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Preview of Eric Prydz presents Pryda: The Album

April 13, 2012

By Henry Gould

As long as I have been a fan of Eric Prydz (2003’s Call On Me, and I’m not ashamed to admit it) there have been promises of an album. The album. An album that would most certainly exceed any and all expectations, given the reputation that Eric commands. If, like me, you consider yourself one of Eric’s biggest and most loyal fans, to whom everything he touches turns to gold, and who’s productions and live sets have come close to bringing tears, you have anticipated this “album”. Well, ladies and gentleman, the drought is almost over. As you read this, clouds of anticipation are forming and soon the rains will fall and all will be right again in the world. Monday, May 21, Eric Prydz presents Pryda will drop, and mark one of the most anticipated and sought-after releases in dance music.

Never one to follow trends, Eric is an artist that seems to be always running perpendicular to them, or in some cases, in the complete opposite direction. Instead of releasing an album with a few new tracks, most of which have already been played out, he’s instead put together a three disc collection, the first being 13 unreleased tracks (11 of which are brand new), while discs two and three will feature retrospective mixes from some of Eric’s biggest and best Pryda tunes. Although a lot of these won’t be completely unheard of, to have them in one place, mixed by the man himself, would alone be worth the album (track list available here).

However, the bulk of the excitement has to be coming from the first CD, which features a massive amount of new material, in addition to bookends from classics like Shadows and Eric’s intro edit of Pjanoo. Shadows is one of Eric’s most iconic records, and one he reserves more or less for live shows, usually near the end, guaranteeing a great crowd reaction. That plucky whine of the main lead cuts like a knife, and the thumping bass line carries the rest of the track perfectly. Pjanoo, another record etched in the dance music history books, was originally a dud for Prydz. The story goes that he had been playing it out a few years before its release in 2008, and not gotten much of a response in the club. Deterred, he forgot about it until a few years later when he dusted it off, tweaked it and tried again. Big difference. It was easily the hit of the ‘08 summer, with just about every house DJ keeping it handy in their record box. The intro mix included on the album has just that; a beautifully building intro that rises into the familiar three-chord riff that everyone knows. It’s been an amazing closing track for Eric in his live sets (I heard him close his Loveland set in Amsterdam with it), and now it will finally be in everybody’s hands.

Another track that we’ve had a sneak peak of is SW4, which Eric gave to Zane Lowe to debut on his radio show a few weeks ago. If it’s any indication of the others that will feature on disc one, it’s going to be one hell of an album. SW4 is vintage Prydz, with a high melodic loop that builds into a frenzy of a beat drop, very similar to the approach of Mokba.

Arty and Sebastian Ingrosso have already been singing their praises on Twitter about Allein, another track from the first album that is yet to see a certifiable leak onto the airwaves. However, with less than a month away it’s sure to be worth the wait. “Hardrock Lausanne” is another track which a few people on Youtube have tried to identify during his live shows, but as is usually the case with Eric, he will always have the last laugh. If you think you’ve got it pegged, chances are you probably don’t. In any case, if it’s anything like this version here, it’s going to be very, very good.

The rest of the album features tracks stretching back to 2006, most of which were released under the Pryda alias. Miami To Atlanta, RYMD, EMOS, Juletider, Aftermath; these have all been monsters, and to finally have them under one roof is going to be fantastic. As a promotion strategy it’s genius, allowing people to buy the album who want to have all his old music, as well as drawing in those fans like myself who want to hear the new stuff. Truly win-win, and for someone like myself who’s been sitting patiently for years for years, very much worth the wait.