A journey through sound, memory, and imagination.
Northtribe is the creative project of Swedish musician John Ekström — a journey that began in the 1980s with a piano and the melodies of NES games, and grew into a lifelong exploration of electronic music. From early trance and Goa experiments in FastTracker II to atmospheric productions in Propellerhead Reason, Northtribe has evolved across distinct eras — Nostalgia, New Era, Ostendo, Study Phase, and now Upprisa.
Each chapter has shaped a sound rooted in trance, techno, and psychedelic storytelling. Today, Northtribe bridges past and present — honoring its origins while moving forward through new music, livestreams, and visual projects.
Explore the full story below.
It began with a piano and an old TV.
As a child, I taught myself to play by ear — sitting in the hallway while NES games like Mario, Zelda, and Metroid echoed from the living room. I would turn up the volume, wait for a melody to loop, then run back to the piano and search for the notes until it felt right. Those simple, repeating game melodies became my first teachers.
That early fascination with sound slowly grew into something deeper. I didn’t realize it at the time, but those moments would spark a lifelong connection to music.
In 1996, a TV commercial introduced me to Teknomaker, a basic sampler program. I bought it the next day and began experimenting with loops and beats. Soon after, a friend showed me FastTracker II — and everything changed. For the first time, I could shape every note, every sample, every detail.
A new world opened. From that moment, I was hooked.
Discovering FastTracker II in late 1996 marked the true beginning. By spring 1997, I had completed my first full track.
At the same time, the internet was beginning to take off in Sweden. I found the growing tracker and demoscene communities through early forums and magazines like TEKNO, connecting with like-minded artists and exchanging music as .xm and .mod files across boards and servers.
During this era, I produced under the alias Cream, exploring trance, Goa, rave, and ambient sounds. In 1998, I joined my first tracker group, Future Beats, followed later that year by PlastiK, where I remained until its disbandment in 1999.
After PlastiK, I adopted the name Pisces and began releasing music on mp3.com, reaching a broader audience beyond the tracker scene. This period came to an abrupt end in 2001, when a major system crash forced me into a break from music.
One defining moment from this era was having my track “World of God” featured on the CD compilation Trancepotting 2 in 1999 — a milestone that meant a great deal at the time.
The Nostalgia era laid the foundation for everything that followed. It shaped my sound, my workflow, and the creative drive that continues to push me forward.
In late 2000, I discovered Propellerhead Reason and instantly connected with it.
Transitioning from trackers to virtual instruments, effects, and cable routing was a major shift. For the first time, I wasn’t limited to samples — I could build sound from the ground up.
Some of my friends from the tracker scene made the same transition, but the landscape was changing. Platforms like mp3.com and Trax in Space began to disappear, and with them, many of the places where I had shared my music. Creation became more personal — something shared mainly with close friends and family.
Reason’s sequencer transformed my workflow. Moving beyond pattern-based composition, I could finally see the bigger picture. My sound evolved — more atmospheric, more structured, more refined — with a strong pull toward melodic trance, psytrance, and Goa.
This aligned with the underground rave culture I was part of at the time — forest clearings, warehouses, basements filled with hypnotic rhythms. Clubs like Docklands also left a lasting impression, where I experienced performances from artists such as Astral Projection, Infected Mushroom, Juno Reactor, and Tiësto.
It was during this period that I adopted the name Northtribe — a creative reset reflecting both identity and direction. Inspired by the tribal and cosmic aesthetics of the Goa trance scene, and shaped by my northern roots, the name became a natural extension of the music.
Between 2003 and 2006, while studying at university, I wasn’t releasing music publicly, but creation continued. I composed the soundtrack for a student project video that was played on loop in school corridors — a different kind of exposure. Occasionally, I would hear my own tracks played at the student pub, an unexpected but memorable experience.
This era came to a sudden stop in 2008, when another system failure forced me into yet another break.
After about a year away, I returned to music with a new computer and a renewed creative drive.
Like the New Era, this phase wasn’t focused on public releases. I shared occasional clips on my website, but most of the work remained personal — driven by curiosity and the simple joy of creating.
I produced less frequently, but with greater awareness. My mixes became tighter, arrangements more deliberate, and my sound more mature. I explored progressive house and trance more deeply, balancing structure with emotional flow.
Music fit into the spaces life allowed — evenings, weekends, brief moments of focus. Ideas often emerged as loops or sketches, and while not all became finished tracks, the creative process never stopped.
Reason remained at the core of my workflow, continuing to evolve alongside me.
Music has always been part of my daily life. Since the moment I first touched a piano, rarely a day has passed without it. For me, it’s more than a passion — it’s a form of meditation, a connection to something deeper.
I later named this period Ostendo — a time of quiet expression. Even if the music didn’t reach the world, it continued to grow.
Eventually, hardware limitations caught up with me. My system could no longer keep pace with newer versions of Reason, and over time, the frustration led to another pause.
Even though I wasn’t producing much music during these years, I wasn’t standing still.
After upgrading my computer in 2018, I reached a turning point. Despite years of creating, my tracks didn’t sound like the professional releases I admired. Everything I knew had been self-taught — the ideas were there, but the results fell short.
Instead of forcing output, I stepped back and began to study.
I spent countless hours on YouTube, diving into mixing, mastering, sound design, and production techniques. It wasn’t glamorous, and it wasn’t fast — but it was necessary.
I wanted to understand not just how to make music, but how to make it sound right.
Even without releasing tracks, I was building a foundation — developing the skills and perspective needed for what would come next.
After years of learning, refining, and evolving in the background, 2023 marked the beginning of a new chapter — a creative resurgence.
I began finishing and releasing tracks from across my archive — Nostalgia, New Era, and Ostendo — now with fresh perspective and improved sound.
But this time, it wasn’t only about music.
It became about building something lasting.
I rebuilt my website, organized my catalog, and started sharing my work again through platforms like YouTube and Spotify. Step by step, I began defining what Northtribe truly represents — not just as a name, but as a long-term creative vision.
This era is about connection — between past and present, memory and creation. The old tracks are no longer just remnants; they’ve become part of something alive.
At the same time, I’m looking forward. New music, livestreams, mixes, and visual projects are all taking shape. For the first time in years, the momentum feels real.
I call this era Upprisa — a Norse word meaning resurrection, or rising again.
After the breaks, the setbacks, and the years of quiet growth, this is the return.
I don’t create music for fame or recognition — I create because it’s part of who I am. Music is how I express myself, how I stay connected, and what I leave behind.
Upprisa isn’t just a return — it’s a commitment.
– John Ekström / Northtribe