Ralph's going to take you to another dimension
In a galaxy quite nearby lives Ralph Lundsten, a palace-dwelling septuagenarian and a true pioneer in the field of electronic music.
About 30 km from the centre of Stockholm, nestled in quiet woods near Nacka, is the Andromeda Galaxy Embassy. On the outside, it’s a fairytale-like castle that dates back to 1878; on the inside it’s home to one of Sweden’s most influential figures in electronic music, Ralph Lundsten.
Earlier this year, Vice Magazine journalist Ivar Berglin visited the Galaxy to create a short documentary on Lundsten. Berglin says his visit to Lundsten’s home is not an experience he will soon forget, from having to apply for a visa to enter, to interviewing the unique man who spends most of his time alone.
“It was weird to say the least,” Berglin recalls. “Ralph is a very spiritual man and filling out the visa application made me wonder what the hell we were going see and what kind of a man he was.”
Berglin says once entering the alternate universe of the galaxy, he was amazed by the amount of “stuff” on display.
“Over the years, Lundsten must have accumulated a considerable amount of wealth, believe it or not, because he had quite a lot of famous Swedish painters represented on the walls,” says Berglin.
“These were almost hidden though, mixed up with his own paintings - he’s a good painter - and clusters of anything you can find at a second hand shop that was produced in the eighties.”
Berglin says at times the interview was challenging, as Lundsten lives alone and doesn’t frequently interact with people.
While an opportunity to visit the Andromeda Galaxy Embassy is near impossible to come by, Lundsten says he has already planned that once he dies, it will be turned into a museum.
Watch the VBS.TV video and prepare to enter another world.
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About 30 km from the centre of Stockholm, nestled in quiet woods near Nacka, is the Andromeda Galaxy Embassy. On the outside, it’s a fairytale-like castle that dates back to 1878; on the inside it’s home to one of Sweden’s most influential figures in electronic music, Ralph Lundsten.
Earlier this year, Vice Magazine journalist Ivar Berglin visited the Galaxy to create a short documentary on Lundsten. Berglin says his visit to Lundsten’s home is not an experience he will soon forget, from having to apply for a visa to enter, to interviewing the unique man who spends most of his time alone.
“It was weird to say the least,” Berglin recalls. “Ralph is a very spiritual man and filling out the visa application made me wonder what the hell we were going see and what kind of a man he was.”
Berglin says once entering the alternate universe of the galaxy, he was amazed by the amount of “stuff” on display.
“Over the years, Lundsten must have accumulated a considerable amount of wealth, believe it or not, because he had quite a lot of famous Swedish painters represented on the walls,” says Berglin.
“These were almost hidden though, mixed up with his own paintings - he’s a good painter - and clusters of anything you can find at a second hand shop that was produced in the eighties.”
Berglin says at times the interview was challenging, as Lundsten lives alone and doesn’t frequently interact with people.
While an opportunity to visit the Andromeda Galaxy Embassy is near impossible to come by, Lundsten says he has already planned that once he dies, it will be turned into a museum.
Watch the VBS.TV video and prepare to enter another world.
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