Hey, Mr. D.J., will you put my Obegransad record player on?
(Bloomberg) — The only ones surprised that Ikea’s entire new collection by Swedish House Mafia is black may have been the members of Swedish House Mafia.
Despite the fact that the EDM supergroup of Axwell (Axel Christofer Hedfors), Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso have influenced everyone from Diplo to Martin Garrix and are never not dressed head-to-toe in favorite shades of noir, the trio’s first partnership with the world’s No.1 furniture retailer didn’t start out with such a dictate.
“When you put it all together, it’s like, OK, it’s a black collection.
But once you start picking these things apart, it’s very bold, brutalist—almost minimal and structural,” Angello tells me backstage during a private reveal party on Sept. 7 in Hollywood, Calif.
The group was in town to launch the Ikea of Sweden AB line and play a show at Banc of California Stadium, its first return to the city in a decade. “The decision was,” he continues, “this collection is gonna be simple and bold.”
Called Obegransad, which means “unlimited” in Swedish, the SHM series will launch in the US and around the world in October, offering affordable home furnishings that aspiring musicians and DJs might use.
There’s the matte black-on-black record player ($160); the black LED work lamp ($50); and black laptop stand ($14). There are also black shelving units, laptop bags, throw blankets, and even slippers in two sizes.
The most expensive thing on the list is a large multi-drawer desk ($199).
More than the obvious connection between a Swedish dance group and a Swedish corporation, the 23-item line comes from a genuine history of using Ikea products, says Axwell.
“Growing up, everybody had Ikea, and there were certain looks throughout the years—different Ikea for the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s,” he says.
“For us growing up, trying to make music for a living, you don’t have unlimited funds. When you’re about to furnish your first home studio in your room—obviously, Ikea was the place. You get the starter kit.”
Made with a sense of texture and depth (the faux fur of the rug; the matte coating of the lamps; the shape of the clock), many of these items could dress up the Lower East Side apartment of a working New York DJ.
The bags, which are variously sized riffs in black on the iconic blue plastic workhorses, might be stuffed behind sound booths. They’re part of the scene, but sufficiently distinct in style for you to know which is yours when it’s time to go home—or move out of that shared flat.
That’s kind of the idea, says Agnello: “If you take any piece of the collection and put it in a different environment, it’s gonna stand out.”
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