Swedish producer and engineer
Peder Mannerfelt is equally adept at creating relentless dancefloor tracks as well as noisy experimental works reminiscent of
Pan Sonic. Based in Stockholm, he got his start in the music business working at Murlyn Studios, and even participated in the production of
Britney Spears' 2003 mega-hit "Toxic." He produced minimal techno under the name the Subliminal Kid, and released nearly a dozen 12" singles on labels such as Ann Aimee and Perspex Recordings. Along with
Van Rivers (
Henrik von Sivers), he remixed tracks by artists such as
Massive Attack and
Lykke Li, and produced albums by
Fever Ray (whom he toured with) and
Blonde Redhead. He formed analog synth ambient duo
Roll the Dice with
Malcolm Pardon (formerly of Kinky Machine), and the duo released their self-titled debut LP on Digitalis in 2010. This was followed by two albums and two EPs (including a collaboration with
Pole) on the Leaf Label.
By 2012,
Mannerfelt had dropped his Subliminal Kid alias and began producing under his own name. His jagged, harsh electronics were warmly received by London-based duo
Emptyset, who issued
Mannerfelt's EPs
Come Closer (2012) and Stockholm Recorded (2013) on their imprint We Can Elude Control. His debut solo album, Lines Describing Circles, was released to critical acclaim by Digitalis in 2014. He also started an eponymous label and began issuing his own material, starting with EPs I and II, as well as work by
Klara Lewis. He also shared a split EP with
Pär Grindvik, issued by Stockholm LTD. In 2015,
Sendai released
Mannerfelt's CD The Swedish Congo Record on their Archives Intérieures imprint. The album was a synthetic re-creation of a 1950s series of field recordings titled The Belgian Congo Records. 2016 was
Mannerfelt's highest profile year yet, with further acclaimed releases on his own label such as full-length Controlling Body and EP Transmissions from a Drainpipe, as well as a live EP on Berlin Atonal and 12"s on Numbers and Hinge Finger. ~ Paul Simpson