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 | |
| Origin | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres | Electronica, post-punk, industrial, darkwave |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Enfant Terrible, Hästen & Korset, Klangarkivet, Energy Rekords, Complete Control Productions, Progress Productions, Oráculo Records, Kollaps Records, Wave Tension Records |
| Members | Johan Lange Peter Fristedt Emanuel Åström |
| Past members | Aleksander Blomqvist Kristoffer Grip Henrik Sunbring Thobias Eidevald |
| Website | www |
History
editAgent 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
editCurrent 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)
- Agent Side Grinder, Line-up live at Nocturnal Culture Night 2018 in Deutzen
-
Johan Lange -
Peter Fristedt -
Emanuel Åström
Discography
edit| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Title | Format | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Beauty | CD | 2011 | Manic Depression |
| Industrial Beauty Extended | CD | 2016 | Manic Depression |
| 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
edit- ^ a b Agent Side Grinder on facebook
- ^ Release info Enfant Terrible: Agent Side Grinder album Archived April 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Release info Enfant Terrible: Irish Recording Tape album Archived April 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Vice Magazine Album of the Month April 2012: Agent Side Grinder Hardware
- ^ Dagens Nyheter: Agent Side Grinder: "Hardware"
- ^ Manifest award 2013: best synth album
- ^ Elektroskull: Liverapport: Agent Side Grinder (+Henric de la Cour, Skriet), Stockholm
- ^ Dagens Nyheter: Agent Side Grinder: "Alkemia"
- ^ Manifestgalan: Manifest award 2016: best synth album
- ^ Gillberg, Jonas (February 5, 2016). "Skånska segrar på Manifestgalan". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish).
- ^ Release Magazine A/X review
- ^ "Wave Gotik Treffen 2015". Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ^ "Entremurahlas 2015". Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ^ Bimfest 2014
- ^ a b c d e Agent Side Grinder releases on Discogs