In the past few decades, the music industry has seen its share of mutations, and many labels have come and gone like so many flashes in the pan. With Fredrik “DJ Nibc” Nyberg at the helm, the Swedish boutique label Trunkfunk is still standing though, and it’s definitely here to stay. In fact, 2020 marks its twentieth anniversary, which they celebrated with the release of 2 excellent samplers. Far from being simple best-of compilations, these albums collect fascinating new material from some of their friends, exploring the grooviest left-field deep house and techno influences. We had a chat with DJ Nibc to talk about the state of the electronic music scene and the evolution of Trunkfunk.

How did you pick the tracks for your Vinyl Sampler Part 2? Can you tell us about the concept behind this sampler series and the artists who contributed to it?

I started reaching out to our network already in the beginning of 2019 and I think somewhere half the way through the collection the first anniversary sampler was created. The second sampler came together more towards the end of the collection of the tracks this year and it starts where the first one left off. Soundwise, this sampler goes a bit deeper compared to the first compilation. Something that I think fits this seasonal transition into the darker time of the year. 

We introduce a lot of new artists on the label but we’ve previously worked with most of them in some way. Like Samo DJ’s new The Joint Staff Project. Samo played an eclectic set at our monthly club night in Stockholm in 2019. Another example of a previous club booking was when Voiski drove his retro vintage car from France to play live for us in Sweden in 2015. His track Working My Way Back To You is one of my personal favorites on the compilation. I met DJ Vanilla from Morabeza Tobacco in Berlin a couple of years ago and have been following her impressive musical travel from the stage to the DJ booth since then. Love Bounce by Icarus Traxx was written in NEP Studios in Gothenburg, and came together when S Ruston lifted the track with her top-line in Berlin. Our old pal Hans Berg makes a much welcomed comeback on Trunkfunk with his hypnotic acid joint Serpent Swing. 

Trunkfunk is known for its artful releases and collector's editions. How did you develop the visual aspect of this physical release?

We’ve always worked with visual artists and designers that we trust and admire - they’ve all had creative freedom to interpret the music and do their thing without too much interference or feedback from our side. This time it’s been a pleasure to see how the story unfolded from the first sampler to the second sampler, to the merch and to the final compilation and cassette tape artwork. 

I’ve been following Marija Marc for some time and I’m super happy with everything she has made for us. I think she really captured the essence of what the label is about.

This is her description of the process for this project:

Marija Marc: Trunkfunk being quite an eclectic record label, I thought the artworks had to represent that through the usage of colours, textures and widths. With the Sampler pt2 it was quite easy, I wanted to illustrate the reflection OR the growth of Trunkfunk - you look into the mirror, 20yrs later, and you still see the same fresh image of yourself - basically sticking to your roots!

With Sampler pt1, it was more like an idea that was inspired by one of the 1981 book covers - the perspective grid has got quite a literal sense of infinity, and is somewhat a visual identity trait of electronic music. Bright colours and shiny details - needless to say - a joyous anniversary edition.

In a recent interview, you mentioned that the idea for the label came to you at the Love Parade, in Berlin. 20 years later, do you have the same enthusiasm for electronic music?

I think that the initial spark that ignited what eventually became the label back in the late 90s still fuels the same kind of enthusiasm for the music. That said, it’s been a difficult year for electronic music and especially the club scene which has been suffering. I sometimes feel like a fish out of the water when producing, releasing and collecting all of this new music and not having the same opportunities to play it out in front of a crowd.

It’s interesting to realize how much it means to you when it’s been taken away. It definitely makes me appreciate all of the nights and gigs we’ve done. I’m still optimistic about the future, but I think this will change the scene and the way we relate to electronic music in ways we haven’t yet imagined. 

How is the electronic music scene where you're from, in Sweden? And how have you seen it evolve since the launch of Trunkfunk?

The underground producer and artist side of the scene has always been great in Sweden. From the inside looking out it’s been a good spot to make music and find like minded people. The club scene was pretty small compared to other parts of Europe. But that has always been part of my motivation for putting on nights and also going abroad for inspiration and gigs.

We saw the rise and fall of EDM in Sweden, which I think both opened up the scene and made it more segregated at the same time. But I was living in Berlin when it peaked, which was always more underground even the more mainstream side of the scene. In general I think it’s evolved in some interesting ways throughout the years. Both capturing inspiration from scenes in Paris, Berlin and London and also somehow part of the Scandinavian sounds with connections to Oslo and Copenhagen. 

20 years is a big milestone for a label. What are the things that you’re the proudest of?

The first thing that comes to mind is that we took a break and only released music when we had something that we really wanted to put out. Some years that resulted in just one release and some years we released one release a month. I’m also very proud of getting to know all of the amazing artists and friends through the music and scene. Music opened up a lot of great connections all over the globe and it’s been a hell of a ride so far!

Are there any lessons you've learned along the way that you can share with us?

Trust your gut feeling and intuition. I’ve been tempted to go in different directions a couple of times, but if it didn’t feel right, we steered the label into a direction that felt more interesting. Like I mentioned before - if you don’t feel inspired it’s better to take a break than doing something half-hearted just to keep afloat. Try not to get too attached to one sound and discover new sounds to move forward. It’s more about the vibe than anything!

What advice would you give to young artists out there? (Or what's the best advice you've received as an artist?)

Try to find ways to switch off the analytic part of the brain while creating music to generate momentum when you make rough ideas. Then switch the analytic senses back on when you select the tracks you want to finish at a later time. I usually take a break for a couple of weeks and never spend more than a few hours on the first drafts. This method really unlocked something for me when I started doing it.

In terms of “the perfect sound” I personally prefer to hear a great idea in the form of a rough diamond that might need a bit of polishing than a perfectly balanced mix and generic mastered track. It’s more important when I’m looking for new music to sign to find something that has an interesting story, vibe or personality. I rather listen to someone who brings the funk from the trunk than spending too much time on tweaking the perfect balanced mix. We have great resources to sort that if needed and there are always skilled sound engineers who can help.

What's next for you and Trunkfunk?

We’ve come across some great stuff when looking for music for the compilation so we have loads of new material ready for next year that will continue in a similar style. We also have some new ideas that are more related to the club culture side of Trunkfunk and I’m looking forward to seeing how we can adapt that for the future. We will work on trying to finalize that this winter and in the beginning of next year.

I will also spend more time in the newly built NEP Studios - a super inspiring studio complex on the waterfront in Gothenburg where a lot of my close friends are making music now. Looking forward to seeing what the next couple of decades will sound like. 

The 20 Years of Trunkfunk 'Vinyl Sampler - Part 2' is out now on Trunkfunk Records.

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