Nordic Nights: Hej Hej

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IT'S A BILLION DEGREES outside and there's only one thing that might make it tolerable: Crowding into DC9 on Tuesday to dance to Scandinavian music. Get it? Because Nordic music is cool. Sigh.

Now that we've got the cliches out of the way, it is fair to say that there is a growing buzz about the sounds emanating from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland (even if the last country isn't technically a part of Scandinavia). From international stars such as Bjork and Sigur Ros to relatively-unknown-in-the-U.S. artists Thomas Dybdahl and The Lovekevins (who will play at DC9), the Nordic music scene is incredibly creative and thriving.

For the past year, Natalya Minkovsky and Melissa Gilmore have pumped the Scandinavian pop at a DJ night they call "Hej Hej," which is "an informal way to say 'hello' in Swedish and Danish," Minkovsky said. "Spelled 'hei hei,' it's also 'hello' in Finnish and Norwegian."

» EXPRESS: How did you two become crazy about Scandinavian music?
» MINKOVSKY: The first Scandinavian band I ever heard was ABBA. They were one of my parents' favorite bands when I was growing up in Ukraine in the '80s. I remember my dad singing along to a record of "Money Money Money." Getting into music as a teenager in the U.S., one of my favorite bands was The Cardigans. But I didn't start getting obsessed with Scandinavian music until a few years ago, when The Hives, Sahara Hotnights, Division of Laura Lee and Caesars hit the U.S. scene.
» GILMORE: I was crazy about the A-Ha "Take on Me" video when I was a kid. That's probably my earliest memory of a Scandinavian song. I also loved Roxette, but only started admitting to that recently.

I'm attracted to the pretty vocals and pop rhythms of Scandinavian music and found myself listening to mostly Scandinavian music over the past year. We saw that the Scandinavian acts that came through town were popular with concert-goers, which made us optimistic about having a DJ night dedicated to these bands.

» EXPRESS: How did your love dovetail into a DJ night?
» MINKOVSKY: Along with two other friends, Melissa and I had a DJ night called Bluestate that rotated between the Black Cat and Cafe Saint-Ex for two years. I found myself playing more and more Scandinavian bands in my Bluestate sets, so I thought it would be fun to do a one-time night of just Scandinavian music. Melissa liked the idea, too, so in June 2006 we booked the first Hej Hej at Cafe Saint-Ex. We hadn't planned on turning it into a regular event, but when Bluestate ended in January 2007, we decided to try it. Sometimes people ask me how I manage to fill up two or more hours per month with Scandinavian music, but the truth is that I have several days' worth of Scandinavian music between my iTunes, CDs and records. Every month, it's a struggle to narrow my music down to just two hours.
» GILMORE: We were delightfully surprised at the response we got when we started Hej Hej. We have the advantage of having an active Scandinavian population in the D.C. area, considering the folks working at the embassies, international students and other Nordic natives who have ended up here. The embassies have supported us a lot. We've worked with the Embassy of Sweden and Embassy of Norway to get the word out about Hej Hej. They've been great to us.

» EXPRESS: Is it the only club night in the area to focus on Scando jams?
» MINKOVSKY: Hej Hej is the only club night in D.C. dedicated to Scandinavian music. When we first decided to do this, I was really surprised that there weren't more Swedish or Scandinavian nights in the U.S. As far as I know, there aren't even any in New York right now.

There are a few Swedish club nights in the U.K. I know about: Sweden Made Me in Brighton, Tack! Tack! Tack! in London and Sounds of Sweden in Glasgow. I'm always jealous of those nights because it's easier for them to get bands to play at their nights.

» EXPRESS: Have either of you visited Scandinavia?
» MINKOVSKY: I've only been to Iceland, but the rest of Scandinavia is at the top of my list to visit in the next year or two. I want to go to the grand opening of the ABBA museum in Stockholm.
» GILMORE: Natalya and I had a great time when we visited Iceland. We fell in love with the people and the landscape. I backpacked through the remaining Scandinavian countries two summers ago. I started in Denmark and ended in Norway. I got to spend my birthday with Santa Claus where he lives in Rovaniemi, Finland. I look forward to going back.

» EXPRESS: Why do you think there's so much buzz about Scandinavian music right now?
» MINKOVSKY: Maybe it's because Scandinavian pop and rock is foreign enough to make people curious, but easily accessible? The Scandinavian bands that are popular here or are on the rise sing in English. They write clever, catchy lyrics in a language that's not native to them, and many of them sing with either no accent or just a slight charming accent. It also seems like it's a good time to be in an indie band, Scandinavian or not.

I think there's more openness in American music tastes right now. Music is easier to find, whether it's being able to look up the soundtrack to your favorite TV shows or by reading music blogs. It's easy to find out about bands like Love Is All and Acid House Kings through blogs, Internet radio and satellite radio. And what it really comes down to is that Scandinavians know how to make really great, catchy pop music.

» EXPRESS: Who are some of your Nordic favorites?
» MINKOVSKY: ABBA is genuinely one of my favorite Scandinavian bands. I adore Lasse Lindh, who's also part of a group called Tribeca. Both Lasse Lind and Tribeca write heartbreaking, beautiful music. Tribeca reminds me of The Postal Service — you don't know if you want to cry or dance.

I've been a huge fan of The Raveonettes since they put out their first EP in the U.S. In the past month, I've been listening to a song called "Hanna" by Juvelen on repeat. "I'd Rather Dance With You" by Kings of Convenience is an older song to which I still listen all the time. "Tonight I Have to Leave It" is a great new single from Shout Out Louds.

I'm addicted to two songs from Pelle Carlberg's new album: "I Love You, You Imbecile" and "Clever Girls Like Clever Boys Much More Than Clever Boys Like Clever Girls." One of my favorite live shows of the year was seeing Datarock at the Empty Bottle in Chicago in March.
» GILMORE: I love just about everything from Acid House Kings. The Mary Onettes are super fun and Asha Ali has a beautiful voice that I could listen to for hours. Husky Rescue are great.

» EXPRESS: Who are The Lovekevins and will they rock us in a manner to which we are accustomed?
» MINKOVSKY: The Lovekevins are a band from Malmo, Sweden, and they will rock you in a charming, catchy way.
» GILMORE: And don't forget to mention how cute they are. I'm really looking forward to seeing them perform live.

Hej Hej's Jukebox:
» Juvelen, "Hanna"
» Shout Out Louds, "Tonight I Have to Leave It"
» Kings of Convenience, "I'd Rather Dance With You"
» The Mary Onettes, "Lost"
» Gus Gus, "Ladyshave"

» DC9, 1940 9th St. NW; Tue., 8 p.m., $8; 202-483-5000. (U St.-Cardozo)

Photos courtesy Hej Hej