Biography
John Eriksson steps beyond the catchy indie-pop terrain of Peter Bjorn and John by channeling electronic textures through the alias Hortlax Cobra, a name drawn directly from the modest Swedish community of his childhood. As drummer and composer, he merges strands of disco, synth-pop, sound collage, and 1980s action-movie soundtracks, situating his understated voice amid dense synthesizer beds and detailed percussive patterns. Between 2010 and the first months of 2012 he shuttled from Stockholm to Milan while shaping the debut album Night Shift, issued on the Ingrid label in June 2012; that imprint is operated by Peter Bjorn and John alongside Lykke Li and participants from Miike Snow.
Prior to commencing work on Night Shift, Eriksson had already nearly finished another project honoring the first album he purchased in his youth, Van Halen’s 1984. Constructed entirely from synthesizers and drum machines, the homage replicated every original song title, duration, tempo, and key, and it appeared under the same title, 1984, on Ingrid late in 2012. Subsequent commitments kept him active, among them contributions to Chrissie Hynde’s 2014 release Stockholm and continued live and studio work with Peter and Björn. Hortlax Cobra returned in 2017 via the modern-pop set Lightworks, which incorporates vocal performances from Ane Brun, Noonie Bao, Jennie Abrahamson, and Sibille Attar.
Prior to commencing work on Night Shift, Eriksson had already nearly finished another project honoring the first album he purchased in his youth, Van Halen’s 1984. Constructed entirely from synthesizers and drum machines, the homage replicated every original song title, duration, tempo, and key, and it appeared under the same title, 1984, on Ingrid late in 2012. Subsequent commitments kept him active, among them contributions to Chrissie Hynde’s 2014 release Stockholm and continued live and studio work with Peter and Björn. Hortlax Cobra returned in 2017 via the modern-pop set Lightworks, which incorporates vocal performances from Ane Brun, Noonie Bao, Jennie Abrahamson, and Sibille Attar.
Albums
