Known to DJs and dance-music enthusiasts for his progressive, melodic deep-house and techno sounds, Jeremy Olander has been steadily climbing the career ladder for more than a decade.
In 2011, Olander became one of the first artists to sign with Pryda Friends, the imprint founded by fellow Swede Eric Prydz. While on the label, he managed to make quite a name for himself with hits like 2013’s “Let Me Feel,” among others. The next year, he took the stage at New York’s Madison Square Garden where he performed during Prydz’s EPIC 3.0 showcase. Since then, he’s released tracks, EPs and remixes on a variety of prominent labels, including Anjunadeep, CR2, Big Beat/Atlantic, Universal, Ultra, Spinnin’ Deep, Drumcode, Suara and Bedrock.
In 2014, the time came for Olander to start his own record label and event series, dubbed Vivrant, so he began to showcase his brand at leading clubs and festivals the world over. And if that wasn’t enough, Olander also performs and releases darker, more techno-leaning material under his Dhillon moniker.
Now Olander has taken his talents to Insomniac Music Group’s Interstellar imprint for his latest effort, Megatron. Following the release of the four-track EP, DJ LIFE caught up with Jeremy Olander, and here’s how it all went down:
DJ LIFE: How and when did you begin your exploration of electronic music?
Olander: It started back in high school. A buddy showed me you could make tunes on a computer, and I was amazed that you could make music with just a DAW, a laptop, and decent headphones. I’d always thought you needed some fancy multi-million-dollar studio setup.
DJ LIFE: Were you instantly hooked?
Olander: Once I dove in, I got hooked on the whole arrangement process. It reminded me of those old-school strategy games I used to play, like Red Alert. Laying out those MIDI blocks felt like putting together a puzzle. Funny thing is… dance music didn’t grab me right away. It was more of a slow burn. It took some friends introducing me to Joachim Garraud’s podcasts to really get me fired up about it.
DJ LIFE: What are some early memories you have of the scene?
Olander: I was about 15 or 16 when some older friends took me to this place in Stockholm called Grodan Cocktail Club. It was pretty much the go-to spot for house and techno. Man, I miss that place – I bet a lot of other Swedish producers and DJs would say the same. It had something special about it. It was wild to see these guys who later went on to sell out huge venues like Madison Square Garden, starting out in this small, sweaty basement with just a hundred people. That was super-inspiring. What really stuck with me was the connection between the artist and the crowd. We all felt like one with whoever was playing.
DJ LIFE: Who were some of the DJs/producers that inspired you when you were starting out? Which artists are your favorite right now?
Olander: In music in general, it’s got to be Michael Jackson. In my book, nothing comes close to the magic he created with Quincy Jones. That stuff is pure perfection to my ears. Can’t see anything topping it. When it comes to dance music, Eric Prydz. I genuinely believe he’s one of the top producers of his era… another level. Right now, I enjoy what Tim Engelhardt, Arkajo, OLING and Eagles & Butterflies are putting out.
DJ LIFE: Tell us about one of your very first DJ sets or DJ experiences…
Olander: I honestly had really limited experience DJing before I actually started touring outside Sweden. My first show outside Stockholm was in London with Eric at his first EPIC event at Brixton Academy. My nerves leading up to that one were unreal.
DJ LIFE: Megatron was recently released through Insomniac’s Interstellar Records. Tell us about the tracks you included on this EP…
Olander: It’s a quite diverse project sonically that I feel really represents where I’m at musically right now. It’s a very peak-time-ish project with pretty much all of the tracks being on the slightly darker side of what I make. I’m really happy with how it came it and to be the first artist out the gates on Interstellar.
DJ LIFE: Did you go into the project knowing you wanted to make an EP, or did you create tracks and then later decide to put the body of work together?
Olander: I never really approach any project wanting to make a specific type of EP. I approach production from the perspective of my DJ sets and make stuff I feel I need in my sets, and then after the fact I sit down and figure out what tracks make sense together to put out.
DJ LIFE: Tell us about your DJ set-up. What did you first start out with? What’s your set-up like now?
Olander: I play on four Pioneer CDJ-3000s and the Pioneer DJM-V10 – so, not that exciting. I’m looking at adding some effects units into the mix and I want to start experimenting with some kind of a live set-up, too.
DJ LIFE: When it comes to production, can you tell us more about what a typical day in the studio is like for you?
Olander: I try to maintain as much of a routine as possible and approach the studio kind of like a regular job. I do, like, 9-to-4 every day when I’m home, unless I need a day to recover from travel or have something planned with my kids.
DJ LIFE: What would we find in your studio and what’s some of your go-to gear, plug-ins, DAW?
Olander: I’m 100-percent loyal to [Apple’s] Logic Pro still and have been pretty much from the beginning, or at least since I started getting serious about production. I have a very basic set-up with an iMac, Genelec monitors, and I use Logic’s ES1, Soundtoys’ EchoBoy, Logic’s Space Designer and iZotope’s Ozone for mastering a lot.
DJ LIFE: Looking back on your career, can you recall a crazy or outrageous story from when you first started DJing?
Olander: Probably too many if I’m being honest, but I’m taking those to the grave.
DJ LIFE: How about fondest career memories?
Olander: It’s mostly that I’m blessed with being able to do music for a living for over 10 years now. I’ve never really had a regular job and music is all I know so I’m happy it worked out!
DJ LIFE: You’ve had the opportunity to tour with some of the biggest names in electronic music, as well as headline your own shows. Which shows stand out most to you?
Olander: Playing hometown shows is always special, especially when we do our own Vivrant label events. One of the most memorable was at City Hall in Stockholm a couple years back. We got permission to do a show at Blå Hallen, which is where the Nobel Prize dinner is hosted every year. It’s the first time they allowed someone to put on an electronic show in there and it truly felt historic.
DJ LIFE: Your summer tour includes over 35 shows across the world. What can fans expect this summer?
Olander: Super-excited about it. I’m doing a few Jeremy Olander vs. Dhillon shows on this tour for the first time. I either do two shows in one day at two difference venues or an early set and a late set at the same venue. I play as Jeremy Olander first, and go straight melodic and atmospheric, and then darker and more straight techno as Dhillon. I’ve revived that alias this year and got the itch back to do more techno stuff.
DJ LIFE: If you could play a back-to-back DJ set with any DJ, which would make your list?
Olander: Oh man, that’s a tough one. I honestly have no idea. I do know that I had a great time playing nine hours B2B with OLING a few weeks ago, so I’d definitely would want to do that again.
DJ LIFE: What does the rest of the year have in store for you?
Olander: Thanks a lot for having me and to everyone out there supporting my stuff. I see you! I have loads of new music dropping in the next few months that I’m excited to put out there, so look out for that. Hope to see you at one of my shows this summer!