Vivrant’s first release of 2025 brings an exhilarating three-track collaborative EP with label head Jeremy Olander and fellow Stockholm native and rising star Fahlberg.
Consisting of lead track ‘Flashpoints’ followed by ‘Outrun’ and ‘For Your Mind,’ the EP is permeated by each artist’s distinct core style. When fused, Fahlberg’s penchant for infectious grooves and Jeremy’s affinity for hooky melodies lead both artists into a fresh and uncharted style territory. With a nod to 90s UK piano house, contemporary melodic house and old school progressive, the project is an amalgamation of the pair’s eclectic influences from all corners of dance music.
Fresh off the release on April 4th, we thought it necessary to pin the artists down and get some exclusive insights about the collaboration, how they worked together, and if there’s more music on the way. Enjoy!
WWD: ‘Flashpoints’ is your first EP together. What sparked the initial connection that made you want to work on music together? Have you known each other for a long time?
Fahlberg: Jeremy hit me up almost a year ago now, and we started talking about getting together in the studio pretty quickly after that. I’ve been a big fan of Jeremy’s music and since we both live in Stockholm it was a no-brainer to give this a go.
Jeremy: I had been thinking about working on a project with someone for a pretty long time, but couldn’t really find someone that really motivated me to reach out and make the effort to make it happen. I also wanted it to be someone local. It’s been such a long time since I worked with anyone that I felt it had to be with someone I could actually sit next to and vibe with.
Alex is an artist I’ve admired from afar for a long time. When I thought of him I pretty much instantly hit him up.
WWD: Walk us through the workflow for this EP. Did you work remotely, or did you spend time together in the studio? What were some of the most interesting moments during the production of these three tracks?
Fahlberg: Besides some final touches from both sides that we made remotely, almost the whole EP was done sitting side by side.
The most interesting part about the workflow has been that we both have our own distinct sound and integrity as far as our musical taste, and that we were able to spend so many hours in the studio and find a sweet spot where our two sounds blended together and created a perfect mix of sounds.
Jeremy: 100%! It was really an effortless process in that sense and happened super smoothly. I don’t remember us having any arguments or anything during the process of making this. It was a really dope experience.
WWD: Each track on ‘Flashpoints’ seems to have its own unique energy. Can you share the specific emotions, artists or experiences that inspired each individual track on the EP?
Fahlberg: The inspiration from my side at least has just been to showcase a new upgraded version of Swedish House and try to put a spotlight on the Swedish and Stockholm scene that I think is about to come back in a strong way.
Jeremy: For sure! I’ve noticed Alex using the terms “Nordic Melodic”, and I think this EP really fits that description. For me, it’s just been an overall vibe that I’ve been into during this time of making this. Listening to old Swedish stuff, old French and UK stuff too. Then I’ve just meshed it all together with the sound I’m into right now and married it with Alex’s style.
I do also agree with Alex that we’re going to be seeing a lot more new, fresh talent from the Nordics in the years to come.
WWD: Both of you have different histories when it comes to working with other artists. For Jeremy, this is the first time since ‘Vanadis’ with MOLØ five years ago. Fahlberg, you have worked a lot with other artists throughout your career. What’s your general philosophy on collaborations and how has it changed during your career?
Jeremy: Yeah, that’s actually true. Shit. I really am a loner in the studio *laughs.* I obviously have a tendency to work alone, which I love. But this project has really opened up my eyes to the benefits of collaborating with others.
Fahlberg: As you said, collaborations have been something I’ve done quite a lot during the last few years and it’s been great experiences.
I’ve learned a lot working with a lot of different producers. It’s been great, but now I’m going to focus on solo stuff and be very selective with who I work with. When I do end up jumping on the next one, I want to be a more extensive project not only limited to a single. Like this one with Jeremy. It’s more fun and interesting rather than just one track.
WWD: Melodic house has a lot of interesting artists coming up that bring a new sound to the scene. How do you feel ‘Flashpoints’ represents your current sound, and what elements of the genre are you most excited about right now?
Jeremy: I really like this EP because it doesn’t sound like anything that you could categorize as being trendy in dance music right now. It’s not afro, it’s not UK house, it’s not tech house, it’s definitely not melodic techno.
I think when you create music you’re really into and don’t pay attention to noise, that’s when cool stuff happens.
Fahlberg: I’m most excited about bringing a new wave of this Nordic melodic sound to the world. I want to try and inspire a new generation of Nordic producers and build on this amazing legacy that we have in this part of the world.
WWD: How did your individual styles complement each other during the creation of this EP, and where did you find the most interesting creative compromises?
Fahlberg: The best creative compromise is when there is none. We’re both very honest about the things we like and don’t like, so we kept at it until we found something that sounded right for both. That’s what I think makes this EP cool. It’s a proper collaboration of two sounds.
Jeremy: Totally agree. I think we both felt early on that our styles really complement each other. Listening back to each track it sounds pretty clear too. Right off the bat we had a great dynamic and were comfortable enough to be super honest. That helped a lot.
WWD: What did you learn about each other’s production techniques during this collaboration? Were there any surprising discoveries about each other’s creative process?
Fahlberg: I knew Jeremy was a great producer before we set foot in the studio, but I was still impressed by seeing him work sitting next to him.
One thing that struck me is that we’re both very easy going in our approach to making music. No real professional set-ups. Just our laptops and a pair of basic monitors, headphones and we’re good to go.
Jeremy: For someone like me that’s done very little work with other producers I picked up on a bunch of stuff from Alex. He’s obviously really good at what he does, especially his sense for melodies.
WWD: Can you share some of the key synthesizers, plugins, or hardware that were instrumental in shaping the sound of this EP? Were there any new pieces of equipment you were particularly excited to use?
Fahlberg: *Laughs* No. I only work in Ableton. No external synthesizer or fancy stuff. I’ve also run out of space on my hard drive so I can’t get any new cool plugins. I can’t remember the last time I got a new nice VST. I make 90% of my sounds on Diva, Serum or Hive, and it works for me.
Jeremy: Yeah, same. I do get some new stuff from time to time but I tend to get back to the usual suspects, like Logic’s own synths. As I mentioned before, we have a pretty similar philosophy in that less is more.
WWD: Last but not least, is this a one and done or do you see yourself working on more music in the future? The EP made #1 on Indie Dance on Beatport and is going strong on Spotify. The fans seem to want more?
Fahlberg: I just recently moved into the same studio complex as Jeremy so to avoid any awkward moments I guess I have to say yes *laughs*. No, but on a more serious note, I think it will happen.
Jeremy: I’m super pumped about how the EP’s been received and I love playing all three tracks at my shows. Most importantly I’ve had a lot of fun with Alex (Fahlberg) in the studio so yeah, it’ll happen.
WWD: We’re looking forward to it! Congrats on the EP and thanks for the chat 🙂
The ‘Flashpoints’ EP is available here