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28-516: Drain Gang (formerly known as Gravity Boys Shield Gang ) is a Swedish music collective. Consisting of Bladee , Ecco2K , Thaiboy Digital and producer Whitearmor , the group rose to one of the top Swedish music collectives in the mid-late 2010s. They are known for their frequent collaborations with fellow Swedish rapper Yung Lean and producer Gud . The group formed in 2013 in Stockholm . Thaiboy Digital
56-495: A bigger artist. The only thing that's important is that I'm doing something that's true to me." In a 2019 interview, Reichwald said that the music he creates cannot be fully described through genre. Jack Angell, a music writer for The Fader , described Reichwald's sound as "frostbitten futurism" and remarked that his music evokes "a wide spectrum of emotion". Nadine Smith, writing for Pitchfork , stated that Reichwald's work "introduces recognizable elements of American rap music to
84-983: A collaborative album with Ecco2K, via Year0001. Produced entirely by Whitearmor, Crest was critically acclaimed. In September 2022, Reichwald released lead single Drain Story , announcing his sixth album, Spiderr . An accompanying music video directed by Ecco2K was released. On 30 September, Reichwald released Spiderr via Year0001. In January 2023, Reichwald appeared on the Skrillex single "Real Spring", which shares its name with Reichwald's 2021 art exhibition. The next month, Reichwald appeared on Skrillex's single "Ceremony" alongside Yung Lean. Music videos were released for both tracks. Reichwald collaborated with fellow Swedish artist Jonas Rönnberg (Varg2™) for their first art exhibition, Fucked for Life , held at The Hole in New York from May to June 2023. In August 2023, Yung Lean released
112-532: A few tracks. The project is heavily influenced by tread music, a trap subgenre created by Working on Dying. In spring of 2018, Bladee released the album Red Light , the follow-up to his 2016 debut album Eversince . The release was celebrated with a special concert at the O2 Academy Islington in London on 16 May 2018. In 2018, Bladee released Icedancer , his third mixtape and ninth project. The mixtape
140-520: A new environment". In an interview with 032c , Drain Gang members described their intuitive approach to music creation, with Reichwald stating that he does not write lyrics ahead of time. Reichwald has cited Hilma af Klint , Chief Keef , Lil B , The Beach Boys , Basshunter , and James Ferraro as influences on his work. Reichwald is a private person. He has stated, "I really don’t like to talk about myself. I find it weird." In interviews, Reichwald has mentioned being struck by lightning during
168-452: A planned release date of 11 June. In late 2021, the group announced a 2022 Drain Gang world tour, consisting of 23 performances across Europe and North America. In 2022, Bladee and Ecco2K released a collaborative single titled "Amygdala" produced by Mechatok. A collaborative album by Bladee & Ecco2K, entitled Crest , was released unannounced in March of the same year. The album, containing
196-489: A trip to Thailand in 2019, alluding to it being a transformative experience. 333 (Bladee album) 333 is the fourth studio album by Swedish rapper Bladee . It was released on July 16, 2020, by YEAR0001 , making it Bladee's second release of 2020, following April's Exeter . 333 is notable among Bladee's discography in featuring no collaborations from fellow Drain Gang members Thaiboy Digital and Ecco2K . The album has been associated with
224-454: A year. Reichwald began releasing music under the name Bladee in 2013. Alongside Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor, he formed the Drain Gang musical collective, at the time named Gravity Boys. Reichwald became friends with fellow Stockholm rapper Yung Lean , forming a working relationship between his own Gravity Boys collective and Yung Lean's Sad Boys Entertainment. He was featured on
252-574: The artistic collective Drain Gang . Reichwald has released music through the Stockholm record label Year0001 since his debut mixtape Gluee in 2014. In addition to his music, Reichwald creates visual art and serves as the creative director for Yung Lean 's clothing line Sadboys Gear. Benjamin Reichwald was born 9 April 1994 in Stockholm , Sweden and was raised mainly in the Skanstull area. His mother
280-409: The double-sided single "Victorious" & "Bullets" in collaboration with Reichwald. Both tracks were produced by Whitearmor and released via Yung Lean's personal label World Affairs. On 13 March 2024, Reichwald and Yung Lean released Psykos , a surprise album, via World Affairs. Psykos marked their first collaborative album after over a decade of working together, and was a sonic shift for
308-465: The mixtape Working on Dying , which was a collaborative album with the Philadelphia producer collective Working on Dying . The entire project was produced by Working On Dying, with Whitearmor contributing additional production. The project had features from Yung Lean, Black Kray (a frequent collaborator of both Bladee and Working On Dying), and Ecco2K, while Thaiboy Digital provided additional vocals on
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#1733086351531336-416: The official Soundcloud account. Gluee is Bladee's first mixtape, featuring Thaiboy Digital, Ecco2K, and BONES , and produced by Whitearmor, Yung Sherman, Curtis Heron, and Blank Body. Thaiboy Digital's first mixtape, Tiger (also known as ส) , was released in 2014. In 2015, Thaiboy Digital's visa expired and he was deported from Sweden. Through the internet, he has managed to continue collaborating with
364-502: The other members from his new home in Bangkok . He and Bladee released a collaborative EP titled AvP in 2016, which featured production from both Whitearmor and Yung Sherman. In 2017, Bladee, Ecco2K and Thaiboy Digital released their collaborative album D&G, featuring production from member Whitearmor, and frequent collaborators Gud, Yung Sherman, Woesum, and Australian-based collective Ripsquadd. In December 2017, Bladee also released
392-506: The runway at Alyx's fall 2019 menswear show in Paris, alongside Ecco2K. Reichwald's third mixtape, Icedancer , was released on 28 December 2018. The mixtape was produced by the production duo Ripsquadd. In April 2020, Reichwald released EXETER , a nine-song album he recorded during a week-long stay in Gotland with Sad Boys producer Gud . The album included features from Ecco2K. A music video
420-446: The single "Girls just want to have fun", which had previously been released as a miscellaneous single in 2020, was produced entirely by Whitearmor. Later that year Whitearmor released his solo debut, a full-length instrumental album titled In The Abyss: Music for Weddings . Bladee Benjamin Reichwald (born 9 April 1994), known professionally as Bladee , is a Swedish rapper, singer, record producer, designer, and member of
448-409: The store. It doesn’t have to be deep. Basically, if I’m talking about ‘eating the night’ that means I drain it for its essence. Everything me and my bros do is connected to that concept — we might drain some blood for good fortune. The compilation GTBSG Compilation is considered the collective's first work. The compilation contains various singles released throughout 2013, which are available online on
476-461: The track "Heal You // Bladerunner" from Lean's Unknown Death 2002 mixtape, which gave him attention from Yung Lean's fanbase. In 2014, Reichwald released his debut mixtape Gluee . It was described as "a summertime anthem for a suburban generation stuck scrolling through Twitter". Reichwald released his debut album, Eversince , on 25 May 2016. The album was produced entirely by Whitearmor. It received mixed reviews from mainstream outlets, but
504-451: The two artists, incorporating elements of rock and post-punk as opposed to their usual pop and hip hop soundscape. Reichwald released Cold Visions , also a surprise album, via his label Trash Island on 23 April 2024. All 30 tracks were produced by F1lthy , with whom Reichwald had previously collaborated on the mixtape Working on Dying in 2017. Cold Visions features Yung Lean, Yung Sherman, Thaiboy Digital, and Black Kray and
532-523: Was 333 . Released in July, it was executively produced by Whitearmor. Gud, Mechatok, Ripsquadd member Lusi, and Swedish musician Joakim Benon all contributed additional production to the album. The Fool is Bladee's fifth studio album, being another surprise release. All songs on the project are produced by Lusi along with other producers such as Loesoe, who appears several times on the album. The album's artwork and track listing were leaked on 14 May 2021, with
560-412: Was a teacher and his father worked in restaurants. As a child, Reichwald aspired to become a painter. In 2004, he met Ecco2K . The two were classmates and formed a punk band named Krossad (Swedish for "crushed"), releasing a demo CD in 2007. Reichwald later met producer Whitearmor and rapper Thaiboy Digital through mutual friends. After leaving school, he worked at a daycare centre for about
588-488: Was later released for the track "Every Moment Special". In July 2020, Reichwald released 333 , his fourth album and second project of 2020, via Year0001. Executively produced by Whitearmor, the album contains no credited features. A music video for the track "Reality Surf" was released. After releasing tracks "All I Want", "God", and "Drama" as singles, Reichwald released his third and final project of 2020. A collaborative album with Berlin producer Mechatok, Good Luck
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#1733086351531616-613: Was made on YEAR0001's nor the group's various social medias. On 27 November 2019, Ecco2K released E , his first full-length project, produced by Yung Gud. In 2020, Bladee released three full-length studio albums, the first of which being Exeter . Released in April, it was executively produced by frequent collaborator and Sad Boys member Gud . This was the first time that Gud executively produced one of Bladee's albums. The project contains elements of genres like cloud rap, art pop, trap, and alternative R&B. Bladee's second album of 2020
644-636: Was placed 11th on The Fader 's 2021 end of year list. During July and August 2021, Reichwald exhibited his first solo collection of paintings Real Sprin9 at the Residence Gallery in London. In September 2021, Reichwald released a capsule Drain Gang collection in collaboration with the American-Swedish clothing brand GANT . In January 2022, Reichwald released the single Amygdala in collaboration with Ecco2K and Mechatok, along with an accompanying music video. On 18 March, he released Crest ,
672-430: Was premiered on 10 December as part of an audiovisual livestream. A deluxe version of the album was later released, which included a remix of the track "Drama", featuring Charli XCX . In May 2021, Reichwald released his fifth solo album, The Fool via Year0001. The album included a feature from Thaiboy Digital, and was primarily produced by Ripsquadd producer Lusi. The Fool was well received by critics, and
700-430: Was produced by RipSquad and features collaborations with Yung Lean, Cartier'GOD, and Thaiboy Digital. In 2019, the group released a collaborative album titled Trash Island . Whitearmor served as the executive producer, while Ripsquadd and German producer Mechatok returned to contribute additional production. The album was partially recorded and produced in Bangkok . The album was a surprise release , as no announcement
728-680: Was residing in Sweden at the time. Bladee and Ecco2K had previously collaborated as the grindcore duo Krossad. Signing to the YEAR0001 label, the members of Drain Gang gained prominence in the cloud rap scene from their collaborations with labelmate Yung Lean . Speaking on the meaning of the group's name, Bladee states: Drain is about loss and gain; it could be good or bad — you could be drained of energy or you could drain something to gain energy. There’s financial, emotional and physical drains, for example — you could just be draining your bank account at
756-627: Was well received by music critics, with it being described as Reichwald's "most realized project to date" by Pitchfork . On 11 October 2024, Reichwald appeared on Charli XCX 's album Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat alongside Yung Lean. He was featured on a remix of the track " Rewind ", which was met with mixed reviews. In November 2024, Reichwald and other Drain Gang members announced that they were no longer affiliated with their longtime label and management company Year0001. In an interview with The Guardian , Reichwald stated: "I don't really care any more about being
784-572: Was well received by underground and experimental critics. In 2017, Reichwald collaborated with production group Working on Dying to release his second mixtape, named after the group. The mixtape included features from Yung Lean and Ecco2K. A music video for the track "Lordship" was later released. After releasing "Decay" as a lead single, Reichwald released Red Light , his second album, on 11 May 2018. It features executive production by Whitearmor as well as production from Gud and Drain Gang member Yung Sherman . In July 2018, Reichwald walked
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