When it comes to crafting immersive EDM beats, it is difficult to beat what the Swedish House Mafia has done. Swedish House Mafia, or SHM for short, is a Swedish house music group made up of Axwell, Sebastian, and Steve. The trio became an official group in 2008. They instantly became a sensation, with several music experts calling them the face of house music.
In 2012, at the peak of their ‘superpowers,’ the group revealed they were going their separate ways. Their last performance as a group at the time was held at Ultra Miami in March 2013. Although Axwell and Sebastian continued working as a group, Axwell performed solo. Exactly five years after, in March 2018, the group reunited by playing a set at the Ultra Music show.
Swedish House Mafia is known for their captivating use of the guitar, which was featured prominently in track like ‘Don’t You Worry Child,’ their biggest track to date. If you want to be on the road to recreating what SHM has done, you can get instant chords for your guitar and practice different sounds to hone your skills.
Here are the best SHM tracks that featured prominent use of the guitar and other instruments:
SHM vs Tinie Tempah – ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’
The production for this super house track was garnished with the vocals and lyricism of English rapper, Tinie Tempah. The lyrical strength cut across different fields, from sports to fashion brands. SHM supplemented the beats with a trance-like chorus.
If you blast ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’ on your speakers, you’d hardly feel it’s a song from the early 2010s. The only thing that might remind you of how old the track is would be the references to the Blackberry smartphones that dotted pop culture back then.
SHM and Laidback Luke ft Deborah Cox – ‘Leave the World Behind’
Axwell, Sebastian, and Steve Angello decided to further top their already ascertained awesomeness by bringing a DJ powerhouse, Laidback Luke, onto this track. Deborah Cox laid her silky vocals on this track, starting with the words, ‘surrender yourself to the rhythm.’
The track is highly characterized by piano chords and a high BPM beat that compliments its progressive house genre. ‘Leave the World Behind’ is the title for SHM’s documentary created after the group split in 2013.
SHM – ‘Save the World’
The ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’ track with Tinie Tempah shot Swedish House Mafia into the limelight. The fans wanted more of what they’d heard. The group produced the ‘Save the World’ track, which helped them to top the charts once more.
‘Save the World’ hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Dance Club songs charts after it was released. It was also nominated for a Grammy for best dance recording.
Swedish House Mafia ft Pharrell – ‘One (Your Name)’
Before ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’ ruled the airwaves, SHM had already struck gold with their first single, ‘One,’ which featured Pharrell. The track did impressive numbers, reaching the No. 3 spot on the Dance Club Sings charts.
The combination of reverberating beats, the track’s melody, and the vocals of Pharrell Williams were too much for audiophiles who had to keep on replaying the song.
SHM – ‘Greyhound’
Although this track was released to promote the Absolut vodka brand’s new drink, the song got accepted like every other awesome track produced by the group. ‘Greyhound’ has a music video with a dystopian vibe and is of the progressive house genre.
The track reached the No. 3 position on the Billboard Dance Club Songs charts with its immersive beats.
Swedish House Mafia ft John Martin – ‘Don’t You Worry Child’
‘Don’t You Worry Child’ remains possibly the best track ever made by the group. SHM featured fellow Swede, John Martin on this song to hit the vocals, and the track got massive airplay.
It was nominated for the best dance recording at the 2012 Grammy Awards and hit the No. 6 position on the Billboard Hot 100. It was SHM’s first track to ever hit the top 100, with the fiery sound lingering in its listeners’ heads after the track ended.
Swedish House Mafia is one of the most celebrated groups in the electronic dance music space. The group has produced tracks like ‘Don’t You Worry Child,’ ‘Miami 2 Ibiza,’ and ‘Greyhound’ which have entertained audiophiles for years. The group has also featured vocal powerhouses like Pharrell Wiliams, John Martin, and Deborah Cox to add flavor to their productions.