Sasse: 15 Years Of Moodmusic

From Henrik Schwarz to LoSoul, DJ T to Phonique, Audiofly to Chopstick & Johnjon, a mouthwatering selection of the world’s most talented deeper house and tech producers have graced Berlin’s wonderful Moodmusic in its decade-and-a-half existence. Combining organic musical emotions and sounds with the warm heartbeat of 4/4 music and house history, they paved the way for many like-minded labels of more recent years with their resolute approach to releasing high quality music.
 
In the year they celebrate 15 years of existence – and indeed survival – we speak to label boss Klas Linblad, aka Sasse, to chart the rise of the imprint and his journey from Finland to Germany.
 
 
Tell us about the origins of Moodmusic. How did it all come about, and what was the climate in the house music scene when you started?
Well, I started up the label in Finland, in the city of Turku were I was studying in the early ‘90s and there was no scene to talk about. Commercial clubs and a kind of pumping vocal house sound was present, but it was really awful and we were hanging more in indie bars and clubs as the beer was cheaper there. We tried to build up a scene with a small record shop and a few producers and DJs throwing parties. Mostly it was a very limited but dedicated party crowd, so people really went deep into the music instead of just being interested in the next musical hype.. Techno parties happened a few years already, mostly by Tommi Grönlund and Mika Vainio from Sähkö, but the deeper house sound was not really represented so we tried to fill that void.
 
So one thing led to another, parties, first productions and finally taking the first step to give birth to the label with the help from Marko Laine who was running Mind Records in Turku. Basically we had no clue, but luckily met a few distributors who helped us out and eventually got our first record out in 1996 which happened to be my “Sasse Presents…” EP.  
 
The funny thing is, I went 3 times a week to a record shop and put all my money on records or studio gear - that was my social life back then. There was no clubs to go to, hear new tunes, check the latest shit. It was all in our heads; you had to do it yourself or it was not gonna happen. So being isolated was a big obstacle for us - we knew nothing about clubs in other countries or how other scenes were ticking. So it was all just based on being a sincere fan of the music we bought. Later of course we met like-minded people, but in the early-‘90s Finland was in many ways still an isolated country and it reflects also how people act and work. So me moving to Germany in late-‘90s was a change of location, but the ethics of running the label stayed the same – keep it small and boutique, coming from the heart.
 
What were your hopes for the label at that point? Did you envisage it becoming what it has?
I knew it was a big step for me to 'have an own label' – but it also meant a lot of work and dedication – and after all these years I’m proud of the achievements of the label. In one way it’s sad though, as many great labels have ceased to exist, either because of financial or personal reasons. At some point you start thinking if it is mad to keep doing an independent label in 2011 but eventually it always pays back. Like everyone else, back then I just had my dreams about playing in this and that country or club and it pretty much happened with my tours so I can´t complain. Later I only realised the impact the A&R work has to do with a label either being on top of the game or not. I’m proud of meeting all these talented people and being able to work with them on so many projects, some more successful than others.
 
How would you define the Moodmusic sound? One of our reviewers just described Diynamic Music as releasing ‘music that would still sound good if you took the beats away’ – similar idea?
This is something people quite often refer to, which I cannot personally comment really. I don’t think there is a certain Moodmusic sound. People say it’s deep but that’s only half the story. We’ve put electronic records and techno bangers out, and it was still fitting the label somehow. It’s also the name that might mislead a bit. The name Moodmusic comes from the current Mood of the makers of the label, thus you can put out a deeper house record as well a techy banger, depending on the mood of the person steering the label. So musically I would say we have moved from the early US influences to more modern sounds, all based on the fact of feeling the music at a certain point of life or location, rather than just following a trend.
 
On that note – which producers in the house scene do you think could cut it as musicians outside of dance music?
I think it would not be fair to name anyone but I think pop music is stealing enough ideas from dance music and there will be this interaction of new stars going from underground to pop and very rarely vice versa. It all depends on who wants to go there, working with majors and stuff. It’s a mean, one-way road. Oh my god, I wish it to none of my artists haha!
 
What’s your main concern – the dancefloor or the home listener?
As a DJ I have to say dancefloor, but for the album material I think the home listener is the king. There’s been so much talk about albums being just collection of DJ food for the next gigs and I’m pretty tired of hearing the same complaints all over again. Personally I think an album on Moodmusic should take its roots from the floor but bring it to a level where it sounds good as well at home, or anywhere in everyday life. But then again, a good DJ album can be great home listening as well, so I’m not really concerned about this to tell you the truth.
 
How’s the vinyl situation for Moodmusic?
We still do vinyl. Some releases works better without it, some really need vinyl to be taken seriously. It’s quite a nice feeling still to hold a vinyl in your hands, but after so many releases I have to say personally I don’t give a toss if a piece of music is on this or that medium. If it sounds good, then it does not need the transfer to vinyl to be sounding vinyl-alike. For a younger generation it’s obviously an important step to have music on vinyl but I can’t understand why DJs ignore music if it’s not on vinyl – hello, it’s music, not a format war! Anyways, we intend on doing vinyl in the future as long as there is a distributions channel for it and the oil price is not killing the market.
 
What do you see as the future for labels who want to fit and minimise the effects of illegal downloads? Should labels be offering exclusive content to purchasers?
I think you cannot control the illegal downloads; it’s just a part of the game now. You have to live with it, and work so the side effects of the file-sharing are either minimised or ignored. We use a few techniques to control this and one nice way is offering free stuff to the fans. I’m not really sure this will change anything but it is nice to see that people appreciate free content. I think mutual respect is the most important factor here; if you actually respect someone you tend to buy their work much easier. Works for me at least.
 
Where is the centre of the musical universe for you right now?
In my living room, where I listen to records and play with my 8 months old son. I’ve discovered so many good again records (and thrown out a few thousand) while staying home with the kids - it’s pretty amazing how they react to the music in their early age. My elder son is like John Travolta (not sure if it’s a good or bad thing yet) when he hears house music and the younger one just digs low end kick drums.
 
Tell us about the current stars of the Moodmusic show. Where did you find them all?
Which stars haha? No seriously, I’ve just been lucky to have all the guys knock on my door and saying “let’s work”. Usually I meet people on my DJ trips so the more I travel, the more I sign new artists. I have to admit I’m a lousy demo listener. Soundcloud has made it a bit easier, but the best signing tactics is still to play a tune for me in a club before I DJ. I have not counted how many tunes I’ve signed this way, but it must be at least half the catalogue.
 
Currently I’m very happy to release Martin Dawson’s debut album Sunday Smoking on Moodmusic in March. I signed a tune from him to my recent Nightstarter compilation and one thing led to another. So suddenly we had an album going on - it was just so mellow and easy work – and the reactions have been amazing so far. Album will be out in March 2011 with a the first single being Sunday Smoking Mood-100 with remixes from Jay Shepheard and Martin himself.
 
I´m also proud of Penner + Muder doing the rounds in the scene. People slowly appreciate their sound so hopefully these guys will get huge at some point.  Dave DK is going on strong after launching our Retake mix-series, he’s working on a new album and I’m sure it will sound ace! And artists like Lemon Popsicle, Stel, Alexander Maier, Michelle Owen, Mike Buhl and Stu Patrics among others who just tops each other every time they send me a demo, so I’m more than satisfied. So in 2011 there will lots of new music, some new signings and a few surprising guest appearances on our 15 years compilation which will hit the stores in the autumn.
 
How are you feeling about the current state of house music and thereabouts?
I can’t complain, people appreciate melodies and songs again - it’s progress. Actually I think lots of the loopy house tunes are crap, but this sells so people tend to do over do it. I like some of it of course and play some as well. But look at these labels doing all that loopy shit, going all deep house again. The good thing is, people with real talent actually can get a chance. The bad thing is, the market is flooded with too much of the same Rhodes loops instead of the bongo ones. So at some point it becomes uninteresting and the next hype comes around and people will adjust to it. Either you do what you love or you jump on a bandwagon.
 
Is there much room for house music to progress any more? Does it need to progress?
I think the mis-match of styles still have room for progress. Maybe one of the more famous blog sites invents the next big thing - I could not care less to tell you the truth. It sounds like a cliché but believe that music is just music and there’s enough of variation to be done to rise emotions and move people.
 
What are your three best bits of advice for anyone running a label?
1. Know your music 2. Know your  music 3. Go back to point 1.
 
What’s the track that got away? The one you missed out on signing?
Oh, a hard one. There were a few ones I missed. Recently I heard a tune from Nick Harris on the latest Dirt Crew compilation and I was sure I’ve heard it somewhere. So I went through my iTunes and there it was in the tunes-to-sign folder – I had totally forgot about signing it.
And a second one was Room With A View signing the Faces EP from the super-talented Sebastien San featuring vocals from late Aaron Carl (RIP). I was playing it from CD for over a year and always wanted to sign it – but for some reason did not move my butt about it. Luckily RWAV signed it as I’ve known them for years – so a happy end.