Biography

Born (1982) and raised in Malmoe, Sweden Mika “Grovskopa” Hallbäck is one of the most exciting and innovative young DJ/producers to arrive on the techno scene in recent years. He has been producing since the tender age of 14 and began DJing a year later, eventually graduating to his current three turntable set up at 18 years of age. Originally drawn to the punk rock scene by its energy, Grovskopa discovered that the rising techno scene also carried this energy, but conveyed it through sounds that were more to his taste than the standard guitar, bass and drums set up which had led the punk scene into cliché. "I listened to a lot of Synth and Punk Rock when I was 10-15. I loved the sounds in Synth and the energy in Punk Rock. So when I heard techno it was the perfect mixture for me", he explains. Eschewing the purely club-based loop techno which had put many of his fellow-countrymen on the techno map, he gravitated towards the more intricate, menacingly industrial techno coming out of late 90s England, taking his lead from producers such as Surgeon, Regis and James Ruskin. Simultaneously, Grovskopa developed a taste in some of the inspirations for this sound from outside the techno scene, such as Steve Reich, Liaisons Dangereuses, Recoil, Philip Glass and Boyd Rice, feeding notions of musicality that strectched far beyond the dancefloor. Along with his musical partner Archae, Grovskopa formed Emergence records in 2001 as an outlet for their first release, but with the wider intention "to release music on a continuum of change, to support the development and expression of artistic ideas and to create a forum for the new". Archae did however leave Emergence in 2003 and now the label is run by Grovskopa and his brother Luka Baumann. In 2006 Grovskopa widened his playground and started Pohjola Records. A label that quickly became known for its 1990s techno romanticism. Further to this, Grovskopa states, "My biggest vision is to intertwine this 'body music' with the intellectual music making it appealing to listeners of both groups. We work quite much with electro acoustic elements which I find very stimulating." Taking influences from diverse areas of music and the visual arts to act as an aid to his creativity, subsequent releases have stayed true to this ideal. The tenth release on Emergence will be a full-length album, allowing space to explore this vision more extensively. As Grovskopa says, "conceptualism is entertaining". Those who may once have been considered heroes are rapidly becoming peers. Treading the difficult path of creating music with conceptual depth and artistic focus, which still operates as functional dance music, a new techno force is coming out of Sweden to control your mind and your feet! Grovskopa has released on the following labels: Surface, Emergence, Pohjola, Maracas, Recycled Sound, Mental Disorder, Integrale Muzique, WarmUp, MainOut, Infecta, Psychoskunk etc. Grovskopa will release on these labels shortly: Aftertaste, Limetree Projects etc.

Discography

-Released- Archae & Grovskopa - Emergence One (Emergence IOU1) Archae & Grovskopa - Emergence Two (Emergence IOU2) Archae & Grovskopa - Emergence One Remixes (Emergence IOU4) Archae & Grovskopa - Oncofusion (Maracas MAR005) Archae & Grovskopa - Cymatics (Surface SF019) Grovskopa - Emergence Seven (Emergence IOU7) Archae & Grovskopa / Reeko - Brotherly Effort (Mental Disorder MD03) Archae & Grovskopa - Dwell (Integrale Muzique IM06) Various Artists - M11M (M11M) Grovskopa - Croatian Techno Sluts Part 1 (Recycled Sound RSR003) Various Artists - Republika (Infecta IF002) Various Artists - Antarktika (Infecta IF003) Los Jovenes / Juan Rico - Mens Sana In Corpore Sano (Hispania HISP001) Luka Baumann - Mrznjica (R.A.S. RAS002) Various Artists - Late (Immolate IMMO001) Luka Baumann - Luka Et Al (MainOut MO09) Kike Pravda / Victor Martinez - Requiem For The E-Scene (Psychoskunk PSK002) Grovskopa - Luscious Apparatus (WarmUp WU015) Various Artists - Tsunami Relief Series 3/4 (Tsunami Relief ABAID003) Victor Martinez - Aquamortis (OffAudio OFFAUDIO020) Grovskopa / Brethren - Ensimmäinen Runo (Pohjola POH001) Grovskopa - Mika Et Al. (Audio Assault AAR022) Grovskopa - Lightness Prevails (IOUmp3 IOUMP3005) Grovskopa - Emergence Seven Remixes (Emergence IOU12) -Coming- Various Artists - Metal Invader (Aftertaste AT001) Grovskopa / Casual Violence - Trauma Can Distort The Memory (Limetree Projects DDLT1201) Archae & Grovskopa - Untitled (Emergent Properties IOUPR) Luka Baumann - Emergence Nine Remixes (Emergence IOU13) Archae & Grovskopa - Humors LP (Emergence IOU10) -CDs- Grovskopa - Kega (GSMIXCD01) Grovskopa - Emerging (GSPromoCD01) Grovskopa - TungGung mix (GSMIXCD02) Grovskopa - Re-Emerging (GSPromoCD02 -Released on Grovskopa's labels- Pesuasion Channel - Emergence Three (Emergence IOU3) Regis/Christian Wnsch/Persuasion Channel/Archae & Grovskopa - Emergence One Remixes (Emergence IOU4) Reeko - Emergence Five (Emergence IOU5) Tuomas Rantanen - Emergence Six (Emergence IOU6) Reeko - Emergence Eight (Emergence IOU8) Luka Baumann - Emergence Nine (Emergence IOU9) Reeko - Emergence Eleven (Emergence IOU11) Elektrabel/Stanislav Tolkachev - Toinen Runo (Pohjola POH002) -Coming on Grovskopa's labels- Go Hiyama/Teemu T - Kolmas Runo (Pohjola POH003) Cyp/Victor Martinez - Neljäs Runo (Pohjola POH004)

Schedule

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