The Knife
Encyclopedia
The Knife are a Swedish electronic music
duo from Gothenburg
, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson
and Olof Dreijer
, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records
. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by José González
, appeared in a commercial by Sony
. Subsequent songs have appeared on a number of television shows. Their first tour took place in 2006, as well as the release of their critically acclaimed album Silent Shout
. They have won a number of Swedish Grammis
, but refuse to attend awards ceremonies. They have appeared in public wearing Venetian mask
s. Andersson released a solo album
under the name Fever Ray in 2009, while her brother released several EPs as Oni Ayhun in late 2009 and early 2010.
covered their song "Heartbeats" on his 2003 album, Veneer
. The cover was used by Sony
in a commercial for BRAVIA
television sets, and released as a single in 2006. The group commented on this in a Dagens Nyheter
article, claiming that Sony paid a large sum of money to use the song. Despite the group's anti-commercial views, they justified the transaction by citing their need for money to establish a record company.
Having never before performed live, The Knife went on tour in 2006, and after selling out shows worldwide, a DVD
of the tour was announced. The DVD was released in Sweden on 8 November 2006, and is titled Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience
.
On 4 August 2009, the band announced that, in collaboration with Mt. Sims
and Planningtorock
, they would be writing an opera for the Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma. The opera, titled Tomorrow, In a Year
, is based on Charles Darwin
's On the Origin of Species. In January 2010, the band announced that they would release a studio version on 1 March.
In a post on the official Fever Ray website in September 2010, Karin stated that she and Olof "have started playing together again", hinting that new material may be on the way. On 18 April 2011, as part of a post on their website concerning discrimination against Romani people in Europe, The Knife announced that they were recording a new album to be released in 2012.
Medico Della Peste (plague doctor) masks worn during Carnival
.
The Knife won a Grammis
award as best pop group of the year 2003, but they boycotted the ceremony by sending two representatives of the Guerrilla Girls
, with the number 50 written on their costumes, as a protest against male dominance in the music industry. Their album Deep Cuts
was also nominated for a Grammis as the best record of the year 2003, although that award went to The Cardigans
. At the Grammis awards in January 2007, The Knife won in all six categories that they were nominated in: Composer of the Year, Music DVD of the Year, Producer of the Year, Pop Group of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. Again, they did not attend the award ceremony. On another occasion, they did not come to collect the award but sent a manipulated video that muffled their voices and made them look very elderly.
Silent Shout
was named the best album of 2006 by Pitchfork Media
. The song "We Share Our Mothers' Health
" from the album was made available for free as the iTunes Store
's Single of the Week in late 2006. This song was also featured in the ABC
series Ugly Betty
, as well as an episode of CSI: NY
. In August 2007, "Heartbeats" was featured in an episode of the HBO series Entourage
.
Their song "Pass This On
" was used in the 2010 drama film Les amours imaginaires
by Canadian director Xavier Dolan
. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard
section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
.
, Aki Kaurismäki
, Korean cinema
, Trailer Park Boys
, Donnie Darko
and Doom as inspirations for their work. In addition, Karin named Sonic Youth
, Kate Bush
, Le Tigre
and Siouxsie and the Banshees, while Olof cited techno
, grime
and Southern hip hop.
was digitally released (on iTunes and via other outlets) in advance of this date.
Olof performs as both DJ Coolof and Oni Ayhun.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
duo from Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson
Karin Dreijer Andersson
Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson , commonly known by her stage name Fever Ray, is the lead vocalist of the electronic duo The Knife, formed with her brother Olof Dreijer. Andersson was previously the vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Honey Is Cool...
and Olof Dreijer
Olof Dreijer
Olof Bjorn Dreijer is a member of the electronica duo The Knife, formed with his sister Karin Dreijer Andersson.Although The Knife very rarely performs live concerts, Olof performs as DJ Coolof in nightclubs across Europe....
, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records
Rabid Records
Rabid Records is a Swedish record label founded in 1998 by members of Honey Is Cool. Today the label is operated by Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer of the synthpop duo The Knife, as well as Frau Rabid. The label rarely releases anything other than works by The Knife, but it is currently...
. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by José González
José González
José González is a Swedish-Argentine indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Gothenburg, Sweden.González is also a member of Swedish band Junip, along with Elias Araya and Tobias Winterkorn.- Biography :...
, appeared in a commercial by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
. Subsequent songs have appeared on a number of television shows. Their first tour took place in 2006, as well as the release of their critically acclaimed album Silent Shout
Silent Shout
Silent Shout is the third studio album by Swedish electronic duo The Knife. It was initially released in Sweden on 15 February 2006 by Rabid Records, and subsequently in the rest of Europe the following month and in the United States on 25 July by Mute Records. Silent Shout is darker than its...
. They have won a number of Swedish Grammis
Grammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
, but refuse to attend awards ceremonies. They have appeared in public wearing Venetian mask
Venetian mask
Venetian masks are a centuries-old tradition of Venice, Italy. The masks are typically worn during the Carnevale , but have been used on many other occasions in the past, usually as a device for hiding the wearer's identity and social status.The mask would permit the wearer to act more freely in...
s. Andersson released a solo album
Fever Ray (album)
Fever Ray was lauded by music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 27 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim"...
under the name Fever Ray in 2009, while her brother released several EPs as Oni Ayhun in late 2009 and early 2010.
History
Formed in 1999, the group first gained international recognition when José GonzálezJosé González
José González is a Swedish-Argentine indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Gothenburg, Sweden.González is also a member of Swedish band Junip, along with Elias Araya and Tobias Winterkorn.- Biography :...
covered their song "Heartbeats" on his 2003 album, Veneer
Veneer (album)
Veneer is the debut album by the Swedish singer-songwriter José González. It was released on October 29, 2003 in Sweden; April 25, 2005 in the rest of Europe; and on September 6, 2005 in the United States...
. The cover was used by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
in a commercial for BRAVIA
BRAVIA
BRAVIA is a Sony brand used to market its high-definition LCD televisions, projection TVs and front projectors and for the PlayStation 3 , along with its home cinema range under the sub-brand BRAVIA Theatre. The BRAVIA name is an acronym of "Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture"...
television sets, and released as a single in 2006. The group commented on this in a Dagens Nyheter
Dagens Nyheter
is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...
article, claiming that Sony paid a large sum of money to use the song. Despite the group's anti-commercial views, they justified the transaction by citing their need for money to establish a record company.
Having never before performed live, The Knife went on tour in 2006, and after selling out shows worldwide, a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the tour was announced. The DVD was released in Sweden on 8 November 2006, and is titled Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience
Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience
Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience is a live DVD from The Knife, taken from the April 12, 2006 concert at the Trädgår'n, Gothenburg, Sweden, in their 2006 Silent Shout tour...
.
On 4 August 2009, the band announced that, in collaboration with Mt. Sims
Mount Sims
Mount Sims is the stage name of Matthew Sims, a Berlin-based American DJ, performance artist, producer and musician. Starting Mount Sims as a purely electronic music act, later releases have also shown influences from post punk, new wave and darkwave...
and Planningtorock
Planningtorock
Janine Rostron, better known by her stage name Planningtorock, is an English electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany.-Early life:Rostron enrolled in an art school in Sheffield before she moved to Berlin in 2002...
, they would be writing an opera for the Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma. The opera, titled Tomorrow, In a Year
Tomorrow, In a Year
Tomorrow, In a Year is the studio version of the music commissioned by the Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma for their opera based on Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. It is a collaboration between The Knife, Mt. Sims and Planningtorock...
, is based on Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's On the Origin of Species. In January 2010, the band announced that they would release a studio version on 1 March.
In a post on the official Fever Ray website in September 2010, Karin stated that she and Olof "have started playing together again", hinting that new material may be on the way. On 18 April 2011, as part of a post on their website concerning discrimination against Romani people in Europe, The Knife announced that they were recording a new album to be released in 2012.
Relationship with the media
The Knife rarely cooperate with the media or the mainstream music scene. Until 2006, they did not perform live concerts. The group rarely makes public appearances; most of their promotional photos feature the members wearing masks with birds' beaks, similar to the traditional VenetianVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
Medico Della Peste (plague doctor) masks worn during Carnival
Carnival of Venice
The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival, held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival starts 40 days before easter and ends on Shrove Tuesday , the day before Ash Wednesday.-History:...
.
The Knife won a Grammis
Grammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
award as best pop group of the year 2003, but they boycotted the ceremony by sending two representatives of the Guerrilla Girls
Guerrilla Girls
Guerrilla Girls are an anonymous group of feminists devoted to fighting against sexism within the visual fine art world internationally. Started in New York City in 1985 to protest gender and racial inequality in the art world, members are known for the gorilla masks they wear to keep their...
, with the number 50 written on their costumes, as a protest against male dominance in the music industry. Their album Deep Cuts
Deep Cuts (The Knife album)
Deep Cuts is the second studio album by Swedish electronic duo The Knife. It was released in Sweden on 17 January 2003 by Rabid Records. The 2004 version contains three additional tracks and is packaged with a DVD of music videos...
was also nominated for a Grammis as the best record of the year 2003, although that award went to The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
. At the Grammis awards in January 2007, The Knife won in all six categories that they were nominated in: Composer of the Year, Music DVD of the Year, Producer of the Year, Pop Group of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. Again, they did not attend the award ceremony. On another occasion, they did not come to collect the award but sent a manipulated video that muffled their voices and made them look very elderly.
Silent Shout
Silent Shout
Silent Shout is the third studio album by Swedish electronic duo The Knife. It was initially released in Sweden on 15 February 2006 by Rabid Records, and subsequently in the rest of Europe the following month and in the United States on 25 July by Mute Records. Silent Shout is darker than its...
was named the best album of 2006 by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
. The song "We Share Our Mothers' Health
We Share Our Mothers' Health
"We Share Our Mothers' Health" is the fourth single from the album Silent Shout by the Swedish electropop duo The Knife. It was released in four different regions by four different labels in three different formats.-Critical reception:...
" from the album was made available for free as the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
's Single of the Week in late 2006. This song was also featured in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
, as well as an episode of CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
. In August 2007, "Heartbeats" was featured in an episode of the HBO series Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
.
Their song "Pass This On
Pass This On
"Pass This On" is a single from the Swedish electronic duo The Knife, released in 2003. It is the third track on The Knife's second studio album, Deep Cuts.-Synopsis:...
" was used in the 2010 drama film Les amours imaginaires
Heartbeats (film)
Heartbeats is a 2010 Canadian drama film directed by Xavier Dolan. It follows the story of two friends who both fall in love with the same man. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
by Canadian director Xavier Dolan
Xavier Dolan
Xavier Dolan , sometimes credited as Xavier Dolan-Tadros, is a Québécois actor and filmmaker, the son of Geneviève Dolan, a teacher, and Manuel Tadros, a Quebecois actor and singer of Egyptian descent...
. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
2010 Cannes Film Festival
The 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 12 to May 23, 2010, in Cannes, France. The Cannes Film Festival, hailed as being one of the most recognized and prestigious film festivals worldwide, was founded in 1946. It consists of having films screened in and out of competition during the...
.
Influences
In a 2006 interview with Pitchfork Media, The Knife cited David LynchDavid Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
, Aki Kaurismäki
Aki Kaurismäki
-Career:After studying Media Studies at the University of Tampere, Aki Kaurismäki started his career as a co-director in the films of his elder brother Mika Kaurismäki. His debut as an independent director was Crime and Punishment , Dostoyevsky's famous crime story set in modern-day Helsinki...
, Korean cinema
Cinema of Korea
Korean cinema encompasses the motion picture industries of North and South Korea. As with all aspects of Korean life during the past century, the film industry has often been at the mercy of political events, from the late Joseon dynasty to the Korean War to domestic governmental interference...
, Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian comedy mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The...
, Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is a 2001 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, and Mary McDonnell...
and Doom as inspirations for their work. In addition, Karin named Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Le Tigre is an American electroclash band, formed by Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman in 1998. It also featured Sadie Benning from 1998 until 2001, and JD Samson for the rest of the group's run...
and Siouxsie and the Banshees, while Olof cited techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
and Southern hip hop.
Members' solo projects
In 2008, Karin announced that she would release a solo album under the name Fever Ray in March 2009. The eponymous albumFever Ray (album)
Fever Ray was lauded by music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 27 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim"...
was digitally released (on iTunes and via other outlets) in advance of this date.
Olof performs as both DJ Coolof and Oni Ayhun.
Discography
- The KnifeThe Knife (album)The Knife is the self-titled debut album by Swedish electronic duo The Knife. It was first released in Sweden on 5 February 2001 by Rabid Records, and subsequently in the United Kingdom on 8 March 2004...
(2001) - Deep CutsDeep Cuts (The Knife album)Deep Cuts is the second studio album by Swedish electronic duo The Knife. It was released in Sweden on 17 January 2003 by Rabid Records. The 2004 version contains three additional tracks and is packaged with a DVD of music videos...
(2003) - Hannah med H SoundtrackHannah med H SoundtrackHannah med H Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2003 Swedish drama film Hannah med H, recorded by the Swedish electropop duo The Knife. Made up mostly of instrumentals, the album was released in Sweden on 26 November 2003 by Rabid Records...
(2003) - Silent ShoutSilent ShoutSilent Shout is the third studio album by Swedish electronic duo The Knife. It was initially released in Sweden on 15 February 2006 by Rabid Records, and subsequently in the rest of Europe the following month and in the United States on 25 July by Mute Records. Silent Shout is darker than its...
(2006) - TBA (2012)
Awards
| Year | Awards | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Nöjesguiden's Stockholm Award | Music Category |
| Swedish Hit Music Awards | Best Video for "Heartbeats" | |
| Swedish National Radio P3 Gold | Group of the Year | |
| Grammis Grammis The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled.... |
Pop Group of the Year | |
| 2004 | Manifest Awards | Pop Rock |
| Scandinavian Alternative Music Awards Scandinavian Alternative Music Awards Scandinavian Alternative Music Awards , was a music festival and award ceremony for electronic music held each year in Gothenburg between 1998 and 2007.... (SAMA) |
Song of the Year for "Heartbeats" | |
| 2006 | Pitchfork Media | Album of the Year |
| Manifest Awards | Dance/House Techno of the Year | |
| Live Performers of the Year | ||
| 2007 | Swedish National Radio P3 Gold | Group of the Year |
| Dance of the Year | ||
| Grammis | Artist of the Year | |
| Pop Album of the Year for Silent Shout | ||
| Songwriters of the Year | ||
| Pop Producers of the Year | ||
| Music-DVD of the Year for Silent Shout: An Audiovisual Experience | ||
| Pop Group of the Year | ||
| SAMA | Song of the Year for "Marble House" | |
| Album of the Year for Silent Shout |