“Avicii is the lowest level of Buddhist hell,” the 21 year old D.J. told The Cord prior to his show on Monday night at Palace Nightclub in Guelph. Avicii, or Tim Berg (born Tim Bergling) hails from Stockholm, Sweden.
With a style that he describes as “big room, melodic house,” Avicii has made a name for himself as one of the hottest DJ’s in the industry, securing the 39th spot on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJ’s after only a year on the scene.
Avicii is a fan of Waterloo as well, playing a set at Beta on Sunday night. The DJ expressed his amazement that Beta was able to “get that kind of crowd, even without a liquor licence.” When asked how Canadian crowds compare to other crowds worldwide, Avicii remarked, “They’re so crazy!”
At 18 years old, Avicii remixed the theme song to video game Commodore 64, “Lazy Jones,” which became his own track “Lazy Lace.” This remix marked the beginning of what would become a whirlwind of success for the young DJ and producer. It doesn‘t end at video games either, “everything inspires me, it could be a track, someone I meet or a venue.”
Signed to At Night Management in 2008, Avicii first gained exposure in the industry with his song “Manman” which he entered in Pete Tong’s Fast Trax competition. The track won by a landslide, securing an impressive 70 percent of votes.
He’ll be moving away from remixes and focusing on more original material in the near future, and he shared some inside tips about up-and-comers in the industry that house music fans can be excited about. “There’s this guy Alesso, from Sweden, who’s really killing it at the moment.”
When asked about some of his favourite bands outside the house genre, Avicii gave the surprising answers of System of a Down and KISS. “All my siblings listen to Kiss, so I’m kinda forced to say that.”
As for his opinion on the best D.J. in the game right now? Sebastian Ingrosso, fellow Swede and one third of house sensation Swedish House Mafia. Avicii shows no signs of slowing down in 2011 – this past October, he signed a deal with EMI Music Publishing, the fourth largest group of labels in the recording industry.
