When he first discovered house-music hits such as Benny Benassi's “Satisfaction,” Jeremy Olander was too young to enter clubs. “I think that's why I'm more into the dark side of house music because that's what I started to listen to first,” he says.
Now 24, the Stockholm resident is part of the exclusive Pryda Records roster spearheaded by Swedish genius producer Eric Prydz. Early releases “Riots” and “Fairfax” were among the label's biggest Beatport sellers in 2011, and Olander continues to ride that momentum on his latest singles, “Petroleum” and “Let Me Feel.”
Olander and his sidekick/label mate Fehrplay recently embarked on the second leg of the first Pryda Friends Tour, with 11 dates in the U.S. and Canada. They'll play Orange County on Thursday, Oct. 3 at the EDM haven Sutra; expect an intimate show of big pro-gressive hits and deep techno vibes. “I really like a small club where you can feel connected with the crowd,” says Olander.
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Despite only a few years of producing and deejaying, his sets take you on an up and down journey of feels and melodies that set him apart from the bangers and drops we're used to hearing today. Unlike his countrymen, including super-star DJs Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, Alesso and Adrian Lux, Olander has chosen a non-commercial sound.
“I was worried that people in the U.S. wouldn't be that into my style,” says Olander, who's known for having an eclectic take on pro-gressive house, with emotional rhythms and melodic synths. “Yet the crowd here is more open-minded to hearing new stuff, as op-posed to the pretentious people in Sweden. They have heard it all in Europe and are quick to judge what's cool or not.”
Although raised in Sweden, Olander was born in the U.S., and he plans to move to LA by next summer. “I just love strolling around Hollywood Boulevard, as cheesy as it sounds,” he says. He will join Eric Prydz for the highly anticipated Epic 2.0 live show at the Hollywood Palladium in November. “I know I have a lot of fans in LA and OC who are really eager to see me,” says Olander. “I even have some fans who I know fly out to my shows from all over the U.S.”
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Like his mentor Prydz, Olander also has a quarterly radio show, Vibrant Radio. “It's a great way to showcase my new music and give a mix to my fans every three months,” he says.
He's also focusing on a four track EP to be released under his Dhillon alias on Adam Beyer's techno Drumcode label. “If I were to release really rhythmic, beat-oriented stuff under Jeremy Olander, a lot of people would be disappointed,” he explains. “I feel sorry for producers who don't come up with aliases because they are too scared of going away from the sound of their hits.”
Perhaps fans can look forward to a Cirez D and Dhillon collaboration in the near future for more of that underground vibe. Now that would be epic.
Jeremy Olander performs with the Pryda Friends Tour at Sutra, 1870 Harbor Blvd., Ste. A200, Costa Mesa, (949) 722-7103; www.sutraoc.com. Thursday, Oct. 3, 9 p.m. $20. 21+.
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