The Hidden Gems of Swedish Rave: 15 Spine-Chilling Tracks from '91-'92

When someone remembers the height of the “Techno-Rave” style of Hardcore Techno during 1991, the usual countries that come to mind are Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, or Italy as the main producers of that trend. Spain, France, and the USA can also be seen as countries that produced a considerable amount of early Hardcore in this similar vein.

But what about Sweden? Surely, that's a country that isn’t top of mind when talking about early Hardcore or Rave. Contrary to this omission, Swedish producers made a significant contribution to the roots of Hardcore during its initial stage when it was taking shape. If narrowed to the harder Techno-Rave sound with buzzy synths and crazy stabs, there aren't many Swedish records in this style compared to other regions, but the quality and uniqueness of some of these tracks make them mandatory listening!

Here we narrow down a list of 15 essential “Swedish Rave” tracks from 1991 and 1992. They come from Swedish labels such as Btech, BTB Records, Sidelake Productions, SweMix Records, and Ohm (a sublabel of Telegram Records). But we also have a white label (or yellow?) like Mindbender’s EP, with some tracks listed below.

At a certain level, these tracks can be quite similar to the popular harder tracks of those years. However, they feature unusual riffs, very distorted synths, and high-energy beats that make them quite unique. A special mention must be made about “V12,” with two high BPM tracks on this list that are quite powerful and ahead of their time. They sound almost like a primitive form of Hard Acid / Goa that would come later during the mid-90s but with the apocalyptic Rave vibe of '91. It's worth mentioning that those tracks by V12 were produced by Douglas Carr, one of the co-producers of the huge pop music hit “The Sign” by Ace of Base, a curious fact to include in this list.

So, without further ado, here is the list of 15 Swedish Rave tracks, along with a bonus video from Hysteria featuring a very powerful and newbeaty vibe:

 

1. V12 - Sacrifice (The Dragon Fly Diskonnektion Edit) [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqozavmcVD4

2. Cyborg - Predator [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAAwRkKgeBE

3. Hysteria - Take Me Higher [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh6VYGUuDNE

4. Alter-E-Go – Go Ahh! [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2VQVjDjGBc

5. Mindbender - Red Alert [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPoj4bjSPsY

6. MDA - Take an E (Billy Nasty & Morgan King Remix) [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxzyDH-rTv0

7. Full On Sound - Mayhem (Doin' The Mayhemizer) [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkHl5R-WKjw

8. Concorde Movement – 7 Trips And Then... (The Love Dove Machine Part 1) [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LAOmRZoIxo

9. Cyborg - I’m Alive [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qGRxV2YNyk

10. Lon & Lee - Vitamine X [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9vVnZIXoQY

11. Hypernature - Kaos [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w7Yg39zuRI

12. V12 - Make Some Noise (The Dragon Fly Hardcore Edit) [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Cd6AqHil8

13. Trauma - Coming Up Good [1992]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U9FT1ipZAY

14. Transfiction - Fight the Devil [1992]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdh2chEXt_4

15. Mindbender - Do Not [1991]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2DCUYnJHcQ

Bonus Music Video: Hysteria - Take Me Higher (Original Video Mix) [1991]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShskuAc4YI


Do you know any other Swedish Rave tracks from the early 90’s worth checking? If you do, please let us know in the comments!