Hailing from a small Swedish Town, Mikael Nordgren was destined to be a musician. Learning every instrument in a band (guitar,bass, drums, piano, etc) at a young age set the wheels in motion. Today, Mikael aka Tiger Stripes has won the dance world over with floor killing DJ sets, countless productions and remixes under various names and fusing all things musical into his unique sound.
HigherFrequency was able to catch Mikael on his recent tour of Japan to find out all about being a DJ, producer, father, club owner and all around nice guy.
> Interview & Introduction : Len Iima (HigherFrequency)
HigherFrequency (HRFQ) : Your first album, “Safari”, will be released through Apt. at the end of this month, are you nervous or do you have a lot of confidence in what you have created?
Tiger Stripes : It’s already done so there’s nothing I can do now. I’m just hoping for the best and hope that people will like it. I’m happy with it!
HRFQ : Isn’t your life a bit hectic at the moment with the new album, running Go Bang! Nightclub in Stockholm, and also raising a daughter?
Tiger Stripes : It’s been really busy but I made a lot of stuff before I stopped working (to take care of my daughter full time), so now it’s all coming out. I DJ on the weekends, and I stay home with my daughter during the week. I go to the studio maybe about once a week now. It’s kinda hectic but it’s nice to be home with my family. (Also) because I hear the baby scream all day long it’s nice to DJ on the weekends, it’s a nice combination.
HRFQ : Listening to one single from the album which you did with Kerri Chandler ‘Song for Edit’, it’s hard to notice it is pure house music. When approaching a track like this are you planning to make it as housey as possible or is that just how your music comes out?
Tiger Stripes : On that track, I sat down in the studio and played the guitar. Kerri sat at the keyboard and we just started jamming. Neither of us is used to working like that so it was really fun. I tried to do the beats a bit like “Kerri” style. We discussed how we wanted everything, and then I finished it after he left. It just came out that way.
HRFQ : The poster for today’s event advertised Tiger Stripes aka D’Malicious but this is a name that has been quiet for a couple of years. Any plans to start producing as D’Malicious again or is it all Tiger Stripes from now on?
Tiger Stripes : I might do new things with D’Malicious but I don’t really know what’s going to happen. I have a few D’Malicious tracks for sure, so something’s going to come out in the future. But I don’t want to have all these alias’ anymore, cause I want to focus on Tiger Stripes. I think it’s cool to release different stuff under the same name. That’s how I am and that’s how I DJ, I like to play a bit of everything. A lot of Techy stuff is coming out, maybe that’s where my heart is. I like to do real songs once in awhile but it’s so much work like bringing in singers. (Ideally) I’d like to do both.
HRFQ :Tonight you are playing alongside popular STUDIO APARTMENT resident DJ Masanori Morita. Do you find any rivalry between you and local residents when you tour around the world?
Tiger Stripes : Not really. They’re the guys that are bringing me here and I really like their stuff, so it’s cool to meet them. I’m just happy to be here and to have a good time together.
HRFQ : We heard that Jerome Syndenham is one of your favourite artists to work with and you actually consider him like a big brother. Do you find it important to have a good connection with other artists when working together or can you make music with anyone?
Tiger Stripes : I guess I’m not into working with everybody. I’m pleased with doing things myself, and my own way. But, Jerome and I really connected, and we kind of like the same stuff. He likes a lot of different music and I do too, so it’s working really well between us. I think we’re going to do more stuff in the future.
End of the interview
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