Hip Bop

Description

Hip Bop is the debut album by the Swedish (mostly instrumental) R&B combo Himlaväsen, released on the Swedish gospel label Cantio Records in 1989. Also released in Europe by Word UK. The album was recorded February-March 1989 by Cenneth Almgren, assisted by Bosse Reimer and Olle Junholm, at Royal Music Studio in Gothenburg, Sweden; with Almgren and band member Sven Fridolfsson producing, assisted by Anders Olausson. Mixed March 1989 by Bernhard Löhr at Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. All songs written and arranged by Sven Fridolfsson.

Featuring Christer Bodell on grand piano, Hammond B-3 organ, and synthesizers; Markhus Berndtsson on guitar; Anders Olausson on 5-string/synthesizer bass; and Staffan Brodén on drums and percussion. Brass section features: Saxophones/Flutes: Sven Fridolfsson (solo on A3, A4, and B4), Anders Junstrand (solo on A4), Torgny Tjärnskog (solo on A4), and Johan Feurst (solo on A1 and A4); Trumpets: Leif Norberg, Lennart Grahn (solo on A5 and B4), Erik Fridolfsson (solo on A2), and Peter Johansson. Trombones: Magnus Nilsson, Gustav Åberg, Tomas Mårdsjö, and Bengt Grahn. Additional musicians featured on the album: Lasse Nilsson (trumpet on tracks A3 and A4) and Olle Junholm (guitar on tracks A3, A5, and B4).

Trivia: Himlaväsen is Swedish for “Heavenly Beings” but might otherwise be translated “Awful Noise”; a tongue-in-cheek name for a fun band of Gothenburg instrumentalists. It was founded in 1978 as a big band in a church in Gothenburg. Some of the band members was full time musicians (like Sven Fridolfsson, the band leader and main songwriter), though must were not. In the last part of the ’80s things started to happen and the band’s first album was released in 1989. The album track “Walkin’ On” actually peaked at No. 1 on the Swedish National Radio chart “Instrumentaltoppen”.

Himlavasen’s debut album (released in Britain, through Word UK) is called ‘Hip Bop’ which seems a somewhat more succinct attempt at pigeon holing their music than mine (anyone for Big Band Scandi-Funk?). Cross Rhythms asked Christer Bodell, the band’s keyboard player and (English-speaking) spokesperson how he’d classify Himlavasen’s music. “We realise we are hard to categorise. We’d like to not be categorised as, a jazz band, we’re not a Glen Miller type band. I suppose we’re really a rhythm and blues band which happens to have a grown out of a jazz band. That’s why we have 12 horns in the band.” To those still not hip to the street beat an R&B band from Sweden seems as likely as a symphony orchestra from the Upper Volta. In fact just as in the secular mainstream Swedish house music is now being tipped by street-wise pundits as the NBT (next big thing) so Swedish gospel punk is booming with dozens of fine bands putting soul music and the dance floor beat to the gospel message. I asked Christer why this was so “Some would say Sweden is probably the most America influenced country in the world. For a long period of time we have had influences from gospel music. Back in the late 60’s the black church music came to Sweden and a lot of youth choirs started all over Sweden singing black gospel music mixed up with a Swedish tradition. This eventually turned out to be the Christian youth music of today, like Choralerna. “They were the ones who started it all during the early ’70s. Now in 1990 in every church just about you can find a decent bass player, drummer ’cause there’s so much funky music around.” [Excerpt from “Himlavasen: Jazz funk iconoclasts known as hip bop’s Heavenly Beings”, an article by Tony Cummings featured in Cross Rhythms Magazine, No 1, May 1990]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/hip-bop/952218363)

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Hip Bop” – 3:55
A2. “Slow Ride” – 4:20
A3. “Sommarfügel” – 5:35
A4. “Chicken Wire” – 3:44
A5. “Miles Away” – 4:10

Side Two
B1. “Roots” – 6:15
B2. “Walkin’ On” – 3:54
B3. “Travels” – 4:48
B4. “From Me To You” – 4:11

Note: Simultaneously released on 12-inch vinyl LP and CD by Cantio Records.

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