Interview

Peter Boström: “I was very enthusiastic to try my best to get people to hear this gem”

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We had the chance to interview Peter “Bassflow” Boström, known in the Rox community mostly for his remixes of “Speak To Me” and “The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye”. Picture by Sverigesradio

Roxetteblog: Could you tell us how you got into music? What were/are your inspirations, idols?

Peter Boström: I was playing the violin as a kid. Not by choice, but I learnt the basics of melodies and patterns really fast. As a teen, growing up in Stockholm, you had to listen to either hard rock or synth to be somewhat accepted 😉

I always liked experimental stuff so I chose to be a loyal synth-fan. Besides, I didn’t really have the hair to listen to rock, haha!

My big idols were, and still are, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Nitzer Ebb, Jean Michel Jarre.

RXB: what is your favourite instrument / music effect?

Peter: My favorite instrument must be my old and damaged Korg Poly6. It is always out of tune but it sounds just wonderful. Dirty and noisy. Just what the doctor ordered in this digital era.

RXB: Where does your nickname “Bassflow” come from?

Peter: Bassflow is actually the name of my company. In 1992, I was sharing studio with a team called Time Bomb, a swedish Hip hop collective. Bassflow sounded phat and cool in regards of hip hop. I didn’t use the name until 2006 when I did a remake of 7milakliv by Martin Stenmarck and was asked what name I wanted to use as a remixer for the cover.

RXB: You have worked with many Swedish artists, how did you get to work with them?

I started my company in 1992, at the age of 21. From there it took a lot of effort and struggling to come to the point where I am today. Half way, that is. Back then I was writing and producing people I got to know, people who weren’t artist, but at least they could sing better than me.

In the end of the glorious 90’s, I got to know some pretty successful producers and got involved in various album project.

One thing led to another, and here I am!

RXB: You have done remakes/remixes of two Roxette songs, how did that happen?

Peter: I was contacted by Johan Olsson at EMI in Sweden. He and Per had heard some songs of mine and asked me if I would like to do a radio mix of “Speak to me”. Of course, I didn’t hesitate.

But how can you ever make a new version of a perfectly good song by Roxette without being questioned? Or question yourself? That was the hard part.

How do I walk on this holy ground without leaving ugly footprints? It’s a question of respect, but I think I am pretty ok at that, keeping the artists integrity somehow intact.

We have actually only communicated through the A&R at the record company. Per and Marie have been on tour quite a lot, so it was the most convenient way. I have met Per on a couple of occasions in the past, and he is a real gentleman.

RXB: “The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye” has always been one of those Roxette tracks that should have deserved better treatment, it’s a favourite for many fans and considered underrated. What did you have in mind when you did the remake? Did Per give you any directions?

Peter: After “Speak to me” I was contacted once again by EMI. Johan said that Per really wanted me to give this song a go. He said it was one of Per’s personal favorites. I must admit I had never heard the song before, so I was very enthusiastic to try my best to get people to hear this gem.

And by people I don’t mean the true Roxette fans. They have heard it a thousand times before. It is such a great song. But since the original version is almost 5 minutes long, I knew it would be hard to shorten it to a length that is accepted by the radio.

I didn’t really get any directions. I think Per had enough belief in me to do what I did with “Speak to me”. To re-think the production without damaging the song. You can never make something that is better than the original. You can just make it as good as possible in a different way.

RXB: And last but not least, what do you do when you are not working with music?

Peter: I spend all other time with my family, -my (soon to be) wife Evelina and my twin kids, Bastian and Milo. Well… except when there’s a Chelsea game on TV 🙂

RXB: Thanks for your time! We love the work you did with “Speak To Me” and “Sweet Hello”.

Picture by Sverigesradio.

Long and touching article about Roxette on DN

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This is an article you cannot miss to read!

If you don’t speak Swedish, try using Google Translator. It’s really worth the reading. And have a tissue at hand, for the tears.

The reporter met Roxette in South America and writes about the tour, Marie’s story, Marie and Mikael, how Per and Marie met, Roxette’s past and present and fans. With comments from the band members, Marie Dimberg and Mikael.

 

 

Per: “I start packing very late”

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The German Abendzeitung München interviewed Per Gessle about “Travelling” – not the album, but indeed travelling. The questions are quite interesting (and so are his answers) so we decided to give you a short translation.

Per Gessle, you are in sunny Stockholm right now. How long?

Per: Not very long. Very soon I leave to my other house on the west coast of Sweden and meet my mother and my brother. We will be together during Easter. Then I am off to South America. For five weeks.

And where have you been the first three months of 2012?

Per: It was an exciting year until now. We have been to Australia. In Southeast Asia. In China. We have never played in Shanghai before. Now I also look forward to South America, although we have been there last year already. But this time we are going to different places. Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Brasil.

How do you cope with a jetlag?

Per: Good question! You never really get used to the different time zones. It’s not a problem to perform, that’s not exhausting. It’s the opposite. It gives me a lot of energy. It’s travelling, that’s exhausting. The airports, waiting all the time, the long flights and that your inner clock is confused all the time. Australia is 10 hours ahead, in Southeast Asia it’s still seven. That’s much. You need several weeks to get used to that. And now it’s the opposite direction. But hey – that’s life. And it’s fantastic. I can’t really complain.

So you don’t know any tricks to cope with tiredness?

Per: You have to listen to your body. You need your sleep. Especially, when you have to go on stage. Then you really have to be in good shape. I hate medicine. That’s why I never take any sleeping pills on long flights. During the last tour I just slept and ignored all those tips, that you have to stay awake until a certain moment.

What’s happening with you when you’re travelling? How does it change you as a human being?

Per: The world ist damn huge and there’s a variety out there which is just unbelievable. If you come from Shanghai to Stockholm you wonder where all the people are. But if you come from a small town like Halmstad, where I was born, to Stockholm, this town feels too big. Travelling changes your perspective. People around the world have different attitudes and opinions. In China and Scandinavia the politics are completely different. Or compare Lima in Peru with Hongkong? You have to learn how big the world is. And when I travel a lot I really appreciate Sweden a lot more. It’s very clean here, the air isn’t polluted. And then there’s the climate. Well, yes. Not really. Only from May to October. These months are really wonderful. Then there’s a west wind in my hometown, you feel the salt of the sea. Winter is big joke here. So I don’t really care when I am travelling in January.

You like the weather in Sweden?

Per: Not really. Only from May to October. These months are really wonderful. Then there’s a west wind in my hometown, you feel the salt of the sea. Winter is big joke here. So I don’t really care when I am travelling in January.

Where do you sleep best?

Per: At home, of course. We always sleep in great hotels. But they are never as good as the bed at home. In hotels you sometimes wake up and ask yourself where you are, where the bathroom is. I can’t sleep in planes. I don’t really like flying. It’s not that I am afraid, but I don’t feel very well being up in the air.

What do you do in the plane when you can’t sleep?

Per: The plane is a good place to read. At home I barely have time for that. But in the plane I always have books with me. At the moment I read the biography of Bernie Ecclestone. I am a huge fan of Formula 1. On flights I also hear a lot of music. It’s cool that you can take so much of your favourite music with you on an iPod.

Is there anything you always have to have with you?

Per: Nowadays it’s of course a computer that you always carry around. And I actually always have an instrument with me. Mostly a guitar. But I am guy who always starts packing very late. A few hours before I have to go. Even when I am away for a month. My wife always does that one month in advance. I don’t. I have my favourite jeans, my favourite shoes..

You are kind of a hotel expert and own a hotel on your own in Tylösand. When is a hotel a good hotel?

Per: It depends on what you want. For me the first impression is important. The people who work there have to be very friendly. You should feel welcome from the beginning. If you like Spas, that’s important. If you like good food, then the restaurant is important.

And you?

Per: My wife likes Spas. I prefer the studio to work out. I think the staff is important. And a non-smoking room. It’s horrible to come into a room where people have smoked. If that happens I always change the room. I don’t need a big suite. I hate it, when they upgrade me to the “Präsidentensuite” (I really don’t know the English word right since I am in a hurry, it’s the biggest suite in a hotel). I don’t want to play tennis in my hotel room. I always close all the doors and stay in my bedroom. If you’re alone you really don’t need more than one room.

Interview with Per Gessle on Swedish radio P4

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Per Gessle was interviewed today in the Swedish Radio P4 show “P4 extra med Lotta Bromé”.

In the approximately 20 minute long interview Per explained about live on tour, about him being quite picky about certain things, playing with Barbies, “Travelling” and much more. You can listen to the interview – in Swedish of course – on SR’s website here.

Roxette Café has uploaded it on mp3. And Roxette.RO has done a short translation to English of the interview.