"Allan Gutheim having unique ability of combining ambient retro with a modern electronic synth sound." (Lifoti Magazine)

"Like soundtrack created by Vangelis ..... Atmospheric and beautiful ....." (Pop-Dad Peter Sjöholm)

"Majestic, electronic music of Cinematic character. If you appreciate Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre, there is every reason to lend Allan Gutheim your ear." (Zero Music Magazine)

"This is a pretty cool retro sound you have going on here." (HMP Records)

"Really groovy beat and I like your style and vibes." (Bad Architect Records)


Biography

Allan Gutheim is a Swedish electronic music composer and producer, born November 13, 1962 in Stockholm, Sweden. His parents are originally from Paris, France, but moved to Sweden in the 1950s. Since 1990 he is married to Maria Gutheim (born Lindstedt). They have three children together, Alexandra (1991), Paula (1993) and Nathalie (1995).

Gutheim is classically trained, with 15 years of study in Piano, Music theory and Composition. He has written music for films, theatres, ballets, art exhibitions, and multimedia productions. Gutheim's production also comprises books about music theory and the Swedish music industry.

At the age of seven, Gutheim started playing the piano but abandoned classical music in the mid-1970s in favor of composing. His experimenting led in 1976 to him becoming the youngest composer at Elektronmusikstudion (EMS) – a Swedish, professional studio for electro-acoustic music and sound art. Some early works there are Dygnet (The Day), ballet music for Stockholm Opera's production at Maxim Theatre in 1977, and Gryning (Dawn), an electronic work for the Electronic Music Fair in 1979 at Fylkingen, one of the world's oldest associations for experimental music and art.

In 1983-92, Gutheim was the main teacher in Music theory and Digital music production at Kulturama in Stockholm, Sweden's largest school for artistic studies at the post-secondary level. Simultaneously he composed music for the feature film Hägring (Mirage) and a number of ballets, theatre plays, and multimedia productions. In 1986 Gutheim published the educational book Grundläggande Musikteori (Basic Music Theory).

From the equipment at the EMS Studio in the 1970s, with Buchla as the most advanced synthesizer, Gutheim evolved in the 1980s to work with MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), and later on recording on the computer Atari 1040ST with the software Steinberg Pro-24/Cubase. In 1988, he founded Allan Gutheim Music Production and in 1989-90, Gutheim went on to build his own studio in Stockholm, designed by Ingemar Ohlsson, the ABBA studio designer. The studio was used for music production and music education. Some phonograms were also produced before the studio was sold in 1996.

Gutheim's long experience as a composer, musician, producer, and teacher resulted in the book Den Svenska Musikbranschen (The Swedish Music Industry) in 1996. As followed he became an active lecturer and consultant regarding the music industry, legal rights, and contracts. After the 5th revised edition of the book in 2001, the administrative contractual issues took a lot of time and effort, at the expense of his own music creation. Combined with moving to Skåne in southern Sweden in 2005, this led to a timeout from music.

Allan Gutheim and his wife Maria also own and operate Toy World Sweden – an experience museum which they founded in 1999. As the museum director and artistic leader, he is responsible for the events and exhibitions in the unique world of thousands of toys, music, sound, light and motion effects.

In 2013 Gutheim teamed up with Unda Arte, a collaborative art duo. This resulted in Postmodern Substrata – an exhibition and art portfolio, with art and texts by Unda Arte and music by Allan Gutheim. Consequently, Gutheim resumed music again.

Between 2013 and 2018 Allan Gutheim's music was released on the record label The Sublunar Society. Until 2016, it was mostly new releases of Gutheim's older productions from the 1980s and 90s.

Allan Gutheim really found his personal style, a mix of modern, instrumental, electronic synth music and ambient retro, when making the albums Sequencer (2017) and Waves (2018). All of Allan Gutheim's music is produced at Real Time Music Recording Studio and since 2019 released by Real Time Music.


Selected Compositions

  • 1977 - Dygnet (The Day), a ballet by Michael Mansson, originally performed for the Swedish Royal Opera at Maxim Theatre (Stockholm).

  • 1979 - Gryning (Dawn), an electronic work for Fylkingen's electronic music fair (Stockholm).

  • 1984 - Sista dansen (The Last Dance), a ballet by Armand Gutheim, originally performed for Amnesty International at Södra Teatern (Stockholm).

  • 1984/86 - Hägring (Mirage), a feature film by Saeed Assadi, shown at cinema and on SVT (Swedish public service television company).

  • 1985 - Legenden om trädet (The Legend of the Tree), opening music for the Red Cross' charity event "Träd fram" at Cirkus (Stockholm).

  • 1987 - J'ai une toute petite jaquette, a theatre play by Inga-Märta Fröman, for the F.E.T.E. festival in Lyon (France).

  • 1987 - Pregnant Fantasy, a TV ballet by Armand Gutheim, Charlotte Assarsson and Marika af Trolle.

  • 1990 - Järnet (Iron), a multimedia slideshow by Nils Olander, for the Swedish Royal Palace (Stockholm).

  • 1990 - Nijinsky, a full-length ballet by Armand Gutheim, originally performed at Estrad (Södertälje).

  • 1992 - Instant Music Art, a multimedia performance with the artist Carl Rothlin, at Stockholm International Fairs.

  • 1993 - Samtidigheten (The Simultaneity), a theatre play at Theatre Arkana (Stockholm).

  • 1995 - Klart för röstning (Ready for voting), a slideshow and CD-ROM for the Swedish Parliament Information Centre (Stockholm).

Selected Phonograms and Books

  • 1986 - Grundläggande musikteori (Basic Music Theory), an educational book.

  • 1992 - Columbus, a CD with the band The Project.

  • 1994 - Vill ha dig i Stockholm (Want You in Stockholm), a CD with the band Joystick.

  • 1996/2001 - Den svenska musikbranschen (The Swedish Music Industry), a book.

  • 2013 - Postmodern Substrata, an art portfolio, with a 4 track EP by Gutheim, accompanying art and texts by Unda Arte.

  • 2014 - Axiomatic, a 12 track CD album.

  • 2016 - Evolution, an 8 track CD album.

  • 2017 - Anthology - The Remix Collection, a 33 track double CD album.

  • 2018 - Sequencer/Waves, a 27 track double CD album.

Allan Gutheim