Label of the month: Kvalia Records

Coming from the heart of Sweden Linny Hex introduces her Stockholm-based imprint

One of the places that I hold dearest to my heart when it comes to electronic music is certainly Sweden. Some of my favourite labels come from there and today I am about to present you one of them.

This month I invited the lovely power woman Linny Hex, who is one of Stockholm’s finest DJs, and in addition a founder of Kvalia Records. We talked about the concept behind Kvalia, her way of curating the catalogue, the creation process, inspirations, upcoming releases and much more! Stick around to find out everything about Linny’s label and discover some new amazing music.

The beginning, vinyl and the catalogue curation

Linny has been participating in the electronic music scene as a DJ for about 13-14 years now, but it wasn’t until recently that she started to entertain the idea of creating her own label. In 2019 Kvalia was born and here is how it all went down. ‘' I never did it, because I felt like it was too overwhelming with work and school. I was at university at that time, just started my undergrad degree, so I sort of let it go. I wasn't sure how to do it, and I had many question like is it a lot, how big is the workload, etc. So I put it on hold, and, two or three years ago, I started to bounce ideas with a friend of mine Cari Lekebusch, who is also a great artist. Initially I asked him if I could do some work with him at his label H. Productions (formerly known as Hybrid) and he agreed, but also told me that if I wanted to start my own record label he would help me with it. I instantly said yes, and after hours long conversation on the phone, where he gave me the framework and pointed my attention to the main points that I needed to consider in order to initiate the process, I did it. It wasn’t really as hard as I thought it would be. With Cari’s help I started and from there things just went on naturally. I think my vision from the very beginning was to create a vinyl only label.’’

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you would know that the question of vinyl is always on the table with me no matter who I am talking to. It is a subject that I am always interested in and think that there is potential for an interesting discussion, so when Linny shared about her vision of creating a vinyl only label, I went deeper into the topic with her.

‘’The initial idea was putting out music that could be seen a little bit like a collector's item, and give you that limited edition experience. I've been a vinyl DJ myself since the beginning, and only in recent years I started using CDJs. I love the format and the fact that you can produce something that you can literally hold in your hands. It is a comfort zone, this is what you are used to when you are playing and you want to continue being able to play the music of your own label in that way of course, with the only downside that not everyone can afford to buy it. I definitely see that as a struggle, and I'm currently thinking about how I could maybe tap into the digital market as well. There are a lot of question marks at the moment and I am trying to figure it all out but I do see the sort of ‘’ideological problem’’ with only releasing vinyl. I realize as I go and put out releases, people will get back to me and ask ‘Why don't you have it on digital release, can I have the mp3?’ and I always say yes of course because I don't want to exclude anyone from listening to music, I feel like it's something that everyone should be able to enjoy. ‘’

As I listen to Linny share her experience and learnings with having a currently vinyl only label I feel deep respect for the fact that she reflects so deeply on the development of the project and takes into account the feedback she receives from the audience. In my humble opinion, it is crucial for any label owner to not only strictly follow their own vision, but be able to be flexible and to adjust their vision while maintaining their core values and concept. If people and their projects evolve along the way, that makes the entire journey worth it even more in the end.

‘‘Music has no borders!’’

I’m taking a turn towards the curation of the catalogue. What made me a big impression so far is how global the curation of Kvalia is. So far, she has released music by producers in Czech Republic, Poland, the UK, and Iceland. Normally, if you are a fan of Scandinavian labels and look deep into their catalogue, you would notice that it consists of mostly local artists and they are more of ‘’closed collectives’’. As Linny is also a native Scandinavian, I was curious about the reasons behind her different approach. ‘’We do have a lot of great producers, stemming from Sweden and Scandinavia, but at the same time I don't want to limit myself. Music has no borders. For me it’s really nice to include Asia, the States, and Scandinavia of course. I truly consider producers who I enjoy listening to the most right now, that's basically how I go about the process of signing someone on the label.’’ I couldn’t agree more with that last bit. Music truly has no borders, and it is one of the most powerful tools to unite people across different cultures, backgrounds and interests.

Values, gender equality in the electronic music scene and the balance between running a label, DJing and having a career

In addition to what she personally likes and the sound that resonates with her the most, I wanted to know what other values does Linny look for in artists that are to release on Kvalia? ‘’That's a hard question, because as you go your sense of style, or your personal preferences of what you like will evolve, and I think there's a risk of having a too diverse label with too many different kinds of techno, which I'm trying to stay away from. I am focused on the deep, hypnotic, but I absolutely enjoy listening to hard techno as well. As a DJ I don’t always play the kind of music I release on the label, but I am trying to keep the balance. Producers and artists I would like to work with in the future are pretty much the people that I've already signed, and who are coming out now. So I am trying to spread it out a bit over the different continents. I'm trying to include representation, both female and male and the cultural aspect.’’

‘’For me as a woman, I'm thinking about what my responsibility is as a DJ but also, as a founder of a record label. How should I think about gender equality? How much effort should I put into finding a balance between gender in my releases, or should I just proceed with taking whatever I feel like I liked, and it doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman or nonbinary who has made the music?’’

Triggered by the mention of ‘’female representation’’, and as I am a woman in the industry myself, I thought there was no better time to actually start the conversation about female presence in the scene, especially because I have the chance of speaking to one who is very respected and successful. In recent years, we started to read more often about the fact that a lot of line ups on big festivals are male dominated for example, or the fact that women are not recognized as equally successful as their male fellow DJs and producers, so I asked Linny whether she has ever encountered any similar situations. ‘’I actually haven't. But I've spoken to so many women DJs and producers who have experienced this, as you mentioned, but I never have. And I'm not sure if it's me who's been spared or if I just don't recognize it when it happens. My experience is rather the opposite. I receive so much support from my male colleagues, friends or people in the industry that I am looking up to. Maybe things are moving forward, and men realize that they have to try to sort of equalize the gender.’’ I am also able to share Linny’s experience of support and love for my work. Thankfully, I cannot say that I have experienced anything other than respect and support for the work that I am doing, but that does not mean that the problem does not exist. I sincerely hope that this will be a constant conversation from now on, and things will be developing positively for everyone and especially the women that are suffering the negative consequences and attitudes coming from this kind of stigmas or behaviours. Linny goes on to add ‘’For me as a woman, I'm thinking about what my responsibility is as a DJ but also, as a founder of a record label. How should I think about gender equality? How much effort should I put into finding a balance between gender in my releases, or should I just proceed with taking whatever I feel like I liked, and it doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman or non binary who has made the music? I don't necessarily have a straightforward answer to that, but it's still something that I am trying to figure out. I did include one female producer who I'm putting out, hopefully this year so that's great. I'm definitely keeping my eyes and ears open, and I think I might pay extra attention to female producers. That’s so sad that I even have to say that but I do!’’ I am very pleased and inspired by Linny’s way of thinking on this subject, and I can only hope that in the future it will be a collaborative effort between all people in the scene to move towards an even more inclusive and equal place, where we can enjoy, work and progress together.

The concept behind Kvalia and the sound aesthetic, most challenging and rewarding aspects of owning a label, and the importance of distribution

‘’Kvalia is the individual instances of subjective, conscious experience. It’s the 'what it is like' character of mental states. It’s a psychological term that translates into ‘what is subjective’, which is actually also the idea of the label. I don't want to tell people what to think or feel when they listen to the music. I want them to experience it in their own minds, translate it into whatever they perceive, when they listen to it. It really is all about the subjective experience. Of course, depending on what state of mind you're in or what mood you're in, it will be different and for me, I think that's pretty cool. That's really what fascinates me a lot about deep and hypnotic techno if you compare it to peak time techno, which doesn't really leave room for own interpretation.’’ I fully relate to the concept behind Kvalia, as for me the decision to primarily focus on this part of techno and the hypnotic sound in my podcast series and in general the blog, comes from the same reasons. Linny goes on to add ‘’To me it's important that the record is danceable, because I want people who buy it, if they are DJs or want to become DJs to be able to use it. In that sense I wouldn't necessarily release a record that is only ambient music or, you know drone music, but I always want to integrate danceable elements, but at the same time I don't want it to be something that people would listen to only during peak hour.’’ So she is aiming at releasing powerful sound that can be used in different moments of the night, but it can be also enjoyed in the comfort of one’s home. ‘’When I talked to my mom and dad, they were like: ‘You know, back in the day we always sat down and listened to music together and just had hangouts when we listened through a record from the start till the end.’ I feel like people don't listen to music in the same way anymore, don’t sing songs. Music is something they put on in the background instead of actually listening. Letting the music take you on a journey, or helping you expand your mind or the way you can think, or even having music guide you through happiness or joy or whatever is so special. I kind of reject that ‘evolution’ of people having music in the background just to escape the quiet.’’

‘‘I don't want to tell people what to think or feel when they listen to the music. I want them to experience it in their own minds, translate it into whatever they perceive, when they listen to it. It really is all about the subjective experience.’’

I think that the focused listening experience that Linny is talking about in some way is easier achieved with albums, as it is a longer body of work and one needs to invest more of their attention to listen and get through the story of it. I am curious if there are any plans for LPs at Kvalia in the future, as currently all the releases are EPs? ‘’Yeah, I would love for that to happen, but I would have to find someone who I trust completely to make 10 or 15 tracks that I know I would like all of these tracks. Additionally, because it’s a bigger project it would have to be with someone that I feel comfortable interacting with, bouncing ideas, and so on. It's totally different, as you say, and it's a huge project to take on. I think for me trust is a key factor to wanting to get into that kind of project, and I haven't really found someone that I would like to do that with yet.’’

I get the impression that she wants to keep the label by invite only, but would there be room for releasing new talents that contact her and send demos or so? ‘’Yeah, definitely. I mean I get demos quite often, and I'm always happy to listen. However, I have my schedule and I like to keep it as I said, in a way that I find the people. I like to explore music, and I love finding new artists and producers that I appreciate, so I always listen and I try to reply.’’ Just making new connections, which maybe in the future will grow into something together. ‘’It doesn't necessarily have to be an answer where I say yes or no. This fits my label or it doesn't. I appreciate and I love people who reach out and ask for feedback, like ‘What do you think of this track? If it's not suiting for your label why not, what should I improve, what do you like about it?’ ’’ The fact that Linny takes time to communicate on this level with other members of the community that reach out makes me smile and gives me hope that there are people out there that really do share similar values and try to push our culture further, to contribute and help others find their way. ‘’I know from experience that the help I received from Cari for instance with developing the label has taught me so much, and actually made me go through with it and pursue my dream. If I could do anything similar for someone else, I would gladly do it.’’ I cannot help but wonder, what are the biggest challenges and respectively the biggest rewards of being a label owner?

‘’The most rewarding I think is when everything is done, and I actually have a copy of the new release in my hands, and am able to send it out and receive feedback. Of course, establishing relationship with the producer is also great, and kind of expanding my network of interesting individuals along the way too. I really like the entire work process, because it’s very creative. I get to listen to music, I get to look at and choose art, and it’s totally different from what I do for a living where I write a lot. The downside I would say is that you have to put in a lot of money that you usually never get back. I've never done this to make money and if you're into this kind of music to make a buck or two that won't happen. I'm fine with it! Producing rates are very expensive and it takes time. If you're lucky you will breakeven, but it’s not always the case.’’ Sadly, this is something that I hear often from artists and labels, and I wish that there would be a way to change that in the future. I also understand that with the current state of the world and the economy, people are not able to afford spending a lot even if they wanted to, therefore the digital formats and streaming services prevail.

‘’It all resonates back to how well you do the promotion. At the end of the day that's me who contacts newspapers or blogs or platforms or whatever it is to push out the release, which also takes a lot of time. With Blazej’s record - the latest release, I did a lot of promotion, and it sold out faster than the previous two releases. It's not just putting out a release and then we'll see what happens, but it's actually getting noticed and featured. ‘’ In this case, it was the other way around. Being a fan of Kvalia, I wanted to have a conversation with Linny and learn all about it, and as we go through all the different topics, I have nothing but respect for this woman and all her hard work to bring her beautiful vision to life with such passion, thought and professionalism! ‘’I have a huge network from DJing and from the fact that I have been in the scene for such a long time, so some of the promotion or sending out demos to artists I would like to play the record has been easier for me. I can’t really imagine being an independent record label owner who doesn’t have any connections, the would be so tough and hard. I definitely see that having a DJ career has helped me a lot. Only with the first release I did everything myself – the production, promotion distribution. I packed and sent out copies to record stores, but since then I presented the releases to Tripple Vision and they really liked it so they picked it up and now we are working together and they are taking care of everything. I realize that I am fortunate to have that team working with me.’’

The artwork, mastering, long-term vision and upcoming releases

By this point in our conversation, I am almost sure that there is nothing random in Kvalia, and that there is a concept behind everything, so I wanted to know about the artworks of the records.

‘’Before I even started this project, I discovered a painter in New York, who is called Eric Blum, who paints a lot of abstract art by hand. When I decided that I would put out the first release, I sent him an email where I introduced myself together with the idea of the label, as well as Citty’s EP. I told him that I would like to use his art for the upcoming releases and he liked the music, so we have been working together ever since. What I usually do is I send him the release, and he draws a couple of paintings while listening to it. As I receive the paintings, I go through each of them carefully and pick out one that I think goes best together with the vibe of the record. Sometimes I do invite the producers to have a say about what painting they like the most. I love to include producers in the entire process and its really important to me that the person I am working with is happy with the end result.’’ I recognize a lot of myself in Linny and the way she handles her projects. We are both very good communicators and make the experience of working with someone very personal, which in turn gives us the biggest rewards. I am a firm believer in the fact that putting your heart into your work and implementing a collaborative effort always leads to great and authentic results.

We already covered so many topics, and as I realize the amount of shared values in taste and work ethic we have it feels like I can talk to Linny for hours. I am approaching the end of our conversation with a technical question with regards to the mastering of the records on Kvalia, as she already shared with me that she is not producing herself, it became obvious that perhaps she has outsourced this task to someone else.

‘’It differs between releases. For the first release I worked with Cari. He mastered the second one as well. For the third release, Blazej wanted to work with Gio from Artifact Mastering Studio, and I didn’t know him at that time, but I trusted Blazej and it was great. It depends a bit on the producer and what they prefer. I always tell who I am working with, and give them a chance to say if they would prefer someone else.’’ While I understand her approach, I wanted to get deeper into the matter and see what she thinks about using so many different mastering engineers, and how would that potentially influence the consistency and core sound of the label in her eyes. ‘’I am a young label, and I am trying to figure stuff out as I go, which is fine, but also in this way I discover what I like what I don’t. I definitely understand what you mean and I have been thinking about it too, and I will probably select one person going forward at some point to prevent every release sounding different. It’s also a relationship that develops over time when you have the same person mastering everything. It's always nice to have someone that you work with more consistently, because it becomes somewhat like a family member or part of the record label, which is something that I have with Eric who paints the artwork. I love it!’’

Lastly, I wanted to know what are the long-term plans for Kvalia Records and some of the upcoming releases that we can expect. ‘’That's hard to say. I take everything step by step, but I will probably continue, as I have. I feel like the way I've done it so far has been a great fit. And I probably need to include someone else in the label to work with and help out with communication and some administrative tasks. I would like to have two or three releases every year, but at the same time the pandemic has affected the way people work so everything takes longer now. Upcoming next on Kvalia is an EP by DJ Nobu with a remix by Artefakt. It’s to be released in August if there are no delays!’’

Talk about a grand exit!! What an exciting information for us all! These two are certainly some of mine and I guess your favourite artists, and I am very excited to be able to add this record to my collection. With that we concluded our lovely chat, and I feel energized and inspired. I hope everyone learned a little something from Linny and her experience with Kvalia Records. If you did not know the label, now is the time to check her catalogue and discover her world. To make this feature even more special and demonstrate her DJ side, Linny recorded a wonderful mix for me. Press play and enjoy!