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Hello!
A little more than 15 years ago I realised that bringing a camera to docment the concerts you attend is rather fun. It all started on a low budget using disposable cameras and old analogue 35mm monsters. In our family the camera and snapping shots have always been a natural part of life and the piles of images and binders full of pictures are constantly growing. Birthdays and vacations have been thoroughly documented by beloved father Conny.

The first concert I remember taken pictures at was S.P.O.C.K's performance at the Arvika festival back in 1993. The images from that concert are truly horrific and pathetic but I can still enjoy them. I remember stepping on a guy lying on the floor, five meters from the stage in the middle of the crowd, me and the camera crashed into the floor and the battery cover and batteries flew across the venue. The guy did not move at all, but he was breathing and snoring, I guess he must have been wondering about the perfectly shaped Doc Martens bruise on his thigh the next day... I found both the cover and all batteries after the concert and the camera did not break.

Through the years the photographic technique have been radically changed as well as my own proficiency, I hope anyway.... I will probably never recieve any awards for my technique, but the emotions depicted is more important I feel. I have adopted the method of trial and error, or as my dad would have called it, the ape method, in order to gain more knowledge of photographing. I am 100% self-taught and can not boast about diplomas and stuff. Nowadays I use digital SLRs and my field bag contains a Canon 40D equipped with a 24-70 2.8L lens and a Canon 30D with a 20-200 2.8 lens.

About a year and a halv ago my dear friend Tobias Elisasson asked if I was interesting in assembling a photo book and publish it by his Man av Skugga publishing company. I had given him a bunch of images from numerous Romo Night parties (Romo Night was a club in Göteborg specializing in electronic acts that I often visited). Very surprised and proud I of course said yes and initiated a first selection from about 100.000 images. I have attended more than 1000 concerts during the years and have seen almost everything I wanted, often from very close range, at least for three songs, and then further back for the remaining part of the concert.

During spirng 2007 my mother underwent surgery and treatment for breast cancer, which put most thing on hold for a while. I thought about how I could make a contribution to the battle against cancer. I decided that my part of the proseeds from the book should go towards Cancerfonden and their work against cancer. I am far to old to start researching in a new field and choose to do my doctors degree in Chemical Engineering instead a very long time ago. At Easter 2008 my dad started to feel sick and have really bad abdominal pain. The doctors concluded that his pancreas was infected and ordered him on a strict diet and medication. The pain did not go away and after several examinations a chocking discovery was found. There was a cancer tumour attached to the central blood vessel in the middle of the pancreas. This form of cancer is inoperable and the cytotoxins available are not that efficient mostly dependent on the fact that when this sort of tumour is discoverd it is too late to start treatment. One month after the discovery my dad died on June 17th 2008. My and my famliy's life was in chaos, nothing felt important except family and close friends. I learnt new words like palliatic care and other stuff that is totally superfluous in normal life. Apathy. To avoid total destruction I went to the Arvika festival and took a lot of pictures, that is what my dad had wanted anyway. During the fall of 2008 my mother started a new series of treatment after the discovery of cancer in the lower back and hip. The treatment seems to be working nicely.

Tobias explained that we'll finish the book whenever I want and on my conditions. I have been woking on the book for the past year and a half and we decided to try and make it available in the late February of 2009. I had already decided to give my share of the proseeds to Cancerfonden and when Tobias said that his share also will go to them, there was not a dry eye anywhere. That is the story behind the book and how it came to be and why.

Please buy the book if you want. It makes and excellent gift. You'll get 240 pages and around 500 images, also included is a CD with 16 artists features in the book, this CD is only available in the first edition of the book. The book is a hard back and has a protective cover and all the extras. The format is 10 by 10 inches, yep the old famous, but rahter exclusive, vinyl format. More importantly, you will give a contribution towards the battle against cancer hoping that no one will have to go through what me and my family has gone thorugh the last year sometime in the future.

I would like to thank everyone participating in the project and the selection of the images. Thanks to all artists, all promotors, venue representatives and people helping me with photo passes. A special thank you to my beloved Anna-Lena for putting up with my photo excursions, late night concerts and wild mood swings. Huge thanks to Tobias who has given my total artistic freedom in designing the book and have made a mad economic investment. The book is published by Man av Skugga Förlag.

See you at the next concert. Best wishes!
-/Fredrik J E Svensson, a.k.a. Schlatta