2001-2005 / Service discography
💎 SERV001
Studio - The End of Fame /// 7" Ltd 300 copies (2001)
A. The End Of Fame … 06.12
B. Don’t Waste Love … 03.23
Written by Dan Lissvik (A,B) & Jesper Nordblad (A)
Guitar solos by Rasmus Hägg (A,B)
Backing vocals by Oskar Johansson (B)
Artwork by Dan Lissvik (Studio)
Mixed by Lissvik/Schöön at Lablaza
Recorded by Lissvik/Ström/Schöön
📝 [ Dan Lissvik ] : Around 1997–1998, Kristofer Ström and I founded Alé, an instrumental band based in Malmö, Sweden.
Magnus Granbom soon joined on bass, and Jesper Nordblad on guitar. In 1999 we recorded an untitled, full-length album straight onto a cassette deck in our rehearsal space (search: “ale-1999” on SoundCloud).
After a run of live shows throughout the spring and summer, Alé disbanded when I moved to Gothenburg to pursue an MFA at the Valand Academy.
Ström and Nordblad continued on and formed Lemko Hall and commemorated that brief but memorable summer with a song called “Ode to Alé.”
(sidenote: Atelje - ”Ode to Studio” 2014)
1999–2001
I began recording songs at the Valand School of Fine Arts and, after a couple of iterations, eventually named the new music project ”Studio”.
Around this time, I met Ola Borgström (ex Fine Tone Recordings and the club Lolita), and together we decided to start a DIY label - Service - named after Ola’s then-club Hot Service, to release my music, print T-shirts, and organize parties.
After numerous songs, oddball demos and recordings, I wanted to try something different, so I returned to Malmö to write and record “The End of Fame” with my former bandmates - Nordblad (on piano) and Ström (recording) -in Jesper’s apartment.
In late 2001, that recording - now featuring an added guitar solo by newly added member Rasmus Hägg - became Studio’s first 7” release and the official launch of Service.
💎 SERV002
Studio - The Jungle /// 7" Ltd 300 copies (2002)
A. The Jungle … 03.59
B. Shake You Down By The River … 05.28
Written by Dan Lissvik (A) & Rasmus Hägg (B)
Artwork by Dan Lissvik (Studio)
Label design by Lissvik/Hägg
Mixed by Lissvik/Schöön at Lablaza
Recorded by Lissvik/Hägg/Schöön
📝 [ Dan Lissvik ] : Before Serv001 was even released, several songs and demos - including “The Jungle” and “Down Here Like You” - were already written and lined up to be next. I could see 3-4 releases ahead, but wanted Studio to feel more like a shared space, so I invited Rasmus Hägg further into the project (he had his own project + played in a band).
Rasmus had a great demo that became the B-side: “Shake You Down By The River”. I’ve always liked that one - maybe because I can’t casually listen to my own songs without slipping into “work mode” (or cringe). For a long time it was basically the only Studio/Service release I could listen to, up until No Comply and West Coast.
Side note: when I finished mixing/mastering the first edition of the West Coast LP there was an open slot on the A-side. On the same day I sent the master to the vinyl factory, I recorded “Shake You Down..” straight from the Serv002 vinyl single, did a simple fade-in/fade-out, and renamed it “Origin” - a 2 min homage to our early years on Service.
“The Jungle” was re-recorded in different spaces with added guitar parts/solos by Rasmus. “Shake You Down..” got a new ending drum part and lyrics were tweaked a bit before vocal takes.
Both songs were finalised/mixed at Dieter Hallén’s studio Lablaza (Dieter aka D.Schöön also played live with Studio).
Serv002 came out in 2002. We had a release party in the Valand hangar - live at 4am with a giant strobe as the main light… some people literally ran out the door.. I built a palm tree cut-out, painted the stage in black & white stripes, and Ola and I spray-painted palm trees around the city before the gig… reckless, as per ush during art school days 🌴🤙🏼
💎 SERV003
Studio - Down Here Like You /// 7" Ltd 300 copies (2002)
A. Down Here Like You … 04.14
B. Popular Women Get What They Deserve … 03.01
Written by Dan Lissvik (A,B)
Backing vocals by Hägg/Schöön (A)
Artwork by Dan Lissvik (Studio)
Label design + logo (TheStudio and 7”) by Rasmus Hägg
Mixed by Lissvik/Schöön at Lablaza
Recorded by Lissvik/Schöön
📝 [ Dan Lissvik ] : Released on a “need-to-know basis”.
“Down Here Like You” is the oldest track of the Studio 7”s on Service. It came out of a batch of maybe 10–15 songs recorded in 1999–2000, and apart from being reworked a bit in 2001–2002, it was released pretty much as-is
(vocals recorded + mixed at Lablaza in 2002).
The B-side was a later invention but (in spirit) still connected to the same batch of older songs as “Down Here…”.
Side note: By 2002 I’d accumulated a substantial pile of recordings and demos (not all amazing), but my sights were already set on future stuff when “Down Here…” came out -
I was eager to move on, experiment, and learn more as a writer, instrumentalist, and producer. And I was totally hooked - recording music was my # 1 drug of choice.
Turns out 2002–2004 became one of my most intense recording periods ever, and hard drives filled up fast. I knew I had to put in my “10,000 hours” to get what I was after - hence the sound difference on West Coast, 3,5×10,000 hours later…
Serv003 landed in 2002.
Around this time I met Fredrik and Torbjörn (The Embassy) for the first time. They swung by the hangar at Valand and we casually talked Service, future scenarios, and how they could contribute to the shenanigans. Fredrik said The Embassy “just wanted to be a band”. Small moment maybe - but a pivotal one in the Service chronicle.
Serv004 was just around the corner, and Service quickly (and naturally) evolved from a joint effort into a more label-esque format after this - going from larva to slowly spreading its wings.
From here on, I was constantly bouncing between recording (at Valand), traveling for fashion work, chores for Service, and p-a-r-t-i-e-s… right up until I graduated in 2004.
Oh, and for the 003 release I made some screen prints + sew-on badges.