There is a new sound out there, in case you haven’t noticed. Besides over-achieving in the nouveau disco sound, the Scandinavians are kicking some serious ass on the dancefloor with their chilly version of Nouveau Italo.

With Cloetta Paris about to take flight, Johan Agebjorn and his protege Sally Shapiro the scene is really begining to thrill.

Topping the list for me at the moment is Skatebård. Everything this guy produces is so sleek, yet muscular; tight and loose. The bass is beautiful, creating lines that stay static and similar, yet never bore. Rhythm is held together with big bass beats, but stacatto pulses on high-hats and wood block flourishes with claps lend it this wonderful dark italo tone.

Right now Skatebård owns this sound. With Johan, Sally and Cloetta all going for the lighter side, Skatebård is trying to pull deeper images from techno into his palette. That’s probably the reason Kompakt has chosen to release some his singles off his new album Midnight Magic.

You can check him out for yourself at T.M.L.

P.S. on a design note, I’m loving his airbrushed images that harken back to the heydays of the early eighties. Just check out the “A” and “B” symbols he uses. Brilliantly sexy!