Skip to content
New Music

John Dahlback Gets Demure, Gives Away New LP

John Dahlbäck

What do you do when your older cousin is one of the pioneers of your country’s techno scene? In the case of Sweden’s John Dahlbäck, the younger cousin of the indefatigable Jesper Dahlbäck, the answer has clearly been to prove himself even more prolific. In just a decade, John Dahlbäck has recorded four albums and scores of singles, for a wildly diverse list of imprints that ranges from techno staples like Kompakt and Morris Audio to big-room progressive labels like Black Hole Recordings, Defected, and Toolroom. And that’s just under his own name: Factor in aliases like Hug, Huggotron, Jetboy, and Kaliber, plus dozens of collaborations with Jesper and others — including a one-off with Avicii — and you’ve got a catalog that’s way out of proportion to his 27 tender years.

The name of Dahlbäck’s new project, Demure, nicely encapsulates his latest musical turn: In place of shuffling tech-house grooves, rushing white noise, and side-chained whoomp, Demure is dedicated to the most pellucid sort of electronic pop. Shades of Depeche Mode, M83, Air, and Gui Boratto color his new album, Kill the Silence, a collection of low-key, feel-good songs co-written with (and sung by) his sister, Erika Gellermark. Clearly, the Dahlbäck clan doesn’t want for musical talent.

In keeping with Demure’s humble moniker is the fact that he’s giving away the whole album for free. A Facebook “like” is the only requirement; it seems a reasonable price for an album that’s so darn, well, likeable.