Olof Dreijer: Loud Bloom

"“I somehow internalised these big, structural problems and carried them around on my own, and that's not a way that I can recommend,” he said recently. “I started to feel that we didn't need any more people like me in the music industry, which was already very white and male. So I stepped back, and it took me maybe ten years to come around from that.”"

"After the Knife's final album, Shaking the Habitual, he withdrew from music almost completely. As a white man from Europe for whom feminism, anti-racism, and international solidarity were more important than a career in music, Dreijer figured he was best placed supporting artists less privileged than him-running a music school for refugees in Berlin, for instance, or remixing artists like Emanuel Jar, a Sudanese musician, activist, and former child soldier."

"Dreijer has spent last few years staging a comeback. He produced four tracks on the last Fever Ray album, remixed music from Björk and Rosalía, and released a record with Mount Sims exploring the sound and cultural history of the steel drum (a staple of Dreijer's repertoire dating back at least to the early Knife single “Pass This On”)."

"At long last, he began presenting himself as a solo artist, releasing a string of club EPs adorned with his own acrylic paintings and a smiley face that, on close inspection, spells out his name. Now, more than 20 years since the Knife's debut, Dre"

Olof Dreijer gained prominence as part of the duo The Knife with Karin, then moved away from the spotlight as Karin continued with Fever Ray. He released early-2010s techno records under the name Oni Ayhun and later withdrew from music almost entirely after The Knife’s final album. He focused on feminism, anti-racism, and international solidarity by supporting less privileged artists, including running a music school for refugees in Berlin and remixing Emanuel Jar, a Sudanese musician and former child soldier. He later returned to music, producing tracks for the latest Fever Ray album, remixing Björk and Rosalía, and releasing work with Mount Sims exploring steel drum sound and cultural history. He also began releasing solo club EPs featuring his acrylic paintings and a hidden name in a smiley face.

Read at Pitchfork