Viva Brighton Issue #56 October 2017
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MUSIC<br />
....................................<br />
Tru Thoughts<br />
<strong>Brighton</strong> on wax<br />
Photos (left to right) of: J-Felix by Michael Gajewski, Alice Russell by Kenny McCracken, Werkha<br />
Born out of the <strong>Brighton</strong> club scene of the late<br />
90s, local record label Tru Thoughts has helped<br />
establish international artists such as Quantic, Alice<br />
Russell and the Hot 8 Brass Band. This month<br />
all three acts are performing at the <strong>Brighton</strong><br />
Dome for the label’s 18th-birthday party. We<br />
spoke to Tru Thoughts co-founder Rob Luis about<br />
how he’s managed to spend almost two decades<br />
doing what he loves.<br />
How did the label start? I met Paul Jonas in<br />
1997 and we started running our club night<br />
phonic:hoop in <strong>Brighton</strong>. As with many labels<br />
started by DJs, it was to promote music that we<br />
felt needed to be heard. The interest in our release<br />
of Bonobo’s debut album showed us that we might<br />
have a chance to make the label a success, and<br />
quickly adding Quantic, Nostalgia 77 and TM<br />
Juke really helped solidify things.<br />
Tell us about your birthday bash on the 18th...<br />
We really wanted to do something special if we<br />
were to do an event in <strong>Brighton</strong>. Paul managed<br />
to co-ordinate getting three of the label’s biggest<br />
acts to all agree to do this party. It means a lot to<br />
be able to play at the Dome as it’s a prestigious<br />
venue and shows the progression of the label from<br />
underground and dingy club nights to a big party<br />
in the centre of <strong>Brighton</strong>.<br />
Was it easier to run an independent label when<br />
you started? In 1999 there was a barrier to entry<br />
in the fact you had to pay for vinyl and CDs to be<br />
manufactured, and it could be hard to get stocked<br />
in the shops. Whereas today anyone can make a<br />
track and get it on digital stores - and that means<br />
literally anyone! So it’s harder to stand out today<br />
in the world of streaming and digital music, unlike<br />
back then. Today’s technology has allowed more<br />
people to have the opportunity to get into the<br />
music industry without needing too much money,<br />
and that is a good thing.<br />
Your acts tend to be quite diverse; what do<br />
they have in common? All the acts on Tru<br />
Thoughts make music they believe in. We actively<br />
encourage artists not to make music for the label,<br />
but for themselves. In a way, because of this, it<br />
could be described as folk or soul music. Flowdan<br />
represents grime, Quantic represents his travels<br />
across the world, Hot 8 represent the authentic<br />
sound of New Orleans in the 21st century.<br />
What’s the most rewarding aspect of running a<br />
label? It’s great that we’ve been able to help artists<br />
make a living from music without compromising<br />
their artistic visions. It is nice being 100%<br />
independent and contributing to the <strong>Brighton</strong><br />
economy and arts. We are able to chat with our<br />
acts, collaborate with them and experiment.<br />
Everyone in the office debates ideas, and then we<br />
try them out. Sometimes they work and sometimes<br />
they don’t, but it is a luxury to be able to<br />
experiment in a job and see what happens. We very<br />
much appreciate that.<br />
Ben Bailey<br />
<strong>Brighton</strong> Dome, 18th Oct, 6.45pm, £20<br />
....41....
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