The Knife’s Olof Dreijer debuts on Hessle Audio with first solo music since 2009, ‘Rosa Rugosa’: Listen

The Knife’s Olof Dreijer has shared a new solo single, ‘Rosa Rugosa’, via Hessle Audio. Listen to the track below.

The Swedish producer and musician’s first solo release since 2009 arrived yesterday (27th June) via the UK imprint helmed by Ben UFO, Pangaea, and Pearson Sound. The link-up came about after Ben UFO included Dreijer’s ‘Echoes From Mamori’ on an EP for his Melodies Record Club series.

The track finds Dreijer, who previously released his club-focused work as Oni Ayhun, experimenting with Angolan kuduro-influenced rhythms and colourful pop production.

Speaking on the solo release, Dreijer said: “I’m very happy to be back making music again after some time doing other things. I’m surprised to see how much fun I’m having making my own music after a longer period of working on other people’s projects.” Dreijer later added: “I’ve been trying to make some colourful, energetic music with emotional melodies. I hope there is room for that out on the dancefloors.”

Since The Knife disbanded in 2014, the seasoned producer has been working with a range of artists, including Tunisian multi-instrumentalist Houeida Hedfi and Swedish-Kurdish pop artist Zhala. He also remixed Robyn’s collaboration with Röyksopp, among other tracks.

More recently, Dreijer released 2023’s ‘Souvenir’, a five-track exploration of the steel drum and its colonial history alongside Mt. Sims, and his first full-length as a lead artist since the split. The producer also reunited with his brother and former Knife collaborator Karin Dreijer, AKA Fever Ray, to co-produce four tracks on his latest record, ‘Radical Romantics’.

‘Rosa Rugosa’ is the fourth release on Hessle Audio so far this year, following music by Anz, Pangaea, and Toumba. Pangaea’s first album in seven years, ‘Changing Channels’, is also landing in October.

‘Rosa Rugosa’ is out now on Hessle Audio. Listen to the single below.