Biography All Media Guide Wikipedia
Formed in 1995, Club 8 became one of the pillars of Swedens pop scene with a string of melodic, eclectic albums. Members Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård had previously worked together in the band Poprace, and their new group -- which began as a recording project before growing into a full-fledged touring band -- explored everything from bossa nova to trip-hop. Pop always remained at the center of Club 8's sound, though, and Angergård made additional contributions to Swedish music by helping run a respected indie label, Labrador Records, and logging time in several different bands.
Komstedt and Angergård recorded their first three songs in 1995. After fielding offers from several labels, the two decided to partner with Siesta, a Spanish label, for the release of their debut single, "Me Too." A full-length album, Nouvelle, followed in 1996. Both releases sported an animated twee pop sound, but the bands second album -- 1998s The Friend I Once Had -- found Club 8 stretching their wings by incorporating elements of dance music. One year later, the musicians headed overseas to make their live debut at the CMJ Festival in New York, which spread Club 8's music to a new continent.
Now releasing albums on an international level (and touring in support of them, too), Club 8 continued tinkering with different influences throughout the early 2000s. A self-titled album appeared in 2001 and earned comparisons to Portishead's work, while 2002s Spring Came, Rain Fell was even more experimental and electronic, due in no small part to the construction of the bands own recording studio. After releasing Strangely Beautiful in 2003, Club 8 took a small break as Angergård turned his attention to a new solo project, the Legends, and working with Acid House Kings, a band that featured former Poprace member Joakim Ödlund as well as Johans brother Niklas Angergård.
Eventually returning to the Club 8 fold, he and Komstedt recorded their sixth album, The Boy Who Couldnt Stop Dreaming, and released it during the autumn of 2007. After taking another break (during which they absorbed the musical cultures of Brazil and West Africa), the duo recorded its seventh album, The People's Record, in 2009. Released in May of 2010, the record marked the first time Club 8 worked with an outside producer (Jari Haapalainen).
from Wikipedia:
Club 8 is a Swedish musical group consisting of Karolina Komstedt (from the band Poprace) and Johan Angergård (Acid House Kings, Poprace).
History
Formed in 1995, Club 8 were signed to the Spanish record label Siesta. They released a single called "Me Too" and an album called Nouvelle with an anorak pop sound.
In 1998, their second album The Friend I Once Had and the single "Missing You" were released. "Missing you" become a club and radio hit in Spain and somewhat of a college radio favorite in the US. The band started playing live. Their first gig was in New York at a March Records CMJ event in 1999. Their sound had by now developed into a more bossa nova and dance oriented one.
In 2001, Club 8's sound moved toward chill out and trip hop on its third, self-titled album. In the autumn of 2001, the band members locked themselves in Stockholm's Summersound Studios, writing songs and experimenting with Dub, C-86, trip hop, chill out, 80's, and bossa nova sounds. The resulting album, released in 2002, is named Spring Came, Rain Fell.
The 2003 follow-up album, Strangely Beautiful, peaked at number 18 on the CMJ charts in the US. For the first time since 1999, the band released a single from the album and a corresponding video. Backed by five exclusive tracks, the song "Saturday Night Engine" was released as a single in the spring of 2003. The video made it to number 16 on the Up North chart on MTV Nordic.
Afterward, Angergård formed a band called The Legends, which recorded 3 albums between 2004 and 2006. He also helped make an Acid House Kings album in 2005. In 2007, Club 8 released its 6th album The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming on Labrador.
Club 8's latest album, "The People's Record", was released May 18, 2010 and was produced by Jari Haapalainen.
