DJ Seinfeld

I’d like to preface this article by saying I literally made this DJ Seinfeld show at Kingdom Nightclub in Austin on a whim. I decided to go with a friend after I saw how excited about it he was, and being that he’s extremely selective with what he listens to and attends, I figured this probably wouldn’t disappoint, even though Techno isn’t necessarily my thing. It is a sub-genre of EDM though, and that’s my thing. And I was at Kingdom just a week prior to this show and remembered General Manager Tyler Lyssy being pretty excited about it, too, so I went.

DJ Seinfeld! What a f***ing surprise! I don’t know how else to say it. I wasn’t expecting it. I previously listened to some of his tracks on Spotify and while I can’t say I was turned on by them, I did, however, make a commitment to expose myself to as many new indie artists as I can find, and Kingdom Nightclub never disappoints. So, I went against my prejudices and was literally floored … like, pick-me-up-off-the-ground floored. For real, y’all, this cat came out of left field and instantly had me out on the dance floor like I’d done lost my mind. 

Armand Jakobsson, aka DJ Seinfeld, hails from Sweden and is a Barcelona-based music producer. He has other aliases, Rimbaudian and Birds of Sweden, under which you will find some ever-so-sweeping emotive sounds, vibrant dance-floor jams, and deep, soulful explorations into the jungle and breaks. His beats are ultimately guided by an idea of authenticity, a spirit true to the early house pioneers and shameless rawness the confines of their equipment demanded.

The Swedish producer came to rise on the winking, nostalgic tide of lo-fi house. As a matter of fact, he’s one of the most prominent figures in the controversial lo-fi house scene. He's made deep house tracks featured on the Twin Peaks soundtrack, acid house, and crunchy, heart-wrenching trance. By utilizing an overpowering tape hiss and distortion in production, Jakobsson's artistic sound qualifies as lo-fi house.

In 2021, he released his first album in four years, “Mirrors.” Jakobsson strips away the hiss to zero in on club tracks and express in unique fashion those big, universal emotions. “She loves me” are the first words heard on the album, and it’s a simple yet intimate and revealing statement.

DJ Seinfeld’s love of vocal samples tends to cut deep and take you places. It’s a very personal experience to hear something that sweet on one of his singles. Jakobsson began the project as a means of processing a breakup and putting his emotion into his sound. The earlier singles and debut album were not the same—mainly melancholic house, accompanied by euphoric undertones that delivered a sense of longing and sadness. Something has clearly changed, and I like it.

My word is this: if you’re a music fan in this genre (or if you’re just a fan of all types of music) and you see DJ Seinfeld coming to a venue near you, you’re going to want to purchase a ticket and check him out. Lesson learned for me: never judge a book by its cover.

Sometimes, there's a diamond in the rough.

Sometimes, an artist does better in front of you than you might expect.

Sometimes, the recording just doesn’t do the experience justice.

Questions? Comments? E-mail us at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com.