My new album 'Mirrors' is out now on Ninja Tune š
Swedish producer DJ Seinfeld returns with his brand new album āMirrorsā.
If much of DJ Seinfeldās previous work was characterised by a sepia-tinged haze, a result of
the producerās deliberately lo-fi production techniques, then brand new album āMirrorsā sees
his music come firmly into focus.
āOn this album I wanted to retain a lot of the raw emotionality that brought people to my music
in the first place,ā says Armand Jakobsson, better known as DJ Seinfeld. āBut I also wanted to
become a much better producer. Itās been an arduous process but itās a real statement of
where Iām at as a producer and person right now. Iāve been through various sonic
explorations in the past few years but have come to understand what people like about my
music and how to move forward with it.ā
Recorded between Berlin and Malmo, āMirrorsā is the follow-up to Seinfeldās critically
acclaimed 2017 debut album āTime Spent Away From Uā and his first for Ninja Tune. Named
after a quote by Armandās favourite writer, Argentinean novelist Julio CortĆ”zar, the album
finds the producer in a more settled and grounded mood after an unfortunate family incident
forced the producer to spend more time at home in his native Sweden over the past few
years.
āMy dad had a stroke a few years ago which means I need to be home more to help,ā he
says. āAside from the obvious tragedy of the situation, itās also helped ground me in reality.
Even when I was at the peak of touring, Iāve always had something Iāve had to come home to
and contribute to and itās meant Iāve grown up a lot and really seen the importance of having a
happy relationship and a good group of friends around who will nurture you and appreciate
your idiosyncrasies.ā
āI saw this quote from CortĆ”zar recently, which says āYou were always my mirror, to see
myself I had to look at you,ā and it just made sense in relation to this album. I donāt know who
I am but perhaps itās easier to see the silhouettes through things like heartbreak, family
trauma, but also through the peculiar flickers of light and love that enter your life. If the first
album was about getting past a breakup, this one is trying to understand whoās standing on
the finish line. This album is my mirror.ā
Rising to prominence in 2016 as part of the lo-fi house scene alongside producers including
Ross From Friends and Mall Grab, DJ Seinfeld (whose name is a result of extended sessions
watching the classic American sitcom after a breakup and move to Barcelona) released his
debut album in 2017 which received plaudits from Rolling Stone and Pitchfork to name a
couple. It also gained attention from contemporaries like Flume, Flying Lotus, Bonobo and
Four Tet and saw Seinfeld become a globally in-demand DJ playing sets everywhere from
Glastonbury to Coachella, Warehouse Project, SĆ³nar By Night and MoMaPS1, sharing
stages with everyone from Jeff Mills to Stormzy, Underworld and Bicep as well as
accompanying Disclosure on several dates of their US tour. In 2018 he became part of a
select group of DJs that includes Moodymann, DJ Koze and Nina Kraviz when he was
chosen to curate an edition of the iconic DJ Kicks mix series. To top it off, Aphex Twin began
playing his track āSakuraā in his live shows.
2019 saw Seinfeld launch his Young Ethics label with the āGalazyā EP, which saw support
from The Blessed Madonna, Gerd Janson, Jamie Jones and Maceo Plex as well as being
preserved for cultural record in the Swedish Royal Libraryās Archive For Sound. In the same
year he also recorded an Essential Mix for Radio 1. Over the years Seinfeld has remixed
Disclosure, Omar Souleyman, George Fitzgerald, Bob Moses, Honey Dijon, SHOUSE,
Pendulum, Prospa, MJ Cole, Baltra and more.
Simultaneously optimistic and melancholic in tone, the album is preceded by the single āU
Already Knowā, an italo-tinged summer anthem in waiting featuring an acapella from guestvocalist
Teira, whom Seinfeld met while DJing at a warehouse party in LA.
āThat track is very much in the vein of music Iāve released on Young Ethics recently,ā he says.
āThereās a touch of Italo and itās got a real funk feel to it. I was happy with it as an
instrumental but I added the vocal and it just fitted perfectly and brought the track to life.ā
The deliberately naĆÆve production techniques initially used on Seinfeldās music belie the fact
that he is from a long-line of classical musicians and has been playing classical piano from
the age of 10. āMy dad used to be an opera singer and he met my mum at a musical
Conservatoire in Copenhagen,ā he tells us. āSheās now a piano teacher and plays flute while
my sister is a professional cellist and opera singer too. I can appreciate classical music but I
reached a point where I felt Chopin didnāt have all the answers I was looking for!ā
With the world slowly waking up, thoughts have turned to creating a live show, with Seinfeld
currently working with an esteemed, world class music and lighting designer. Heās already
booked to close the Ray-Ban Stage at Primavera in 2022 (with Bicep, Jamie xx and
Disclosure announced to close the other days), with more live date announcements imminent.
āItās been nice to have time away to reflect and recuperate,ā he tells us. āBut Iām looking
forward to getting back to those moments on the road where life becomes a little Anthony
Bourdain-esque.ā
Citing late night sessions learning how to produce on his laptop while at university in
Edinburgh and āpretending to be Burialā as key turning points in his journey, Seinfeld has now
produced an album with all the emotional depth and musical dexterity of those electronic
luminaries. āMirrorsā touches on everything from UK Garage to down-tempo house to ambient
to breaks and is an at times tender, at times euphoric sonic journey with a producer slowly
realising his full potential.
