[Footbola Exclusive] Interview with Marcus Schössow

Among the main swedish djs, and so Swedish House Mafia, Steve Angello, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, Avicii, Eric Prydz or any other, here’s him: Marcus Schössow, born and raised in Helsinborg, who’s been producing electronic music (mainly progressive house) since 2004. In the years Marcus has also climbed the highest places of the Top 100 downloads ranking drafted by Beatport, thanks to great tracks such as “Liceu”, “Reverie”, “Ulysses”, “CNTRL”. He signed prestigious contracts with some of the most famous labels (Size, Axtone, Ultra, Spinnin Records, Revealed), and he recently estabilished his own brand, Code Red Music. Exclusively he’s here, answering to my questions, only for Footbola.

First of all, thanks for agreeing to being interviewed by me. I personally appreciate your music a lot, I’ve first discovered your masterpieces because some of them appeared on Steve Angello’s Size Records. Since here we’re talking about football, but anyway I’m one of your fans, I’ll ask you a question about music: what can we expect from your next works? I mean, anything you can tell us about some fresh new stuff, maybe something coming soon on Code Red? Yes, me and my team took some time off this year from Code Red, we are rebuilding the whole label and it’s ready to launch at any second. For me the platform for artist is the most important, I don’t want Code Red to be just another label, I want us to be the best of the best and my colleagues are very well aware of my philosophy. We don’t do Code Red to last 2-3 years, we build it so it can last a lifetime and building such a machine takes time. But for us, the artist will always be number one focus.

Second question. It’s impossibile, looking through your official Instagram account (@marcusschossowofficial), not to realize your a big fan of Helsiborgs Idrottsförening. First of all, I’d like to know how this passion started. It’s in my blood. I was born 100 meters away from the stadium and I played in the club as a child. My father used to take me to the game and I was more focused on the fans then the actual game. I’m a energic person, I thrive on energy and Helsingborgs IF makes my heart go at 300km/h. I cannot explain why, but to me it is one of the greatest loves of my life.

Third point. It seems you rarely miss an HIF match, so you must have spotted that Helsinborgs hasn’t lost a match in this Superettan yet. May this be thanks to your frequent appearances to support the boys? Apart from that, I’d like to know your personal ideas and suggestion about this season: how far could HIF go? North Border, a company that I’m a co-owner in, recently took over the media management of HIF. So we handle all the media related tasks  for the club and I wouldn’t miss a game for anything. We haven’t lost a game so far this season and I think it’s due to an extreme work effort in the club. Everyone put his heart in and do his best, from the players to the staff inside the organization. It’s a huge machine with many layers where we all have decided to thrive towards the same goal, together.  Not all victories are beautiful, but we win, and we are determined to win everything we can. So what’s the secret? I think it’s mentality combined with the attitude to do everything with 110% heart. I want to look myself in the mirror and say “I did everything I could” and so does everyone else inside this club.

You went to Varberg and posted a photo where the first thing that came to the spectator’s eyes is your ginger beard. Unfortunately, on the pitch your Helsinborgs wasn’t so lucky. You were running the match till the half time, leading 0-3 but then your opponent managed to recover and score the draw at the minute 94 (after HIF’S midfielder Relani was sent out). Something similar happened last saturday (13th may, ndr), when IK Frej scored at 88′. So my question is how much luck is important in football, in your opinion, and if you think that a lack of luck could be linked with last year’s relegation of Helsinborgs. I’m gonna be a bit of a hippie and explain what luck is to me. For me, luck is the energy you put into a certain situation. We can say that luck is random events coming together, but all of these events are created by the energy we put into them. Walk into a room with 10 people and look at them in they eye and smile, they will smile back. The same goes on a football pitch, have 3-5 sequences where you act with nervous energy and suddenly everyone is nervous. It’s all in our heads. If you wanna win, you have to walk into that pitch believing you are a winner. Nothing else matters to me, winning is the only option for me.

I’ve entered this topic, so I’m gonna ask you another question and then change subject. Last year, Helsinborgs was relegated to Superettan after spending 24 consecutive years in Allsvenskan. Your club has got history (5 national titles, 3 Svenska Cupen, 2 Supercupen), several apparitions in UEFA leagues, however, last year were relegated. And sorry for insisting, but you were relegated with a good team: HIF’s Legend Henke Larsson managed from the bench, while on the pitch there were players like Linus Hallenius and Jordan Larsson. At first it seemed you were doing well, but then you fell in a crisis and you missed the stay in first division after losing the match point with Halmstads. What’s your opinion about that? Last year’s season in Helsingborg was a case of many small sequences not coming together. There is no single thing to point at, no single event to blame. It was many small factors not coming together. It could have gone the complete opposite way as well. But we thrive forward looking into the future and we will, as a club, team and fans all together, come back stronger then ever.

Throughout his history, HIF has retires two numbers: 12, in thank of the “publik”, and 17. This was the number of Henrik Larsson’s shirt, that is one of the most iconic players that have ever played for Helsinborgs. As said, last year Henke was the coach: do you think that the relegation ruined his image or not? Why? Personally , Henrik will always be a legend for me. What he has achieved as a player is unbelievable. I have no interest in judging anyone, I haven’t walked a 1000 miles in their shoes, neither does any review make any difference. We always have to look forward as a city and there will be moments where this club will be tested, no matter who is in charge.

Could you tell me about the first time you went to the Olympia Stadium? Is there a particular match you remember most happily? The first game I went to watch was in 1993, I believe. I don’t remember what team we met but I remember that I came home with an euphoric emotion. As I stated above, I live and breathe for this club. My most memorable memory? I believe it’s ahead of me…  It’s going to be when we’ll become Swedish champions in the next 3-4 years. It will happen, and we will work day and night til we make it happen. Trust me, we will never ever give up.

“Never forget where you come from. For me, it’s Helsingborg, Sweden. This is my city, my kingdom and my heart”. That’s the description you wrote under a video of the stand dedicated to HIF fans, during a match. But several times you’ve underlined the beauty of Sweden, or the place you’ve been born in: I consider you almost an ambassador of Swedishness in the whole world. Under another photo, you wrote “growing up here really shaped me as person”: now I’m asking you to comment this, underlining some details relating to you personal experience. How could you describe Sweden and Helsinborg? Sweden is a place where free thinking is the essence of life. We are one of the most developed countries when it comes to believing in new ideas, even though the media fail to highlight it. We are a small nation, 10 million people, and yet we can be seen and heard everywhere… What shaped us? It is our society, and for this we should be very proud. Sweden is that little viking clan that fight til the last man standing.

As I’ve understood your passion for football, I’m asking you now about the National team. Any comment on Sweden’s recent results, Zlatan’s retirement, Andersson as new coach after Holmén? And then, according to you, how much is important for Stockholm to host a UEFA Europa League final? Were you there, on Wednesday 24th May, at the Friends Arena? Andersson is a fantastic coach and he is bringing in the mentality we have from our hockey team. To never lose, no matter what great football nation we meet. We have an amazing range of Swedish youth players coming up and I believe in a few years we will have one of the strongest teams in Europe again. Not because we play the best football, but we because we play for each other as a team.

“Good things come to those who work their asses off and never give up”: another photo I see from your account, was taken to a gym wall where these words are written. You started djing for passion, this has later become a job. Now, you’re of the most talented swedish djs and you’ve been touring the whole world, producing appreciated music and signing contracts with the most known labels. I noticed you congratulated with Steve Angello when he released his album “Wild Youth”, too. Now, I’d really like to thank you for the time you’ve given me. It would absolutely be a huge honour to meet you personally. It’s been a pleasure, and feel free to come and visit Helsingborg, the best place on earth.