Smartface

Smartface is the experimental lofi hiphop project by the Stockholm based producer and musician Johan Lind, creating a more melodic sound than what's traditionally expected within the genre. Johan describes Smartface is an ongoing exploration in where it's possible to take the genre, with the vision of bringing it to lofi-pop and incorporate vocalists, creating songs with a more pop structure. After playing drums in a punk-metal band as a teenager, Johan decided to revolt against his metalhead parents when he discovered hip hop at the age of seven. Listening to acts like A Tribe Called Quest and Gang Starr at a young age paved a way for his taste in hip hop – raw and filled with samples. With no traditional musical education or training Johan is self taught, explaining his learning process as “playing around until it worked ut”. Given his background as a drummer, he usually starts with the drums and beats when producing a new song, creating a rhythmic environment to build the rest of the music on. His curiosity and enthusiasm creates a unique mix of genres, decades and sounds within hip hop.