Initiating the Stenberg act
While the Uppsala studio has been his 24/7 home for a decade now, the air miles started picking up for real in 2010. After kicking off in the Musical Madness hangar at Q-Base in Germany 2008 and playing a couple of prestigious events in Netherlands alongside Marco V, Marcel Woods, Gareth Emery and more, he was selected to close the main lineup of the massive EnTrance 2010 festival in Poland. He braved the pain and played on crutches due to a broken ankle! “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world”, Jonas recalls. “If the doc would’ve banned me from flying I had taken the train, Prydz style”.
Luckily he was allowed to fly and sat next to Dr Alban on the plane, totally random but true story!
A summer on the road
After a fast recovery he premiered in The Matrixx, voted most popular club of Holland 2010, testing lots of new material. “Playing my music in front of a crowd is essential to develop in sound nowadays”, Jonas explains. “Without hearing it in a club – and getting a connection with the crowd – there will be a hard time to imagine what will happen on the dance floor. Sure, the standard formula will work, but to be unconventional you need to experiment more, which can lead to unexpected crowd reactions. Difficult to predict, but interesting nonetheless!”.
Last summer also took him to London and another premiere at The Gallery @ Ministry Of Sound, a venue that hardly needs any introduction. Playing with High Contrast residents Marcel Woods, Wippenberg and Cliff Coenraad it was a fantastic night well worth reminiscing.
After another country premiere at Club NOXX in Belgium he landed in Australia for the first time since 2007 – it was time to join Richard Durand on the massive five-city In Search Of Sunrise tour.
An ever-evolving set philosophy
After returning from the tour down under he managed to find some time in the studio before it took off to Scotland, Glasgow and Inside Out at The Arches, testing new stuff out again in an absolutely banging Halloween edition. “I always make my own edits of the tunes that I play”, Jonas explains. “Usually to alter the arrangement to suit my set needs, and sometimes to add elements as well”. He is also well-known for his bootleg remixes, some that made their way to an official release while others are only to be found in the CD cases of Jonas and a possibly a few more DJs.
His forward-thinking studio philosophy is also reflected in his gigs. “I always strive to find new ways of transitions and set-buildups”, he says. “If there is a certain vibe or atmosphere that I want to create in my set and I cannot find the tune for it, I will go and make it myself” he continues, probably referring to some of his bootleg remixes specifically made for a certain event or tour that has remained in his case ever since. These tracks and special edits combined with his own music are only some of the elements that make his performance a unique experience – when you attend a gig you’ll find out exactly why.
Approaching the next level
Ending the year with a festival performance in Netherlands and closing 2010 on NYE in Aberdeen, he returned to The Gallery and the Markus Schulz’ birthday party in February 2011. Coming up are country debuts in South Korea in April at Club Heaven, Seoul, and Switzerland for the (very large) Sonic 16 festival in Basel in May. There is plenty more to come this summer, but it’s still all under wrappings. Keep a close eye on his agenda to follow his every worldwide move gig-wise. Simply – stay tuned! (Agenda)
