EDM DJ/producer Avicii's final resting place is Stockholm's Skogskyrkogården cemetery. He was born in Stockholm, Sweden as Tim Bergling, and later became known as Avicii, one of the most important figures as a DJ, producer and composer within the electronic dance music genre. Gone too soon, Avicii killed himself on April 20, 2018. It was a complete shock to his family, friends, fans, and of course the music world. Although his classmates knew that he really suffered, no one imagined that this would happen... especially at 28 years old.
Avicii became a household name between his 2011 smash hit "Levels" and the 2013 pop/folk crossover "Wake Me Up," which featured singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc. He not only became an inspiration to young producers and DJs, but also to fans all over the world. At the time, Avicii was among the great company of the Swedish mafia from the Stockholm house (Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello), as well as other Dutch and French artists. Around 2013-2014, it became clear that the niche genre of EDM was becoming more mainstream as a result of these producers, more specifically, because of Avicii.
In recent years, Avicii's talent has been idolized not only by various DJs, but also by various songwriters. Spin Magazine's recent cover story emphasized the immense impact Bergling had on so many people. His frequent collaborators mentioned that “[Avicii] was said to have a rare gift. His genre was modern, but his skills were closer to that of a songwriter than a club hitmaker.” He was an absolute perfectionist and really listened to everything in his head before writing it. It was considered a gift according to his partners and co-writers.
Over the years, Avicii's output morphed from EDM hardcore with synth-heavy sounds and intense beats to lean more towards pop and folk music. But as the general sound of him changed, so did those who followed his example. For example, Kygo, a Norwegian DJ/producer, looked to Avicii for inspiration, and several comparisons can be made between Avicii's music. Some may argue that it's because they come from tight-knit European families or a desire to make a big hit, but you can also put it down to the incredible impact these diverse producers had on each other.
Many artists look to others for inspiration, but also sample and remix their peers' songs. This can be seen constantly in EDM. For example, Martin Garrix's recent single "Mistaken" sounds quite similar to several of the iconic Swedish House Mafia tunes. Similarly, DJs remix each other's tracks all the time, and it's actually become very popular that about a month after someone releases a song, someone else remixes it. Plus, they all play each other's tracks at their shows and then cover or remix them. For example, I was at a Kygo concert a couple of weeks ago and he played most of his own songs, but he did an Avicii tribute by playing "Levels" and other EDM/Pop hits, including Tiesto's "Jackie Chan", and even remixes by other DJs of his own songs, including Nicky Romero's remix of "Carry On" with Rita Ora. These are recent examples, but sampling and remixing have been trends within the recorded music industry for many years.
avicii's funeral
Fans gather to mourn Avicii's death in Stockholm, Sweden. (April 2018)
I really think he was the best DJ of all time.
