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WINTERGATAN

Crossover Prog • Sweden


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Wintergatan picture
Wintergatan biography
In Autumn 2012 Swedish act Wintergatan burst on to the music scene with their innovative debut track and music video ''Sommarfågel''. The world received its first glimpse of their sparkling sound and methodology.Wintergatan followed ''Sommarfågel'' with the release of their self­­titled debut album in the Spring of 2013, on their independent record label.

In November 2014, after touring for a solid 18 months, Wintergatan?s founding member Martin Molin decided to switch gears and embark on a visionary project with one goal; to build a programmable Marble Machine. Wintergatan had previously hand built some of their instruments, notably the Modulin and the Music Box which can be seen in the ''Starmachine2000'' video, but the Marble Machine came to be the most ambitious and challenging instrument of all.The build, which was estimated to take two months, stretched to a gruelling 14 months. But through perseverance, relentless belief and mastering the trial and error method, Martin?s dream of a Marble Machine became a reality.

Three days after releasing the Marble Machine video, it had been viewed over 10 million times around the world. Wintergatan had been propelled onto the world stage.Having first formed in 2011, Wintergatan are a close­ knit operation that take pride in the ability to adapt and invent. The four members of the band all play several instruments and if there is a need for a new instrument someone figures out how to use it.The band members are:Martin Molin ­specializes in vibraphone and music box, Evelina Hägglund specializes in keyboards, David Zandén­ specializes in bass, Marcus Sjöberg specialises in drums.

The members of Wintergatan grew up in four separate small towns in Sweden, that shared a common thread, there wasn't a whole lot to do unless you made ithappen. Unbeknownst to each other they spent their time in a similar way, experimenting with music, until they united. Before forming Wintergatan Martin Molin earned his stripes as a member of the band Detektivbyrån who released 2 highly acclaimed records between 2006 and 2010 titled 'E18' and 'Wermland'.

Wintergatan is Swedish for The Milky Way. The name came to the band during a recording session for their debut album when they were nestled deep in a dense Swedish forest. On cloudless nights there, spared the distractions of city lights, they gazed at our our galaxy lying tilted; a sketch crossing the starry sky. The sensation of being an intrinsic part of thi...
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WINTERGATAN discography


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WINTERGATAN top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.21 | 15 ratings
Wintergatan
2013

WINTERGATAN Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 3 ratings
Live At Vicoriateatern
2017

WINTERGATAN Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

WINTERGATAN Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

WINTERGATAN Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

2.50 | 2 ratings
Tornado
2013
4.00 | 1 ratings
Marble Machine - Piano version
2016
5.00 | 1 ratings
Marble Machine Live At Götaplatsen 2016
2016
4.50 | 2 ratings
Marble Machine
2016
4.00 | 1 ratings
All Was Well - Music Box & Modulin Version
2016
3.00 | 1 ratings
Moon And Star
2017
3.00 | 1 ratings
Music Machine Mondays Theme Song
2017
3.00 | 1 ratings
Multiverse (Twinsters Documentary Opening Scene)
2017
3.00 | 1 ratings
Emerson
2017
2.00 | 1 ratings
Sandviken Stradivarius
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
Music Box, Harp & Hammered Dulcimer
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
Olivier
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
Local Cluster
2018

WINTERGATAN Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Wintergatan by WINTERGATAN album cover Studio Album, 2013
4.21 | 15 ratings

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Wintergatan
Wintergatan Crossover Prog

Review by Fitzcarraldo
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars A band of four multi-instrumentalists from Sweden who play what could, I suppose, be described as a mixture of folktronica and rock (catch the end of 'Paradis' for proof of the latter). I found out about this instrumental-only band by chance after seeing a link in a national newspaper online to band leader Martin Molin's amazing 2000-marble (actually ball bearings, but I'm not going to argue) music machine, which Leonardo da Vinci would have been proud to have designed. Apparently Molin took 14 months to build it, and the video and music track were released at the beginning of March 2016. Aside from the Heath Robinson-like machine I also liked the music Molin produced using it and was curious to hear what sort of music a band with a quirky musician like Molin in it would produce.

So I checked YouTube and found WINTERGATAN's 2013 concerts at Dreamhack, the Roskilde Festival and Debaser Strand, and very much liked what I heard and saw. Sjöberg -- a top-notch drummer -- played at least three different instruments (well, four if you count the typewriter!) in the concerts and the others even more (Molin and Hägglund at least six each). It was a joy watching the band switching instruments. I liked the whole band, who play well together and complement each other. And, for a synth fan such as myself, it was a treat to hear analogue and digital synths, not to mention theremin and Molin's 'modulin'. Throw in pleasing vibraphone, xylophone, hackbrett, accordion, mandolin, music box (gorgeous in 'All Was Well' and at the beginning of 'Sommarfågel') and some seriously good pumping bass from Zandén (who, like the others, also plays keyboards, vibraphone, xylophone, hackbrett, etc.), and you have lift off. By the way, I was not joking when I mentioned the typewriter, which Sjöberg and Hägglund 'play' on a couple of numbers.

How to describe the music, though? Elves meet MIKE OLDFIELD meet JAN HAMMER meet GOBLIN meet... some heavy-rocking trolls, in places. It often has a distinct French vibe, perhaps due to the accordion, which makes me think of Amélie! Fortunately, you can check it out for yourselves on YouTube.

After watching the band's impressive debut video 'Sommarfågel' and listening to their eponymous debut album's tracks on YouTube, I found the band's Web site and purchased the CD in March 2016 (I would have bought the vinyl LP instead had it not been sold out). It was the least I could do after getting so much enjoyment from their material on YouTube, and I still enjoy listening to it. Excellent, quirky, tuneful, enjoyable and different music from a group of talented musicians playing a whole bunch of great-sounding instruments with love.

 Wintergatan by WINTERGATAN album cover Studio Album, 2013
4.21 | 15 ratings

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Wintergatan
Wintergatan Crossover Prog

Review by Kingsnake

5 stars Finally Wintergaten made it into the Progarchives.

This band is really something special. They experiment with all kinds of (sometimes selfmade) instruments, using typewriters as drummachines etc.

Most of the songs are short and have a swedish folk-influence. Sometimes they use accordeon to give a it folkish feel. Some songs sound more like synthpop. But all songs are instrumental so it's never really pop. They use different and difficult rhythms and tempo changes throughout the songs to make it sound really progressive.

Apart from the shorter songs, the band created a real progessive epic, clocking at almost 15 minutes, wich starts beaufitful and serene an ends with a heavy distorted guitar and thunderous drums. In this song the listener goes through all kinds of moods and tempos but always the band maintain real nice melodies.

The band members are really gifted and skillful but they never lose themselves in narcisistic soloiing. This album is the brightest and most complete progressive rock album I have heard in decades. It sounds fresh, playfull, warm and sympathetic. This album can be played on repeat, over and over again.

Really recommended to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Thanks to kev rowland for the artist addition.

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