Fresh from the release of Vinyl Sampler – Part 1 in August, Swedish-label Trunkfunk continue their twenty-year celebration by welcoming in the final edition of their two-part vinyl sampler series. Vinyl Sampler – Part 2 follows in the footsteps of the first, featuring six dance-floor ready cuts from a selection of Scandinavia’s leading electronic artists.
To celebrate 20 Years of Trunkfunk – ‘Sampler Part 2’ we caught up with Fredrik ‘DJ Nibc’ Nyberg, the label’s owner, to chat about different related topics.
Electronic Groove: Hi, Fredrik, thank you for joining us today. Congratulations on Trunkfunk’s 20th anniversary! How did that name come about? Why did you decide to set up your own label?
Fredrik: Thanks for having us! Trunkfunk was originally created as a live act before the label was born and we toured Scandinavia at the end of the 90s. After those initial tours, we saved up some money, got a hold of a distributor in the UK and pressing plant somewhere in eastern Europe that gave birth to TF001. We sampled a lot of old vinyl records with funk, disco, and jazz, and we filled our trunk with vinyl and drum machines before the gigs. Bringing the funk in the trunk.. and the rest is history!
Electronic Groove: Sonically, what is the concept behind Trunkfunk? How would you define the sound of the label?
Fredrik: I would say that it’s evolved a lot over the years. Definitely an eclectic mix of electronic music. Some early influences of proto-house and disco. Followed by more soulful and vocal tracks during the first decade. Then we moved more into the alternative side of the spectrum with electro and deeper sounds. It was always about chasing certain elements that moved the crowd with a strong focus on what would align with our club nights.
Electronic Groove: Did you imagine it would go on for 20 years? Are you the kind of person that envisions these things, or more of a ‘day-to-day’ kind of guy?
Fredrik: Once I started doing music full time, which also was around 20 years ago, I think I had a vision that I wanted to strive for longevity. That said, most of the other projects I’ve been involved in since then didn’t last as long as Trunkfunk did. I’m not sure why, but I think one of the reasons it stood the test of time could be that the label was my starting point for doing music for a living and it will always be special to me for that reason.
Electronic Groove: Some great names can be found on Trunkfunk’s back catalog. Are there any artists that you’d kill to work with?
Fredrik: There are loads of people I would love to work with! In the past, I had a long wish list of vocalists that I would love to collaborate with. I always try to bring people from different scenes for unexpected collaborations. Imagine working with someone like Donald Glover on an Aphex Twin track. That would have been fun or creating a weird acid banger with Björk.
“Trunkfunk was originally created as a live act before the label was born and we toured Scandinavia at the end of the 90s”
Electronic Groove: What would you say that has been your secret for going strong for over 20 years? Do you do everything on your own label-wise?
Fredrik: I’ve always worked with a lot of friends. Even though I do most of the label stuff myself we’ve always had some excellent help with promotion, club nights, and bookings. I think one of my secrets has been arranging club nights and parties that fueled the label stuff and vice versa. They’ve definitely gone hand in hand during all of these years.
Electronic Groove: Do you feel the scene has changed for the better? Is there anything that you miss?
Fredrik: My guess is that the entire scene is getting a complete rehaul this year due to this unique situation. A lot of major players gave up around the time of the second COVID-19 wave. But I’m still hopeful and think this will evolve into something better in the future. We will see the rise of a new scene that hopefully grows organically from the underground. I really miss the crowds, the friends, the after-hours, the inspiring club nights, and almost everything about the nightlife. It’s been a struggle but also an eyeopener how much the scene means to so many people including myself.
Electronic Groove: So, what is Trunkfunk doing for celebrations? What can we expect from your ‘20 Years of Trunkfunk’ sampler?
Fredrik: For our 10 year anniversary we made a ‘best of’ compilation with a lot of new remixes and for our 15th anniversary we featured some unreleased tracks which we noticed that a lot of people appreciated. So inspired by that reaction we went all in and asked our entire network to come together with 20 unreleased exclusive cuts. We’ve got some amazing response so far and I’m super excited about these releases. The first sampler was released at the end of the summer and this second sampler paves the way sonically for the final compilation. More music than we’ve ever released in one string of releases.
Electronic Groove: What advice can you give to anyone running or thinking about starting their own label?
Fredrik: Focus on the music you love and then start building a catalog where you make it easy for people to discover your music. You don’t have to rush the releases but have a couple ready before you start and make sure you find some good people for artwork, PR, and distribution.
“We’ve got some great energy from this anniversary so we will make the most of this moment and build on it”
Electronic Groove: Could you name your favorite 3 releases this far? Why would you say they are your favorite ones?
Fredrik: Very hard to just choose three! But I love Ishivu’s debut EP, ‘Gryning/Skymning’. Also still appreciate our early Stuffa releases, like ‘Proof’. Out of the more recent releases: I really love everything Franskild makes – especially their ‘Isted Grill Nights’ EP, which is amazing!
Electronic Groove: What can we expect from Trunkfunk going forward?
Fredrik: We’ve got some great energy from this anniversary so we will make the most of this moment and build on it. Loads of new music coming next year and also some more club adventures as soon as it’s safe again. We’ve just moved into a brand new epic studio in Gothenburg called NEP Studios, so there will be loads of more exciting stuff happening in the future.
Electronic Groove: Thank you so much for your time, Fredrik! It’s been a pleasure. Here to the next 20 years!
Fredrik: Cheers! It’s been my pleasure and I hope we get to catch up again in the future!
20 Years of Trunkfunk – “Sampler Part 2” is now available. Grab your copy here.
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