Melo – Pryda
Melo is not a person: it is a 2009 track that Eric Prydz released under his Pryda alias. Where it came from, what came with it and where to find it today.
- “Melo” is a track, not a person: Eric Prydz released it under his Pryda alias.
- Out on Pryda Recordings on 14 April 2009, with “Lift” and “Reeperbahn”.
- A 6:28 edit appears on the 2012 compilation Eric Prydz Presents Pryda.
Search for “Melo Eric Prydz” and you might expect a person. “Melo” is in fact a 2009 record by the Swedish producer, released under Pryda, the name he keeps for his long, melodic progressive house. It is a good way into that side of his catalogue.
Pryda, the alias
Eric Prydz, born in Täby, in Stockholm County, in 1976, uses several names. Cirez D, partly his own name reversed, is for techno on Mouseville, a label he started in 2002. Pryda carries his melodic progressive house, and also names his label, Pryda Recordings, which marked its tenth year in 2014. The first Pryda single, “Human Behaviour” / “Lesson One”, came out in 2004. For his whole career, read the Eric Prydz profile.
The 2009 release
“Melo” came out on 14 April 2009, catalogue number PRY014, alongside “Lift” and “Reeperbahn”. The original runs 8:34, long enough to mix in and out slowly. It landed in a busy year: 2009 also brought “Animal” / “Miami to Atlanta” / “Loaded”, and “Miami to Atlanta” was the first track to use what fans call the Pryda snare.
Eric’s Special Edit
In May 2012 Virgin released Eric Prydz Presents Pryda, a three-disc retrospective of the alias and Prydz’s first full-length album. Disc one gathered tracks such as “Shadows”, “Allein” and an edit of “Pjanoo”; discs two and three were retrospective mixes of older Pryda singles. “Melo” returns on disc three as “Melo (Eric’s Special Edit)”, cut to 6:28, near tracks such as “Rymd”, “Mirage” and “The End”, while “Reeperbahn” sits on disc two. In the booklet Prydz called the album “a reflection of the last 8 years of my life”. It reached No. 40 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 14 on the US Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Where Melo sits today
In 2017, ahead of Prydz’s EPIC 5.0 show on the Creamfields Steel Yard stage in London, Dancing Astronaut placed “Melo” fourth in its list of ten essential Eric Prydz tracks. It sits in the middle of his Pryda years, after “Pjanoo” (2008), a UK No. 2, and well before his 2016 album Opus. For Prydz as a remixer, hear his mix of “Lola’s Theme” by The Shapeshifters. For the techno side of Stockholm, read about Adam Beyer, who released the first Cirez D track.
FAQ
Who is Melo in Eric Prydz’s music?
Nobody. “Melo” is the title of a track Eric Prydz released under his Pryda alias in 2009.
When was Melo by Pryda released?
On 14 April 2009, on Pryda Recordings (PRY014), as a three-track release with “Lift” and “Reeperbahn”.
Which album includes Melo?
The 2012 compilation Eric Prydz Presents Pryda, which has “Melo (Eric’s Special Edit)”, a 6:28 version, on its third disc.
