Former Swedish House Mafia member Axwell is diversifying his portfolio. The Swedish producer/DJ is taking his love for food to the big leagues. The "Something New" producer is opening a new restaurant with Australian DJ Grant Smillie called E.P. & L.P., a play on words from their musical careers. The restaurant will be a modern, Asian eating house and will feature Australian chef Louis Tikram, who will blend together Thai with touches of Fijian, Korean, Indonesian and Malaysian cuisines.
Axwell is using some of the leftover loot from the Swedish House Mafia winnings to become an investor in this project. He is teaming up with restaurant veterans David Comes and Grant Smillie to bring the project to fruition, via L.A. Eater.
The restaurant will feature two sections: E.P. and L.P. E.P. will be the restaurant where there will be an interactive open kitchen and intimate chef's bar. As one might expect, L.P. will be a 4,000-square-foot, rooftop lounge that features a luxury bar, views of the Hollywood Hills and a late-night menu served until 2 a.m. Frankies, named after legendary New York City DJ Frankie Knuckles, widely considered the grandfather of house music, will be the VIP room sharing a rooftop with L.P.
With the Axwell stamp of approval on the restaurant, expect this to become popular with the moneyed youth of Los Angeles and those looking to spend a hefty penny at the hot new spot in town. E.P. & L.P. will open in late February.
2015 is setting up to be one of the biggest years for Axwell. He formed the duo Axwell /\ Ingrosso with Sebastian Ingrosso shortly after the dissolution of Swedish House Mafia, and they soon began working on an album, tentatively set for release in 2015. They have released several singles from the album, including "Something New," which has been featured in recent Beats commercials, as well as the "hottest record in the world": "Can't Hold Us Down."
