Seba, also known as Sebastian Ahrenberg, is a Swedish drum and bass producer and DJ from Ingarö, Sweden. He is the owner of Secret Operations, a drum and bass label based in Stockholm, and his work is associated with drum and bass, liquid funk, atmospheric drum and bass and drumfunk.

Early career and first releases

When Seba starts out, drum and bass is little known in Sweden, and he orders records from England by phone because they are not easily available locally. He researches music by calling record shops and listening through the receiver before buying. As he begins producing his own tracks, he sends them to London, including to LTJ Bukem. After Seba performs at the Fanclub festival in Stockholm, Bukem asks for a track called “Sonic Winds”, which becomes Seba’s first professional release. It appears in 1995 as a collaboration with Lo-tek on LTJ Bukem’s Good Looking Records. Seba and Lo-tek then release Universal Music on Good Looking, and Seba follows with a run of solo releases on labels owned by Bukem.

Secret Operations and Stockholm work

In 1997, Seba creates a nightclub called Secret Operations in the basement club Tuben in central Stockholm. Two years later, Secret Operations issues Case One, a CD compilation featuring Seba under the pseudonym Forme alongside other artists. His music later appears on labels including Hospital, Liquicity and Metalheadz, as well as on Secret Operations and Seba & Paradox.

House music projects

From 1999 to 2003, Seba releases a series of mostly house recordings on the Swedish label Svek under the names Seba and Forme. He also works with Jesper Dahlbäck, who records as Lenk, in a house project called Sunday Brunch. The pair release several vinyl tracks and the full-length CD No Resistance in 2002.

Return to drum and bass and work with Paradox

In 2002, Seba returns to drum and bass releases, putting out records on his own Secret Operations label and on other imprints. His music keeps a deep, atmospheric character while sometimes becoming more aggressive than his earlier work. The first release on Secret Operations is Pieces, a collaboration between Seba, Lenk and the vocalist Robert Manos, who is uncredited on the release. Manos has already worked with Seba and returns on later drum and bass projects.

In 2004, Seba begins collaborating with drumfunk artist Paradox. Together they release a large number of albums and records from 2004 to 2006, with 2005 producing especially many releases. A compilation of this period, Beats Me, appears on CD in 2006.

Other work

Seba says that he chooses to keep a regular job so that his music work does not require compromise. Outside music, he works as a resource teacher at a school. He also says that he makes very little money from music, but continues to make the music he believes in and has remained active in one genre for almost 30 years.