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Sturm Café

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{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Sturm Café

| image = Sturm Café Nocturnal Culture Night 11 2017 14.jpg

| caption = Sturm Café in 2017

| image_size =

| background = group_or_band

| alias = The Xenophobian Alliance

| origin = Gävle, Sweden

| genre = {{ hlist | EBM | Synthpop }}

| years_active = 2001–present

| label = {{ hlist | Progress Productions | SCR }}

| spinoffs = John Steiner Explosion

| website =

| current_members = * Jonatan Löftstedt

  • Gustav Jansson

| past_members =

}}

Sturm Café is an electronic body music band from Gävle, Sweden.

Music made by Sturm Café provided the soundtrack of the movie {{Interlanguage link|Die Zombiejäger|sv}}.

History

Sturm Café was founded by the two teenage boys Gustav and Jonatan who met at a very young age in Gävle, Sweden. As teens they began playing with various instruments and the equipment in Jansson's father's studio. They released a couple of demo cassette tapes under the name The Xenophobian Alliance which were handed out to close friends. The instrumentation was a cheap digital synth with an Atari for sequencing and an analog 4 channel portable studio.{{cite book|last1=Hampejs|first1=Yuma|last2=Schulze|first2=Marcel|title=Electronic Body Music (English Edition)|year=2024|location=Lüdersdorf, Germany|publisher=Mionætti|isbn=9783000785245|pages=305–309}}

Later on in 2002 they bought some analogue synthesizers and a digital portable studio and the music started to spread through mp3.com. At this time, the name of the band had been changed to Sturm Café as suggested by Gustav's father who was a fan of EBM bands such as DAF and Front 242. Influenced by Gustav's father's music collection, the duo moved toward an EBM sound with minimalistic analogue basslines, monotonous drum machines and chanting vocals in German. Despite being Swedish, they were inspired to sing in German owing to Löftstedt having learned German in school and the language being understood as a typical aspect of EBM style.

This eventually led to some live gigs in early 2003 and in the summer of 2004 they performed live at Sweden's biggest open air alternative music festival, Arvika Festival. Later that year, they signed a contract with the record label Progress Productions and played several shows in Germany including at Berlin's Bodybeats club.

One year later, the album So Seelisch, So Schön! was released and climbed to position 75 on the Swedish official album sell chart.{{cite needed|date=March 2024}} That autumn, Jonatan moved to Poland for medicine studies. Sturm Café was put on hold.{{cite web |last1=Molin |first1=Gustaf |title=Intervju: Sturm Café |url=http://www.synth.nu/artikel_visa.php?aid=32 |website=Synth.nu |access-date=21 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928085716/http://www.synth.nu/artikel_visa.php?aid=32 |archive-date=28 September 2007 |language=Swedish |date=30 December 2005 |url-status=dead}} However, Jonatan moved back to Sweden the next year and the work with the band could continue.{{cite web |last1=Larsson |first1=Mattias |title=Sturm Café - Gävles germaner är tillbaka |url=https://synth.nu/artikel_intervju_sturmcafe.html |website=Synth.nu |access-date=21 January 2025 |language=Swedish |date=23 February 2021}} Even after returning to Sweden, Löftstedt and Jansson lived an 8-hour car ride from each other, making it difficult to work together given their dependence on vintage equipment.{{cite web |author1=Inferno Sound Diaries |title=‘Click Interview with Sturm Café: ‘I Like The Art And Effort That Artists Put Into An Album’ |url=https://www.side-line.com/click-interview-with-sturm-cafe-i-like-the-art-and-effort-that-artists-put-into-an-album/ |website=Side-Line Music Magazine |access-date=21 January 2025 |date=13 July 2021}}

In 2010, the band opened for Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft at BIMFest in Belgium. That year the band also embarked on starting a label, SCR (Sturm Café Releases), with their first release being the 7" single "Koka Kola Freiheit". In considering starting the label, the band balanced demands of thir non-music careers with the needs of a third-party label, ultimately deciding that the risks of running their own label were outweighed by control of the release schedule and creative process.{{cite web |last1=Coldheart |first1=Stef |title=STURM CAFE • interview • 2017 |url=http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/interviews/sturm-cafe-2017/ |website=Peek-A-Boo Music Magazine |access-date=21 January 2025 |date=23 October 2017}}

The band played their first non-European shows in Mexico City in 2015 and the following year in Lima, Peru.

Löftstedt also has a side project of dance music that he determined did not fit with Sturm Café called John Steiner Explosion. Some tracks from his side project were released on the band's Rarities 3 compilation in 2020.

Band members

  • Jonatan Löfstedt - vocals, music
  • Gustav Jansson - music, live keyboards & drums

=Occasional band members / collaborators=

  • Pehr-Anders Stockenberg - live drums (2007–2009)
  • Oskar Gullstrand - videoprojections, art work, music videos (2002–2006)
  • Joakim Mohlund - guest vocals on "Schweiss Bier und Stahl", live keyboards and drums
  • Slim Vic - credited as remixer on "So Seelisch, So Schön!" 2CD version.
  • Chinese Theatre - credited as remixer on "So Seelisch, So Schön!" 2CD version
  • Patrik Linderstam - visuals, graphic design

Discography

  • So Seelisch, So Schön! CD/2CD (2005){{cite web |author1= |title=Sturm Cafe - So Seelisch, So Schön! (cd Progress Productions) |url=https://www.side-line.com/reviews_comments.php?id=13535_0_17_0_C |website=Side-Line Music Magazine |access-date=21 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203110126/https://www.side-line.com/reviews_comments.php?id=13535_0_17_0_C |archive-date=3 February 2013 |date=11 April 2006 |url-status=dead}}
  • Tot CDM (2008)
  • Koka Kola Freiheit 7" (2010)
  • Rarities 2xCD (2013)
  • Europa! CD & 2x12" (2015){{cite web |author=Alex |title=Sturm Café, "Europa!" |url=https://www.idieyoudie.com/2015/03/17/sturm-cafe-europa/ |website=I Die, You Die |access-date=21 January 2025 |date=17 March 2015}}
  • Es Geht CD, 12" & MC (2017){{cite web |author1=Inferno Sound Diaries |title=Sturm Café – Es Geht (CD Mini-Album – SCR) |url=https://www.side-line.com/sturm-cafe-es-geht-cd-mini-album-scr/ |website=Side-Line Music Magazine |access-date=21 January 2025 |date=23 September 2017}}
  • So Seelisch, So Schön! Reissue CD & 12" (2019)
  • Europa! Second press CD (2019)
  • Fernes Land CD, 12" & MC (2021){{cite web |author1=Inferno Sound Diaries |title=Sturm Café – Fernes Land (Album – SCR) |url=https://www.side-line.com/sturm-cafe-fernes-land-album-scr/ |website=Side-Line Music Magazine |access-date=21 January 2025 |date=17 June 2021}}
  • Der Löwe aus dem Norden CD & MC (2022)
  • Zeitgeist CD, 12" & MC (2023){{cite web |last1=Mayo |first1=Stitch |title=ReView: Sturm Café – Zeitgeist |url=https://regenmag.com/reviews/review-sturm-cafe-zeitgeist/ |website=ReGen Magazine |access-date=21 January 2025 |date=5 August 2023}}

=Compilations=

  • APE Produkt #3 CDR (contributing track: "Regimegegner") (2003)
  • Electronic Compilation CD-R (contributing track: "In Meinem Griff" + "Radiosüchtig")'' (2004)
  • Interbreeding III: Xenophobic 2CD (contributing track: "In Meinem Griff" + "Mr.T") (2004)
  • ElectriXmas 2004 CD (contributing track: "Ein Mann Und Sein Bart") (2004)
  • Born / Evolve / Progress vol.1 CD (contributing track: "Stiefelfabrik" + "Schweiss Bier und Stahl") (2005)
  • Hymns of Steel CD (contributing track: "Schweiss Bier und Stahl") (2006)
  • Sonic Seducer Cold Hands Seduction Vol. 56 2CD (contributing track: "Die Wahrheit") (2006)
  • Infacted vol.3 CD (contributing track: "Radiosüchtig") (2006)
  • Born / Evolve / Progress vol.2 CD (contributing track: "Weltliches Leben") (2007)
  • Mortal Decay 2CD-R (contributing track: "Der Grosse Schwein (Terror Punk Syndicate Remix)") (2007)
  • Infected vol.4 2CD (contributing track: "Tot (Terror Punk Syndicate Remix)") (2008)
  • Machines Against Hunger 2CD (contributing track: "1/15") (2008)
  • Nacht Der Maschinen VolumeTwo CD (contributing track: "Ich Spekuliere") (2008)
  • 5 Years Of Progress - 2004-2009 CD (contributing track: "Der Löwe Ist Zurück") (2009)
  • EBM Collection Vol.1 12" (contributing track: "Der Löwe Ist Zurück") (2009)
  • Swedish EBM - The Collection CD (contributing track: "Scheissnormal") (2010)
  • Nacht Der Maschinen Volume Three (contributing track: "Der Löwe Ist Zurück") (2011)
  • Electronic Body Matrix 1 (contributing track: "Die Wahrheit") (2011)
  • Doppelhertz Vol. 2 (contributing track: "Sicherheit") (2011)

Complete tour history

References

{{ reflist }}

External links

{{Commons}}

  • {{discogs artist |artist=334050-Sturm-Café }}
  • [http://www.sturmcafe.se Homepage]
  • {{MusicBrainz artist|id=3b6bf2c1-3226-43e8-8c75-2e91e8c05820|name=Sturm Café}}
  • [https://www.idieyoudie.com/2021/04/01/we-have-a-technical-355-a-good-point/ We Have A Technical Interview 2021]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturm Cafe}}

Category:Electronic body music groups

Category:Swedish industrial music groups

Category:Musical groups established in 2001

Category:Musical groups from Gävleborg County

Category:Culture in Gävle