Universal Poplab was a Swedish

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

band founded in January 2002 by vocalist Christer Lundberg and producer Paul Lachenardière. The band's two members have very different backgrounds: Christer is an old-school

fan, influenced by acts like

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of " Tainted Love" and their pla ...

and Yazoo, Paul is a classically trained musician with roots in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

and

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

. Each member’s creativity has taken various forms over the years. Christer also hosts his own daytime radio show five days a week on Swedish radio and has produced TV documentaries. Paul creates music and releases records in such varied genres as trance and nu-jazz.

History

In 2003 Universal Poplab made their live debut at the Scandinavian Alternative Music Awards (SAMA), followed by a number of summer gigs. The SubSpace Encounter in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal popula ...

and the support show for

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

stars

Melotron Melotron is a futurepop and synthpop band from Germany. In 1995 Andy Krueger, Edgar Slatnow and Kay Hildebrandt left their former band, The Vermin, to form Melotron. The band found success with their first single, "Dein Meister," in 1998. Their ...

in Gothenburg. In 2004 their debut album ''Universal Poplab'' is released by independent record label SubSpace Communications. On the album, one can find a wide spectre of music, from gentle love songs as ”Dice Roller” and ”Any More Than This” weaved between electrifying tracks as “I Can’t Help Myself” (with Paul as the lead vocalist) and “Days Astray” to floor fillers as ”Extasy” and the first single, the melancholic yet bouncy “Casanova Fall”. The record also includes a cover version of Morrissey’s ”

We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" is a song by English singer-songwriter Morrissey from his third studio album, '' Your Arsenal'' (1992). It was released as the lead single from the album on 27 April 1992, by His Master's Voice (H ...

” featuring the backing vocals of one of Sweden's most famous pop stars,

Håkan Hellström Håkan Georg Hellström (; born 2 April 1974) is a Swedish musician. He made his breakthrough in Sweden in 2000 with the song "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg" and the album with the same name. He has released nine studio albums to date wit ...

. Lundberg and Hellström have known each other since they were 16, and the song is dealing with the dark side of having famous friends. Universal Poplab’s single release, "New Baby Boom" (featuring Nina Natri from Homy and ex-Fidget), gained a good grip on Swedish radio playlists. Following three singles from "Uprising" – Universal Poplab released "Fame and Hate" onto the web with a viral video. The follow-up single "On the Run" is available as a free download from their official website, where the official video can also be viewed.

Members

*Christer Lundberg *Paul Lachenardière *Hans Olsson-Brookes

Discography

Albums

* '' Universal Poplab'' (2004) * ''

Uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

'' (2006) * ''

Seeds A seed is an Plant embryogenesis, embryonic plant enclosed in a testa (botany), protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, includ ...

'' (2008)

Singles

* "Casanova Fall" (2003) * "New Baby Boom" (2004) * "Dice Roller" (2004) * "I Could Say I'm Sorry" (2006) * "Heart Apart" (2006) * "Fire" (2007) * "Fame and Hate" (2008) * "On the Run" (2008) * "Summer Struck" (2008) {{Authority control Swedish musical groups