The past week was quite intense in Milan, musically speaking: thanks to fashion week events people had the chance to see, for example, Azealia Banks and Beth Ditto performing live. For free. With free drinks to top it off.

We're back to normality now, and like I did for Belgium a few MoodSwings ago, this week I'd like to talk about three artists from the Swedish scene. I'm going to leave out the obvious choices: Sweden has produced so many famous talents that it's hard to name them all (Robyn, Lykke Li, The Knife, John Dahlbäck, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii or going farther back Ace of Base, Roxette, The Cardigans, Europe, Abba…) and focus on three acts that I find myself listening to often.

First off is Drop Out Orchestra. Very little is known of this ensemble formed in 2008; two people appear during their live gigs, but their real names remain unknown so the focus is entirely on their music. They've been progressively more and more appreciated by dance DJs worldwide, with remixes for the likes of Flight Facilities and Mario Basanov and reworks of more popular acts like Robyn, Craig David and The Ramones.

This remix of the Dublin Aunts came out in may and is an important part of my DJ sets recently for its complete bouncy nu-disco fun vibes.

Dublin Aunts - Heartbreak Reputation (Drop Out Orchestra Remix)

Rebecca & Fiona are two fun-loving girls from Stockholm - their bio on Facebook simply states "Best DJs in the world", and that says a lot about their sass. Formed in 2010, the duo published their debut album one year ago and have been touring all over the world ever since. Their album "I Love You, Man!" is a winning combination of electro-pop and dreamy lyrics, and their videos are adorable.

Rebecca & Fiona - Jane Doe

The duo Sally Shapiro has been around for a bit longer: often the name is wrongly associated to the singer of the duo, while actually it's a pseudonym for the singer (who is actually anonymous) and the producer Johan Agebjörn. Their first track, "I'll Be By Your Side" was released in 2006 and was an immediate hit in the Italo disco community. They have since released two albums and two remix compilations but have mostly remained unknown to the general public, partly because of the singer's shyness: she refuses to appear on music videos, on stage or even record a song with anyone else in the room.
Their music is pure synth-heavy Italo pleasure.

Sally Shapiro - Time To Let Go

 Written by Andrea Ratti