I would like to ask you to tell to our readers how Tru Thoughts was founded and everything started?
I was running club nights and DJing as a student in Brighton. I started the label a few years after I graduated as I wanted to push music that I was into and felt was hard to find on vinyl. The label was initially set up by myself but after six months I went into partnership with Paul Jonas who I was running a club night called Phonic Hoop with at the time. Back then it was very much about pressing up vinyl and CD’s. Digital sales did not really exist.
Can you reveal which are the most successful Tru Thoughts releases so far, saleswise?
For actual album sales it is probably Quantic, Alice Russell, The Bamboos, Belleruche, Nostalgia 77 and Bonobo. Today we tend to look at music not just on albums sales though… Streams and licensing make a big impact on artists.
If you should pinpoint the highlights of the label, from the beginning on, in terms of importance and prestige for the label and regardless the commercial success, which records would you chose?
This is difficult so will just pick a few. Working with Quantic is a constant highlight. His musical journey has been exciting to listen to and watch. To see where Bonobo is today, makes me feel really happy to have released his debut album. I signed him with demos recorded to Mini Disc made on a 4 track tape player and an Atari computer that would crash. I have always been a fan of artists who make quality music with minimal or non-existent budgets and then progress from there. I also have enjoyed working with Hot 8. To see how big their version of Sexual Healing has become is great. I am also currently really enjoying working with Flowdan. It is good to be working with grime I have followed the genre for a long time… I used to try and get in touch with artists through MySpace to sign music but never got replies, that music is real street music and I love that energy.
Talking about the A&R side of your work, what do you look for in a vocalist or a producer when it comes to finding new talents for your label?
For me, I do not like to A&R too heavily. I see my role as signing artists who are confident about their own musical vision and encourage them to stay focussed. Artists trying to make music for radio or adverts never really work well for us but those artists on TT making music for themselves tend to get success on radio and secure advert synchs or in general. I have to be into and understand the music and sometimes if I do not quite get something I just want to make sure the artist is 100% into what they are doing and if they are I will support them. But I do need to feel that the music is creative. I feel, as a label, that we should continue to support artists because of their potential. It is not just about music they are making today. Recently it has been great working with Werkha, J Felix and Harleighblu for this reason.
Are demos still a good way to get your attention? Or do you go to clubs or festivals to look for new talents?
For the most part if someone is booked at a Festival there is probably hype on them already. I tend to prefer hearing what the music sounds like, so a demo is best. How someone sounds live may not transfer to how their recorded music is going to be. I get sent so many demos everyday. So any effort someone makes when sending me a demo is noted. I get so demos with no personal note to me and hardly any info about the music…just a Soundcloud or YouTube link or download link. I am genuinelly surprised how few artists send follow through emails to us or make an effort to contact me direct through my website. Most TT artists got signed to us because they hustled to get our attention. Manu Delago’s manager Tom pushed Jonny in our office to force me to check his music. Now Jonny is A&Ring the next Manu album because he checked it then pushed me to listen to the demo. I was so busy when that demo came through but Jonny did the right thing and got me to check it. If Tom was not politely persistent we probably would not have signed Manu and that would have been a shame. I also DJ out at my club residency Sonic Switch in Brighton, so testing out music there is always a good help in making decisions. Lakuta is probably a recent example of someone whose music I signed because I saw how well it worked on the dancefloor too.
You are also the host of a hugely successful weekly radio-show/podcast. Can you tell us something about it?
I really enjoy this part of my week. It is good because it makes sure I keep up to date with music. I want to make sure that I am playing the best music around on each show. Every week I am buying music and getting in touch with artists and labels I like. It goes out on a Friday night in Brighton on Juice 107.2FM as well as being on our Mixcloud page and Podcasted via iTunes.
I would like you to tell us your opinion about the state in 2016 of two quintessential U.K. genres like drum & bass and grime:
The drum & bass I´am enjoying at the moment is that sort of half-step thing… I´m not sure if it has a genre name within d&b. I am also a big jungle fan. I would love to sign a jungle artist to Tru Thoughts. I´am so excited about what is happening with grime at the moment. I saw the soundclash at the Frisco -from Boy Better Know- night with the DJ’s playing actual vinyl dubplates and the banter between them was brilliant. I love listening to old dancehall soundclashes so to see the up to date version of it was very exciting. The successful artists in the scene have really made the mainstream cross to them, rather than dilute the music and cross to the mainstream. Punk as a movement was great but not sure there were enough classic tunes but grime does have loads already. I think in 5-15 years we will be seeing the benefits of this in the creative side of the music industry in the UK. I think the grime movement will inspire another new music genre for a generation aged 12-19 now. They may be the first to tell major labels to get lost unless they get full creative control on what they do. A lot of d&b & grime artists ended up getting lost in commercial nonsense with majors, although a lot came out the other side. I have to say at time of writing I am surprised that BBC Radio 1 does not have a weekly grime show. I´am inspired by what Stormzy, Skepta, JME, P Money, D Double E and Bugzy Malone are doing independently as artists. Their template should be inspiring artists and labels from all genres.
More in general, how do you see the U.K. music scene at the moment, in times of post-Brexit and after the well documented fabric closure, to name just two socio-political recent events?
I am hoping music can be a uniting force. There does seem to be more blatant racism and acceptance of this in the mainstream media since Brexit. Rock Against Racism and the Red Wedge movement in the UK in the 70’s & 80’s definitely worked in getting musicians to voice and show that lots of people do not want the UK to turn into a stale and uninspiring place. I think the UK does have a strong rebel music culture from reggae, jungle, acid house, dubstep and now grime. No government has so far been able to stop our youth culture movements.
As a listener, which are the records or the artists that excite you at the moment?
Swindle is probably my favourite producers now. His futuristic synth sound is very soulful. He makes everything from Grime to Footwork to 130 bpm brazilian beats tunes.. I think if major labels where not so geared towards making money immediately, he is the type of artist that could be the equivalent of Goldie, Portishead, Roni Size, Massive Attack and Soul II Soul if he had a big budget. He seems like a genius to me. I get sent his music a lot on promo but still buy all his releases as he is one of those artists I feel I have to support. P Money has done a great track called Stereotype about his experience of racism from the police. I also really like Ray BLK a London soul singer that has something very special about her. A great voice and great lyrics. Of course everything on Tru Thoughts too!
Can you tell us about the releases you got in the pipeline for the rest of 2016 and the early 2017? Is any new artist about to join your roster?
We have new albums coming from Harleighblu & Starkiller and The Seshen. Plus albums on the way from Manu Delago, Werkha and Wrongtom. There is a new signing I am really excited about but cannot tell you about just yet!
