ArtistInfo

Åke Hodell

1919-2000 SE, Stockholm
Composer of Spoken Word and Electronic
A.k.a. Åke Björnsson Hodell

Åke Hodell (April 30, 1919 - July 29, 2000, Stockholm, Sweden) was a Swedish fighter pilot, poet, author, text-sound composer, and visual artist. Son of author Björn Hodell and brother of actress Ulla Hodell, Åke Hodell was trained as a fighter pilot, but after a crash during practice in July 17, 1941, he had to spend a few years in hospital where he became a dedicated anti-militarist. Hodell published his first text with the book "Flyende pilot" in 1953, and began experimenting with what he called "elektronismer", later known as "text-sound composition": a blend of radioplay and musique concrète focused on narratives and their electronic enhancements. Many radioplays were produced at Sveriges Radio, often with a strong political theme, such as the banned "Mr. Smith in Rhodesia" from 1969. From 1963 to 1972, Hodell ran Kerberos Förlag which published books by Öyvind Fahlström, Christer Hennix Lille, and himself, as well as translations of Vladimir Majakovskij and Arthur Cravan.

Genres

• Spoken Word
• Electronic