Swedish House Mafia and Visual Understanding

Swedish House Mafia is a Swedish electronic dance music trio consisting of three very popular DJs and music producers of Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso. As solo artist, each of the three DJs have been very successful all hitting under #30 in the Top 100 DJ Poll 2011 by DJ Magazine. As a group Swedish House Music is responsible for house music exploding in the United States in the past two years. The group has headlined festivals from Coachella to Electric Daisy Carnival and has even sold out Madison Square Garden. Together since 2005, the three DJs formed the group Swedish House Mafia to bring their fans great music and a chance to witness collaboration never before seen in the electronic dance music culture. But they did not want to influence their fans with their individual household names or their past works but by the music they make as a group. The way the group does that is by using Visual Understanding and Semiotics to reach out to their fans through unique graphic and video art.

Their name of Swedish House Mafia does not mention or even point to anything other than their nationality, but through visual understanding fans are able to see that three iconic DJs as one group. By using simple art like three spray paint dots or stars fans immediately recognize Swedish House Mafia. When looking at the three sprays or stars many notices that they are not connected in any way but are standing side by side, not one shape is a different size or shape and does not take significant over one another. That is because Swedish House Mafia did not want fans to think anyone DJ is the leader of the group but are all equal partners within it. Same in their visual art within their music videos that the release to the public. In normal band music videos usually the league singer is the main character or has a main role throughout the production. Swedish House Mafia does not do that. What is interesting is that they are barely featured in their music videos but is concept around their message of unity as a group of three.

These simple art forms are very powerful to the culture because it represents the code in which every raver lives by; Peace Unity Love Respect or in other words PLUR. Swedish House Mafia represents that acronym to its highest because the group did not do it for the fame or the fortune but for the love of the music. Forming a group in that ways shows that peace, unity, love, and respect can be found in one place and at one time. These three huge and widely popular DJs can unite with one another, peacefully, and respect each other’s views and opinions enough to make great music together.

It is very interesting to see how Swedish House Mafia has put deep meaning in their artistic style of music. Their music has inspired a movement throughout America and does not seem to slow down. Although the band is taking a break after their next tour all three DJs still live to what they preach promoting peace, love, unity and respect. On 24 June 2012, it was announced via the group's website that the final leg of their 2012 tour would be their last: "Today we want to share with you, that the tour we are about to go on will be our last. We want to thank every single one of you that came with us on this journey. We came, we raved, we loved."