We talk to Mount Liberation Unlimited about their new Private Press label...
Day One…
Tell us where it all began… What made you think "we want to start a label?"
We never wanted to run a label. This is more of an anti-label move. A label created in order to not always having to work with other labels. Ha. Not that we don’t like working with other labels or have had bad experiences doing so. We really haven’t. Most labels are great. But sometimes it’s just nice to look after your own back. Or future. And a big part of the beauty with dance music (12”s) for us is the spontaneous pace at which it can be released. We’ve always romanticized the idea of creating something and releasing it before it grows old. And there’s big value in that within this community. A double-edged sword for sure (flavour of the month etc. etc.). But streamlining the process from idea to finished product is possible with today's technology and brings a fair bit of excitement to the table of creation.
The Private Press thing comes from our fascination with the DIY white label style way of releasing music. It has a certain stick-it-to-the-man-devil-may-care attitude which is beautiful. This is a pure vanity label as well. You won’t see any other signings or clever reissues. Just straight up MLU juice will drip from this press.
On A Mission…
What is the mission of the label?
To release (more) music. More is never enough and we came to the realisation that it’d be a shame to pass on to the next realm with endless gigabytes of unreleased music sitting on hard drives. Someone might even enjoy it.
Take Art
What was the inspiration for the artwork? Who did you get to do it?
We wanted to keep it simple for this one. The MLU disco-drink figurine was drawn by our friend and artist Tom-Hadar Elde. He’s our go-to art guy and has done numerous covers for us before. E.g. the cover for our debut album for which he sculptured our heads in clay. His work is absolutely amazing and we can highly recommend everyone to check him out. You won’t see too much change in the artwork for this series though. Simplicity comes with the aesthetics we had in mind from the start. Maximalists will have to turn to the music.
Future Shocks
What's coming? What are the future goals of the label?
Expect out cuts, dubs, edits, reggae/trance versions and other MLU oddities that never made it to earlier releases. We have a few fun collabs in mind as well. This is the thing with controlling your own output. It feels like the summer holidays. The world is free. Love is free! Nothing can stop you now. Just keep your eyes on the prize, don’t lose sight, stay in the slow lane, keep your friends close, avoid ear fatigue and make mindful decisions.
The Life
We keep touring and developing our live show as per usual. Continuing to run MLU all-night-longs around Stockholm and guess we can now even call them label parties. Cool. Our disco-drink shirts have sold out, but it’s probably time for a repress as it’s now the official label logo. If you feel the urge to wear our faces on your body, Studio Barnhus still have our tie-dye tee in stock. Highly recommended, they look sick IRL.
MLU Private Press #1 is out NOW
