The Seaport Music Festival: The Radio Dept. with Asobi Seksu

Friday, July 15, 2011  7:00 PM

South Street Seaport Music Festival
South St New York, NY

The Radio Dept. was formed by Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson in 1995 who were in the school together in their early teenage. The name was taken from a gas station/radio repairer shop in Lund, Sweden which had a large sign with the name “Radioavdelningen, (“The Radio Department” in Swedish) hanging outside their shop.

The Radio Dept band PictureSince 1995 members have been coming and going and at some points there has never really been a Radio Department at all.
Martin Carlberg and Johan Duncanson started playing together in 1998 and decided to use the name The Radio Dept. Since the band has done lots of gigs and lots recordings. The Radio Dept. recorded 4-tracks in friends’ living rooms or at home, in smelly warehouse, in demo studios with blinking fluorescent lightning and at schools.

In the autumn of 2001 Lisa Carlberg and Per Blomgren (Bass & drums respectively), joined the band and they started rehearsing in the way bands so often do. Soon afterwards they were all joined by Daniel Tjäder, on the keyboards. Their recordings were sent to the music magazine Sonic and got a nice review. They were also on the free CD sampler that comes with the magazine. That’s where Labrador Records discovered and learned to love the band. Now they’re a part of Sweden’s finest indie label.

Dreampop duo Asobi Seksuare sometimes jangly, sometimes ethereal, and sometimes very noisy. Sometimes all at the same time. Celebrating their tenth year together, their lastest album, Fluorescence, shows no signs of fading.