Il Coltello releases debut EP

In Michael Hellquist’s artistic vision, the creative worlds of food and music have always been intrinsically linked. Based in Gothenburg in Sweden, his relationship with both has taken different turns over the years, with one eventually becoming a profession and the other remaining a passion waiting for the right moment to resurface. Having first released music under the name Red Mode in 2001, Michael spent much of the following years immersed in the catering industry, as family life and the demands of running a business gradually pushed music into the background.

Now, a quarter of a century after those early releases, he’s returning with a new electronic project, Il Coltello, bringing together the influences and experiences that have shaped his creative outlook. The journey back to music began in an unlikely setting; when the pandemic arrived in 2020, the catering business slowed dramatically, leaving the kitchen that had once been central to his everyday life unexpectedly quiet. By not allowing that interruption to become simply a period of inactivity, he began transforming parts of the space into a makeshift recording studio.

Even the walk-in fridge found a second purpose, becoming an improvised vocal booth and in a rather unconventional setting, music gradually reclaimed a place in his routine, turning an uncertain period into the starting point for a new chapter. Having spent years working with food, Michael approached his return to music with a new perspective, finding a way to reconnect with an earlier creative identity without merely retracing its steps.

The project draws on sampling culture, soul, house and breakbeats, bringing together the character of music from the 60s and 70s with the electronic influences of the 90s and a contemporary production approach. By not being defined by a single genre, its sonic ambitions lie in the relationship between rhythm, texture and atmosphere and that combination now comes to life on Let It Pass, the debut EP that introduces Il Coltello’s new musical direction.

Led by its title track, the release explores the meeting point between soulful samples, UK garage, breakbeat and modern house, with deep house-influenced vocals adding a warm, hypnotic quality. Vintage textures sit alongside robust low-end production, while broken rhythms give the music a sense of movement that eschews predictable patterns. There’s a readily apparent interest in the physical qualities of club music but the emphasis is not solely on momentum, with groove and atmosphere balanced with a more reflective style, allowing the tracks to form in a space between dancefloor energy and emotive tone.

The lead single “Let It Pass” offers a perfect introduction to the different elements that inform the project, with its soulful sampling providing a connection to earlier musical traditions, while the garage and breakbeat influences bring a more modern rhythmic energy. Modern house production ties those components together, creating a sound that feels at once familiar and newly assembled while the vocals contribute another dimension, their deep house character giving the track a warmth throughout. Filtering in with the shuffle of drums and sweep of synth textures, the track glides with smooth vocal leads before launching into a driving dance pop scene brimming with infectious hooks and consuming club-focused energy.

“Don’t Turn Around” follows with the bubble of conversations before slipping into a funky groove of intricate guitar tones and alluring vocal leads, offering an uplifting dance pop outing that’s impossible not to love. “Take Your Time” leans into a more downtempo sound where snapping beats and misty vocalisations pair with bouncy synth tones to deliver an engrossing musical moment from start to finish. “Starting Up” delivers another anthemic outing brimming with powerful drums and stacked instrumentation capped by stunning vocals.

“Somewhere Before” brings absorbing low end energy as hazy instrumentation and compelling vocals collide to form a truly transportive soundscape. Closing the EP with “Come Around,” Il Coltello presents an epic finale to his superb debut EP while making a spectacular entrance as a must watch artist on the rise. Let It Pass marks the point where two longstanding creative interests meet again, with the unexpected transformation of a catering kitchen providing the conditions for music to return. Twenty-five years after his first releases, Il Coltello presents a rediscovery of an earlier passion, approached from an entirely different place.

Listen to Let It Pass below