Weekday Girls

March 29, 2011

Fashion PR and marketing gurus by day – superstar DJs (not according to themselves…) by night and Stockholm locals in-between.
The Swede Beat recently sat down with Elinor Nystedt and Liselott Olovzon of super hip Stockholm-based label WEEKDAY for a chat about fashion, music and Stockholm-living. The girls regularly play at different club nights and are full of quirky tips for the Stockholmer or visitor alike:

So let’s get to know you – who are you, and how do you spend your days?
I’m Elinor, working as a brand and marketing manager at Weekday going back and forth between Stockholm and Gothenburg and other cities all over the world.
And me, Liselott. I also work at Weekday within marketing/PR/events, with a focus on the Swedish/Norwegian and Danish markets. I used to be a dancer from the upper-north of Sweden. I quit dancing and moved to Stockholm and studied economics and marketing.
The days are first and foremost about work – at Weekday there isn’t a single day like the other – the key ingredients of the day are fashion, music, art and we travel a lot. And of course the craft of marketing, our field of work. We get to meet a lot of very interesting people and see great places – we think we’re really lucky f…ers!
And nights?
E: I spend my nights either going to the gym and then home for dinner, reading some books discussing crazy things with my boyfriend and taking it easy. Or I’ll be at a restaurant with my friends. At the moment I love to go to the Opera. I also go to art openings, concerts, clubs and other fun stuff that my friends are arranging.
I’m really not that much for living in between – it’s everything or nothing.
L: I spend it almost in the same way as Elinor. Some work out (I am into pilates at the moment), but I also love to take a long walk with a friend or my boyfriend, two hours of power-walking and discussing life. Lately there have been a lot of visits to the Opera too and I go to the movies at least once a week. On weekends I hang out in nice bars or clubs. But what I like the most is having parties at home, together with my lovely brother and friends.

Great! Stockholm is mental at the moment – why is there so much amazing fashion, design, music etc??
Maybe there isn’t a secret ingredient that makes Stockholm unique. But if you get into a cycle/flow (all working in the art/music/design field), these scenes will flourish. It is all about the climate. We think Stockholm and Sweden has been good at the music field for quite some time now. If you are abroad and say that you are from Sweden – you always gets a music reference [in return]. So there is big confidence there and of course, that spurs on other people to try out new exciting things and continue to work hard without earning almost any money- you don’t give up your dream so easy, because there is a chance that you can make it abroad.
There are great people nurturing the music scene in Stockholm, which keeps it growing and makes it exciting. The great club ‘Fritz Corner’ and the ‘What We Do Is Secret’ team are the best at bookings and deliver great artists and bands to the people.

Swedes are also really good at designing great fashion for affordable prices. Like WEEKDAY(!) and of course this other company called H&M…– There is a big secret ingredient – but we wont tell you what it is…

We also have so many bold designers. By ‘bold’ we mean they are driven at handling their own business at the same time as being so creative. It is hard to combine the business part and still be creative but there are many designers in Stockholm who balance that well. And also Stockholm (as a city) seems to take fashion serious, many cities don’t. For example, you can study fashion at the Stockholm University and there are great exhibitions about fashion history and sociology. [As many people might think] it’s not the government that finances these creative ventures. We believe it is the great people behind it that maintain the flow and make things happen.

So how long have you been DJing?
First of all, we don’t call ourselves ‘DJ´s haha. We ‘play records’. We don’t have the skills to call ourselves DJ´s and we do it mostly for fun, like a hobby. Back in the day Elinor had a small Country Club at Rival. And Liselott played at different places and is one of the members behind the club collective ‘Gräsfolket’ that started 2009 at Kåken, a trendy Stockholm bar. So maybe we have ‘played records’ on and off for 5 years.

We hear you have an awesome DJ name…
Haha, the name ‘Salt ´n Pepper is kind of joke, but our friends have started to use it on a regular basis. And in some way we like it because it is kind of unpretentious and fun.
When we started to play together one of our friend asked us to write a small text about ourselves, for invites and stuff. We were in a hurry and had to write it quickly, so we wrote ‘Like salt and Pepper we complement each other’. We meant it to be for the different music styles we like, and of course our colouring (blond-dark). She thought it was really funny (and of course didn’t put it on the invite… it’s kind of cheesy. But the story was told, and here we are. If we’re in a happy mood we play Salt n´Pepper’s ‘Push It’ at the end of a night- just for fun.

So what do you typically play, who are you influences?
Our range is wide! We love different types of music. Elinor always ends up playing some New Wave from the 80’s, it takes you to a positive bubbly mood and feeling. Liselott loves old Depeche Mode songs, happy but dark at the same time. . We always hung out at the indie clubs when we were younger so indie music in different genres would wrap it up. We get our influences from people that surround us, when we hear a song that we like it hits us hard. We listen to it over and over and then add it in to our set – so we can say that our friends are the biggest influences.

So what does the future hold for Liselott and Elinor a.k.a Salt n’ Pepper?
We are DJ-ing/playing for fun in an unpretentious way. Only playing when we feel it’s the right time for us. We like the variation playing at a fashion party, at a small bar or on an indie dance floor. We love when it feels like ‘home’ and people are relaxed. You never know where you’ll find us!

Ok, we have some quick Stockholm-centric Q&A:
Best cafes:
A café on Elinor’s street in Hornstull, it’s called ‘PO Chocklad & Konditori’ – super small but nice. The pastry chef was nominated as one of the best in 2010. We also like the tea house ‘Classic Tea Room’ located at Rörstrandsgatan, St. Eriksplan. Quite close to our office (at Södermalm), is the ‘Café Kaffe’ which is simple and good. We would say that the Stockholm culture is more for going out having a glass of wine or drinking beer before coffee.
Best daytime hangout:
E: In the summer time balcony drinking is a must in Stockholm. If I’m off work I like to go to some nice exhibitions – the modern museum of art is good and also Magasin 3. It’s nice to just hang out by the water in Stockholm, taking a swim or reading. During wintertime I go for brunch with friends a lot, chatting for hours.
L: I like drinking a glass of Rosé at ‘Mälarpaviljongen’ by the water (Norrmälarstrand), close to my home. Fotografiska museét is one of my favourite places to visit. And of course just sitting in the sun at Södermälarstrand with a good cup of takeaway coffee is always nice (Summer- please come to Stockholm soon!!!).
Best clothing:
Weekday of course!
Favorite Swedish fashion designers:
There are a lot of Swedish ones that we like: Cheap Monday, Ann-Sofie Back, Mini Market, Carin Wester, Diana Orving, The local firm, Nakkna, Rodebjer, Acne and many more.
Best shopping:
Weekday! We do also visit Aplace, Mrs H, The Acne stores, Rodebjer and JUS.
Best restaurants:
‘BAR’, located a bit off track, they have good seafood. ‘Shogun’ a genuine dumpling place that really isn’t a fashion spot, we often go there on Fridays after work, a perfect dining place if you are in a crowd. There’s no music so it’s good for conversations.
‘La Ramblas’, a great tapas place in Elinor’s neighbourhood, crowded though so you need to book a table. There is also a great Chinese place at Hornstull called ‘Ho´s’.
Best bars:
Hmm, we go to the bar at Kåken or to Riche. Or hanging out in a hotel bar. You could find us anywhere really… we never know. Depends on the company.
Best clubs:
We like smaller conceptual clubs a lot like ‘Trollkarlens Hatt’ at Riche. ‘Fritzcorner’, is a music club with live acts. ‘Natten’ that only play slow power ballads songs. We are not super loyal though… we go everywhere and nowhere.
Best dancefloor:
It depends on the evening… the best dancefloor is probably in a living room with friends. Otherwise we’d say the best DJ´s and the most space for dancing would be ‘Berns’ or wherever our friends are playing. Or slow dancing wherever ‘Natten’ are playing. If you are in the mood for feeling a little young at heart you can visit ‘Strand’ in Hornstull, there is often a good live act playing and happy kids dancing around.
Best afterparty:
Afterparties are the best during summer time. Then you can sit by the water and talk or take a swim to cool down. It’s light almost 24/7 then…
Best hangover food:
The body needs salt, fat and sugar so something that contains all of that. Maybe a brunch at “Strand” in the sun or a pizza near you’re place – there’s pizzerias everywhere in Stockholm!
Best thing to do hungover:
It is all about getting outside – you feel so much better then. So we have to say get up, go outside, take a long walk, eat something (see above) and then go to the movies or rent a DVD.
Favorite time of year:
In Stockholm, and after the long winters – we have to say summertime! Summer in Stockholm is amazing. You should do all your travelling during wintertime and then spend your summer in Stockholm.
Favorite Swedish word:
We have a 2-worded favorite, a short sentence that we use a lot (since Liselott is from the north part of Sweden and like a mantra when we work) – ‘känn lugnet’ – it means ‘stay calm’ or more like ‘feel the calm”
Ideal Wednesday night:
Get off from work in decent time, go training, take a quick shower, out dining with your love ones or go see a movie.
Ideal Saturday night:
Dining with friends, listen to good music, go to someone’s party, dance and talk the night away. Or go around different bars (one or two drinks at each place). We like going to different hotel bars, looking at people like “are they guests or living here?” – people are always happy at hotels.
Ideal Sunday night:
Just being at home and “känna lugnet”, haha.
Stockholm must-haves:
Weekday (shopping), Trädgården (club), Södermälarstrand + Norrmälarstand (spots). Just hang around near the water. Fotografiska museet, Magasin 3 (art + culture). Kåken & Riche (bars) and of course… The Royal Opera!
Finally, describe Stockholm in ummm 5 words:
Safe, Fashionable, Beautiful, Fun and Flexible.

XO/Liselott & Eli

Interviewed by Samuel Sweetman

Published by: The Swede Beat