Poll, which asked fans to vote on Coachella 2014’s Best Dance Music Moment, Galantis beat Calvin Harris, Flume, Chromeo, Disclosure and Girl Talk with 52% of the vote.[26] Their performance garnered praise from Dancing Astronaut, LA Times and Billboard, among others.[27][28][29]

Dubbed 'Seafoxchella', their live set debuted original songs and remixes from such genres as pop, electro, and house. The duo played an hour-long set at the Gobi Tent, with live controllers, visuals, and seafox stage set. Highlights included their single "Smile", as well as remixes to their other tune, "You."[30][31]

Following the second weekend of the festival, the duo kicked off their first live tour with a string of dates in North America.[32]

Past concerts

2014
  • Coachella 2014 – Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA, US
  • 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, US
  • Royale, Boston, MA, US
  • The Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, US[33]
  • SAT, Montreal, QC, Canada
  • Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL, US
  • El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, US
  • Life Is Beautiful 2014, Las Vegas, NV, US
2015
  • Ultra Music Festival 2015, Miami, FL, US[34]
  • Road to Ultra Music Festival 2015, Bangkok, Thailand
  • Ultra Music Festival 2015, Seoul, South Korea
  • Electric Daisy Carnival, Las Vegas, NV, US
  • Electric Forest Festival, Rothbury, MI, US
  • Electric Zoo Festival, New York, NY, US
  • Ultra Music Festival Europe 2015, Split, Croatia
  • Lollapalooza 2015, Chicago, IL, US
  • Squamish Valley Music Festival, Vancouver, Canada
  • Paradiso Music Festival 2015, Quincy, WA, US
  • Djakarta Warehouse Project 2015, Jakarta, Indonesia [35]
  • Nocturnal Wonderland, San Bernardino, CA, US
  • Holy Ship! 2015, The Caribbean
  • Snow Globe Music Festival, South Lake Tahoe, CA, US
2016
  • Ultra Music Festival 2016, Miami, FL, US[34]
  • Sunset Music Festival 2016, Tampa, FL, US[34]

Awards and achievements

In 2015, Galantis was named Best Breakthrough Artist at the 30th International Dance Music Awards.[36] Their hit single "Runaway (U & I)" was nominated for Best Dance Recording for the 2016 Grammy Awards.

Discography

Main article: Galantis discography

References

  1. ^ Hoffman, K. Ross. "Bloodshy & Avant". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  2. ^ Hoffman, K. Ross. "Bloodshy & Avant". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Style of Eye". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  4. ^ Choi, Liz. "Galantis - Official Bio" (PDF). BigBeatRecords. BigBeatRecords.
  5. ^ Choi, Liz. "Galantis - "Raveheart" [Video Premiere]" (PDF). BigBeatRecords. BigBeatRecords.
  6. ^ Choi, Liz. "Galantis - "Raveheart" [Video Premiere]" (PDF). BigBeatRecords. BigBeatRecords.
  7. ^ Medved, Matt. "Official Galantis Bio" (PDF). BigBeatRecords. BigBeatRecords.
  8. ^ Medved, Matt. "Galantis Talks Songwriting, Touring, and Trying to 'Spice Things Up' with Dance". Billboard. Billboard.
  9. ^ DeVille, Chris. "Galantis – "Smile" Video (NSFW) (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum.
  10. ^ Mason, Kerri. "Galantis, 'Smile' (Kaskade Edit): First Listen". Billboard.
  11. ^ Simon, Daniel. "Coachella: Galantis makes first tour appearance". Desert Sun.
  12. ^ DeVille, Chris. "Galantis – "You" Video (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Spin Media.
  13. ^ Zwilling, Eric. "Dancing Astronauts Top 10 Tracks Ultra Music Festival". Dancing Astronaut.
  14. ^ Buskirk, Eliot Van (2014). "Exclusive: Shazam's Most-Tagged Music from Winter Music Conference". Evolver.FM.
  15. ^ Tewksbury, Colin. "Galantis finally drop debut 6-track EP". Earmilk.
  16. ^ "Galantis #1 of Spotify Viral charts".
  17. ^ "Galantis Billboard Chart Positions".
  18. ^ "Galantis goes Platinum in Norway".
  19. ^ http://www.stereogum.com/1739906/galantis-gold-dust-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/
  20. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (2014). "Galantis EP Premiere: Stream The Duo's Debut Release". Billboard.
  21. ^ "GALANTIS Self-Titled EP Out Today on Big Beat Records; Release EP Track "Revolution"; North American Tour Kicks Off at Coachella; Tickets On Sale Now at wearegalantis.com". Reuters. 2014.
  22. ^ Galantis reveal 'Peanut Butter Jelly'; debut album now available for pre-order http://www.dancingastronaut.com/2015/04/galantis-reveal-peanut-butter-jelly-debut-album-now-available-pre-order/ Received May 20, 2015
  23. ^ Pharmacy https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/pharmacy/id984746615 Received May 20, 2015
  24. ^ http://www.musictimes.com/articles/38311/20150512/galantis-2015-summer-pharmacy-global-tour-dates.htm Received July 5, 2015
  25. ^ Dimperio, Allegra. "DANCING ASTRONAUT DOES THE DESERT: BEST OF COACHELLA 2014". Dancing Astronaut.
  26. ^ Medved, Mat. "What was Coachella 2014's Best Dance Music Moment? (Poll)".
  27. ^ Dimperio, Allegra. "Galantis earn their hype with inspiring Coachella debut".
  28. ^ Wood, Mikael. "Galantis band mates have plenty to 'Smile' about".
  29. ^ Ringen, Jonathan. "Coachella's Career-Making Magic: It Takes Artists From Cool to A-List".
  30. ^ "Galantis Talks Songwriting, Touring, and Trying to 'Spice Things Up' with Dance". Billboard.
  31. ^ "Galantis earn their hype with inspiring Coachella debut". Dancing Astronaut.
  32. ^ Lee, Valerie. "Galantis look to bring 'You' along for an upcoming North American tour". Dancing Astronaut.
  33. ^ "Galantis Stops at The Bowery Ballroom in New York City". EDM Sauce.
  34. ^ a b c Schiewe, Jessie. "Swedish Electronic Duo Galantis Dish on Their Songwriting Process And How They Met". SF Weekly.
  35. ^ "Djakarta Warehouse Project finalizes its 2015 lineup". Dancing Astronaut.
  36. ^ Tsao, Tommy. "IDMA winners tour".
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