Hakan Lidbo

Tracking Håkan Lidbo’s output presents a genuine challenge, given the producer’s tireless work ethic and his uncommon ease at shifting between genres while maintaining a core focus on densely rhythmic tech-house. Born in Malmö, Sweden, in 1965, he spent much of the 1980s performing with various rock groups before growing disillusioned with both the interpersonal dynamics and the musical direction involved. Purchasing a sampler at that point, he resolved to operate largely alone from then onward. In the closing years of the decade and the start of the 1990s, Lidbo ran an acid-jazz outfit named Solid State that supported Public Enemy on the Scandinavian leg of the group’s tour, layering jazz-record samples over looped hip-hop beats and occasionally bringing in live players. Once the project concluded, he turned to studio work for an eclectic roster of artists spanning house, industrial, and conventional rock. From the late 1990s onward, Lidbo has issued a formidable array of solo singles and EPs across imprints such as Loaded, Paper, Force Tracks, Transmat (under the Vanisher alias), and Poker Flat. He has also delivered several full-length albums, among them 1999’s Before the Beginning, 2000’s After the End, 2001’s Tech Couture, and 2002’s 6/10/60 together with Sexy Robot. In addition, Lidbo has supplied remixes for Fatboy Slim, Luomo, Midfield General, and Ashley Beedle.