The Swedish furniture maker claims, “We learned a lot from Swedish House Mafia about the sets needed to generate music.”
IKEA and Swedish House Mafia have now released more items that will be part of their upcoming OBEGRNSAD collection after previously teasing a music production desk, an armchair, and a turntable.
One of these is an updated version of the KALLAX shelving unit, a longtime favourite among music lovers. IKEA and Swedish House Mafia have modified the KALLAX, which has always been ideal for storing vinyl thanks to its cubic design, after observing DJs and producers utilising it as a stand during live televised lockdown performances from homes.
Many people want to be DJs, but not everyone gets the chance to play in front of a large audience, according to James Futcher, Creative Leader at IKEA. “Swedish House Mafia taught us a lot about the equipment required to compose songs. During the pandemic, we also noticed people using KALLAX as a stage to live broadcast DJ sets from their residences and studios. And we reasoned, “Here’s a great chance to adapt an iconic product for a cooperation around making and listening to music.”
The “remixed” KALLAX has the same-sized cubes as the standard model, but its height has been changed (supposedly to make it more comfortable to stand at), and it has an additional console storage piece added to the top that is intended to contain some of your gear. Then, you may use the top to place your decks, synths, controllers, and speakers.
It turns out that Swedish House Mafia have a long-standing relationship with the KALLAX as well as other items of IKEA furniture that the group claims they used in their home studios when they were just getting started.
In order to accommodate our youthful creative lives, we bought IKEA furniture, therefore the collaboration’s goals were shaped by our own experiences, according to Axwell.
“We’ve made components we wish existed when we used to make our own vinyl stands, working tables, and synth stands,” Sebastian Ingrosso continues.
When the trio first started recording together, their studio was centred on an IKEA office desk, which served as inspiration for the design of the new OBEGRNSAD desk with speaker stands, which was paired with KALLAX storage cabinets on either side to form “a golden triangle of sound.”
According to Steve Angello of SHM, “We used KALLAX as vinyl supports and vinyl storage.” We basically surrounded ourselves with equipment, including samplers, synthesisers, amps, and other outboard gear that was stacked up in the shelving units.
In October, the OBEGRNSAD is scheduled to go live globally. An LED floor lamp, wall and work lights, a clock, stands for laptops, tablets, speakers, and records, accessory, record, and laptop bags, a rug, slippers in two sizes, a throw, and a cushion cover are other items confirmed for the line.
Visit the IKEA website (opens in new tab) to learn more.
