Agent Side Grinder is a Swedish electronic band from Bromma, Stockholm, which was formed in 2005.[1] The band has made seven albums and two remix albums, they've toured extensively throughout Europe.

Agent Side Grinder
Agent Side Grinder at Nocturnal Culture Night 2018 in Germany.
Background information
OriginStockholm, Sweden
GenresElectronica, post-punk, industrial, darkwave
Years active2005–present
LabelsEnfant Terrible, Hästen & Korset, Klangarkivet, Energy Rekords, Complete Control Productions, Progress Productions, Oráculo Records, Kollaps Records, Wave Tension Records
MembersJohan Lange
Peter Fristedt
Emanuel Åström
Past membersAleksander Blomqvist
Kristoffer Grip
Henrik Sunbring
Thobias Eidevald
Websitewww.agentsidegrinder.com

History

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Agent Side Grinder's first two albums, Agent Side Grinder[2] (2008) and Irish Recording Tape[3] (2009) were rooted in post-punk, industrial and dark electro.

Their third album Hardware (2012) showed a bigger and more textured sound. It was named "album of the month" in Vice Magazine,[4] topped several annual "best of-lists" including Dagens Nyheter,[5] Metro and Time Out Paris and won the Manifest-award[6] (Swedish indie-grammy) for best synth album in 2013. also on the album were Swedish musicians Skriet and Henric de la Cour.[7]

In 2015 they released Alkimia,[8] a dramatic and melodic album that exceeded the success of "Hardware" (another Manifest win[9][10]). The album contains a guest appearance by Nicole Sabouné.

After Kristoffer Grip, Henrik Sunbring and Thobias Eidevald decided to leave the band in 2017, Johan Lange and Peter Fristedt together with new singer Emanuel Åström returned in 2019 with their comeback album A/X.[11]

Agent Side Grinder has done seven European tours and played festivals such as M'era Luna Festival, Wave-Gotik-Treffen,[12] The Great Escape, Eurosonic, Les Transmusicales de Rennes, Entremurahlas,[13] Bimfest,[14] Drop Dead Festival and Arvikafestivalen. They have opened for bands such as Suicide and Laibach and collaborated with artists like Dirk Ivens, Kite and Henric de la Cour.

In 2020 the band released a second version of A/X titled 'REMA/X'. The album features 13 tracks, the majority of the tracks being remixes of songs from the previous album. REMA/X features remixes from bands such as Ash Code, She Pleasures Herself and many more. The album also includes a new song from Agent Side Grinder titled 'The Archives'.

In 2023 Agent Side Grinder released the album 'Jack Vegas' consisting of 8 new tracks. The album won the award for 'best synth' in the 2024 Manifestgalan Awards, this marks the bands third time winning the award and fourth time being nominated.

Members

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Current members[1]

  • Johan Lange – synthesizer, keyboard, programming, percussion, backing vocals
  • Peter Fristedt – modular synthesizer, tape loops
  • Emanuel Åström – vocals
Former members
  • Alexander Blomqvist – bass guitar (2007–2011)
  • Henrik Sunbring – synthesizer (2007–2017)
  • Kristoffer Grip – vocals
  • Thobias Eidevald – bass guitar (2011–2017)

Discography

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Studio albums[15]
Title Format Year Label
Agent Side Grinder LP 2008 Enfant Terrible
CD 2010 Kill Shaman
LP reissue 2011 Energy Rekords
The Transatlantic Tape Project Tape 2009 Hästen & Korset
LP 2009 Enfant Terrible
Irish Recording Tape LP 2009 Enfant Terrible
CD 2010 Klangarkivet
LP reissue 2016 Progress Productions
Hardware CD 2012 Klangarkivet
Tape 2012 Klangarkivet
LP 2012 Energy Rekords
Hardware (SFTWR included) 2xCD 2013 Artoffact Records
SFTWR (Remixes) CD 2013 Klangarkivet
Alkimia CD 2015 Progress Productions
LP 2015 Progress Productions
A/X CD 2019 Progress Productions
LP 2019 Progress Productions
REMA/X (Remixes) CD 2020 Progress Productions
Jack Vegas CD 2023 Progress Productions
Live albums[15]
Title Format Live Date Year Label
Live at TMPL Tape June 9, 2007 2007 Self Released
Live at Delicious Goldfish Records Tape June 10, 2007 2007 Self Released
Two Nights With ASG Tape October 24, 2008 & October 25, 2008 2008 Self Released
Live in Paris 2009-10-02 Tape October 2, 2009 2010 Self Released
Industrial Beauty Tape Spring 2010 2010 Self Released
CD Spring 2010 2011 Manic Depression
Live in Switzerland

(with Suicide)

Tape September 4, 2010 2010 Klangarkivet
Live Targets Tape March 2012 2012 Klangarkivet
Hardware Comes Alive CD May 17, 2012 2012 Complete Control Productions
Live in Brussels 2012-12-08

(with unhappybirthday)

Tape December 8, 2012 2013 Self Released
Singles[15]
Title Format Year Label
Untitled 7" 2007 Enfant Terrible
Wolf Hour CD Promo 2011 Klangarkivet
Go (Bring It) Back

(with Dirk Ivens)

12" 2014 Kollaps Records
This Is Us 12" 2014 Progress Productions
Rip Me 12" 2015 Oráculo Records
Doppelgänger 7" 2018 Progress Productions
Stripdown USB 2018 Progress Productions
Compilation album[15]
Title Format Year Label
Industrial Beauty CD 2011 Manic Depression
Industrial Beauty Extended CD 2016 Manic Depression
Compilation album various[15]
Title Format Song Year Label
Hoera! Een Hex Voor Thuis! LP In Line With Me (Compressed Version) 2007 Hex Grammofoonplaten
Festival Der Genialen Dissidenten LP + 7" There Is A Sound That Always Goes Out 2008 Enfant Terrible
Darkness Before Dawn Volume 3 CD Die To Live (Darkness Before Dawn Edit) 2011 UpScene
Dödgrävardisko – En Samling Svensk Elektronik 1980–2012 Tape Billy 2012 Dödsdans Rekords
Inside The Volcano Volume One CD Life in Advance (Crash Course in Science Remix) 2013 Complete Control Productions
My Precious! A Waves Radio Show Compilation 1 LP Giants Fall (Kinex Kinex remix) 2016 Red Maze Records
Spring Equinox Digital Into The Wild (Kill Shelter Remix) 2017 Unknown Pleasures Records
30 Years Of Black Celebration – A Compilation Of Exclusive Depeche Mode Cover Versions CD A Question Of Time 2016 Sonic Seducer
Det Är Grymt I Norr LP Doppelgänger (Person:A Remix) 2018 Electronic Emergencies
We Are Electric: Gary Numan Revisited LP I'm An Agent 2018 Wave Tension Records
Absolute Body Control – 1980/2020 3xLP Love at First Sight 2020 Oraculo Records

References

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  1. ^ a b Agent Side Grinder on facebook
  2. ^ Release info Enfant Terrible: Agent Side Grinder album Archived April 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Release info Enfant Terrible: Irish Recording Tape album Archived April 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Vice Magazine Album of the Month April 2012: Agent Side Grinder Hardware
  5. ^ Dagens Nyheter: Agent Side Grinder: "Hardware"
  6. ^ Manifest award 2013: best synth album
  7. ^ Elektroskull: Liverapport: Agent Side Grinder (+Henric de la Cour, Skriet), Stockholm
  8. ^ Dagens Nyheter: Agent Side Grinder: "Alkemia"
  9. ^ Manifestgalan: Manifest award 2016: best synth album
  10. ^ Gillberg, Jonas (February 5, 2016). "Skånska segrar på Manifestgalan". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish).
  11. ^ Release Magazine A/X review
  12. ^ "Wave Gotik Treffen 2015". Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  13. ^ "Entremurahlas 2015". Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  14. ^ Bimfest 2014
  15. ^ a b c d e Agent Side Grinder releases on Discogs
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