Style of Eye: Biography, Discography and More | EDM Encyclopedia

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Introduction

Johan Linus Eklöw, performing under the moniker Style of Eye, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, songwriter, and percussionist whose solo career launched in 2008. Emerging from Stockholm’s electronic music community, Eklöw built a distinct identity as a solo artist before expanding his reach as a founding member of the electropop group Galantis in 2012. This dual trajectory allowed him to maintain a presence in both underground club culture and more commercially accessible electronic music.

His percussion background informs the rhythmic complexity found throughout his productions. Rather than relying solely on programmed drum machines and sequenced patterns, Eklöw’s approach to electronic music incorporates organic percussive sensibilities that give his tracks a tactile, physical quality. This emphasis on rhythm as a primary compositional tool set him apart from many EDM producers working within similar tempo ranges.

The period between his first release in 2008 and his latest confirmed output in 2014 proved especially productive. During these years, Eklöw released a steady stream of albums, EPs, and singles that documented his development as a producer. The Style of Eye catalog operates with a different set of priorities than his work with Galantis: less vocal-driven, more structurally experimental, and more aligned with dark club environments than festival main stages.

Genre and Style

Style of Eye operates primarily within progressive house, though that classification only partially captures what his productions accomplish. Eklöw’s percussion training gives his tracks a rhythmic depth that separates them from standard four-on-the-floor convention. Where many producers in this space lean on sweeping filters and extended crescendos, his work frequently prioritizes percussive interplay and dense textural layering over predictable escalation.

The progressive house Sound

The productions across his catalog reveal a producer attentive to low-end frequencies. Basslines in his tracks function as more than simple harmonic foundations: they serve as both melodic and rhythmic elements simultaneously. This treatment creates momentum that doesn’t depend exclusively on risers or dramatic drops, allowing the music to maintain energy through more subtle means.

His style demonstrates a clear willingness to incorporate unconventional sounds and structural choices. Rather than adhering to established progressive house formulas, Eklöw’s solo material pulls from broader electronic music traditions, resulting in tracks that feel functional in a club setting while rewarding closer headphone listening through textural detail and rhythmic intricacy.

The progression from his earliest material in 2008 to his later documented work traces a clear arc of refinement. Early EDM tracks establish raw ingredients: driving rhythms, bold synthesizer choices, and an emphasis on groove above all else. Later productions sharpen these elements with greater precision, reflecting an artist who continued honing his craft even as his attention divided between solo output and collaborative commitments.

Key Releases

The confirmed Style of Eye discography spans albums, EPs, and singles released between 2008 and 2014.

  • Albums:
  • Duck, Cover and Hold
  • Ministry of Sound: The Club Presents Style of Eye
  • Footprints
  • EPs:

Discography Highlights

Albums:

Duck, Cover and Hold arrived in 2008, marking the first full-length release under the Style of Eye name. This debut established the project’s sonic identity, showcasing the percussive sensibility and rhythmic focus that would define subsequent output. Ministry of Sound: The Club Presents Style of Eye followed in 2010, released through the influential Ministry of Sound label. This project positioned Eklöw within a broader DJ and mix tradition, reflecting his standing in the European electronic music landscape at that stage. Footprints appeared in 2014, representing the most recent confirmed album. Arriving two years after his Galantis involvement began, this release demonstrates how his solo work continued evolving alongside his collaborative projects.

EPs:

Three EPs define the shorter-format output: The Big Kazoo (2008), The Prophet (2008), and Race (2009). Each release coincided with the earliest phase of the project one, providing concentrated snapshots of Eklöw’s production approach during the first two years of the Style of Eye timeline.

Singles:

Two standalone singles complete the confirmed discography: Girls (2009) and Grounded (2009). Both tracks arrived during the same prolific period as the early EPs, contributing to the dense concentration of releases that characterized the project’s initial phase. The bulk of confirmed solo output landed between 2008 and 2010, with the 2014 album standing as the latest documented release to date.

Famous Tracks

Style of Eye’s solo discography spans six years and multiple release formats. His debut album Duck, Cover and Hold arrived in 2008 alongside two EPs: The Big Kazoo and The Prophet. These releases introduced his approach to progressive house: percussion-forward, texturally dense, and structured with more attention to groove than predictable build-and-drop formulas.

The year saw continued productivity. The Race EP dropped in 2009, paired with two standalone singles that demonstrated his range. Girls worked a sharper angle, pairing a vocal hook with an electro-tinged bassline suited for peak club hours. Grounded, released the same year, operated at a lower temperature: darker tones, sustained synth pads, and a gradual accumulation of rhythmic elements that prioritized tension over release. Together, these releases mapped the two poles of his sound: functional dancefloor material on one end, more introspective production on the other.

Ministry of Sound: The Club Presents Style of Eye, released in 2010, functioned as a curated mix rather than a traditional studio album. The release placed him within the roster of a UK dance institution, giving his selections wider exposure through a brand known for commercial club compilations. His second proper studio album, Footprints, arrived in 2014. By this point, his production had tightened: the percussive complexity remained, but the arrangements moved with more deliberate pacing across the album’s runtime. The six-year gap between his debut and Footprints documents a producer learning to edit himself, trimming excess in favor of more focused track construction.

Live Performances

Johan Linus Eklöw’s background as a percussionist informs his approach to live performance. Where many DJs treat sets as linear progressions toward a single climax, his DJ sets distribute energy across longer arcs, reflecting someone who thinks in terms of rhythm and timing rather than just track selection.

Notable Shows

His solo appearances have ranged from Scandinavian club venues to European festivals, contexts that demand different approaches. Club sets allow for extended mixing and deeper exploration of a sound. Festival slots require more immediate impact within shorter timeframes. His percussion training gives him an advantage in both settings: an intuitive sense of when a kick drum needs to hit, when a hi-hat pattern should shift, when the rhythm should strip back to almost nothing before rebuilding.

Eklöw treats the DJ booth as an extension of his instrument. His transitions between tracks often emphasize rhythmic continuity over dramatic contrast, creating a flow that feels more like a live jam than a sequence of discrete songs. This approach rewards sustained attention from the dancefloor rather than catering to short attention spans.

Swedish electronic music has a long tradition of prioritizing production quality, and Eklöw’s live performances reflect this inheritance. His technical approach to mixing and his ear for sonic detail remain consistent regardless of venue size. As a songwriter and producer who understands both the physical and digital dimensions of rhythm, his sets carry a musicianship that distinguishes him from DJs who approach performance purely as curation.

Why They Matter

Style of Eye occupies a specific position in Swedish electronic music: a producer who built his reputation through consistent, technically proficient releases rather than viral moments or high-profile collaborations. His discography, spanning albums, EPs, and singles between 2008 and 2014, documents a producer developing his voice within progressive house while refusing to repeat himself.

Impact on progressive house

His decision to join Galantis in 2012 marks a change in his career trajectory. Rather than continuing exclusively as a solo artist, Eklöw shifted into a collaborative electropop project that required different production instincts: shorter arrangements, more prominent vocals, and hooks designed for streaming playlists rather than DJ sets. Moving from solo DJ sets to performing as part of a duo meant adapting to larger stages, synchronized visual production, and a performance dynamic that involved another person. The Galantis format demanded less room for extended mixing and more emphasis on recognizable moments and crowd response.

Eklöw’s career also reflects broader changes in how electronic music reaches audiences. His early releases followed traditional label-driven timelines: albums and EPs released at regular intervals, promoted through DJ support and club play. His later work with Galantis operated within a streaming-driven model where visual content, playlist placement, and social media presence carry equal weight to the music itself. Navigating both systems gives him a perspective that producers working in only one era lack.

His percussion background adds another dimension to his significance. A physical, instrumental understanding of rhythm predates software production and continues to inform his programming choices regardless of the project. In a genre where many dj producers learn composition entirely within a DAW, Eklöw’s musicianship provides a foundation that shows in the nuance of his drum work and the sensitivity of his arrangements.

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