’Into Light 3: AM CET’ is Israelson’s first album in 20 years. After Johan Israelson’s album Moonwalk in 2004, many years passed without much interest from the artist in writing new material. However, deep down, there were ideas that wanted to be set free. ’Every time I picked up the guitar, there was some desire to document my drafts of song ideas. Lyrics, on the other hand, are my enemy and require the most time. I can leave them hanging until I really have to finish,’ Israelson explains.

In 2019, Johan was asked by his friend and producer Mats Landberg if there was any new material, and parts of the song ideas were handed over. The result was a collaboration between the two, agreeing to create a very electronic sound with the vocals in focus. Having Johan Israelson’s acoustic guitar as a foundation and transforming the tones into the electronic sound they wanted proved difficult and laborious. Mats Landberg realized that contributions from other musicians were needed, and Israelson was asked to present his dream scenario. The first contact was made with the incredibly talented Andreas Hourdakis, who easily ’found’ Johan’s guitars, and it was decided to keep them in the electronic sound. Markus Mustonen was asked to add keyboards, and it felt natural to also utilize the power of percussion. Later, Ulf Ivarsson was contacted to add even more weight to the songs, confirming they were on the right track. The sound was extremely sleek but required embellishment with some gritty elements to add tension to the material. This was a job for Matti Bye and Berlin-based Fredrik Kinbom. Material was sent, and in return, they received heaven!

For an artist to convey their ideas and get other musicians on board into the musical fog is a challenge that Johan Israelson humbly tries to put into words: ’I’m extremely curious about all new music that comes out. I get nostalgic when I drink wine, but quickly recover for new exploration. I like what hides normal chord progressions and dare to challenge major and minor chords like a hedge trimmer against a beautiful flower, hard to explain. I prefer to linger in the same theme for a long time and let my vocal melody dictate the verse and chorus. I thrive best in a tempo like Trip-Hop but with a ”Krautrock” mentality. I want to dirty up the sound to make the listener understand the fragile. I’m brave, I dare to demolish, apologize to return! I am incredibly proud of this album; it was created without any involvement from labels, and above all, music was created without any demands whatsoever. Enjoy!’

Produced and mixed by: Mats Landberg / Recorded at Studio K4 Stockholm
Musicians: J. Israelson / Markus Mustonen / Andreas Hourdakis / Ulf Ivarsson / Heikki Kiviaho / Patrik Frank / Robin Söderman