Label Profile – Pont Neuf

We get le skinny on the hottest new name in French’s ever-evolving house scene

WHAT’S THE NAME OF YOUR LABEL, AND WHO RUNS IT?

Hi Juno team, I’m Thomas Prunier (below), and I run the label Pont Neuf Records, thanks for having us!

WHEN & WHY DID THE LABEL START?

I started Pont Neuf in 2016 after organising club nights in Paris for two years. That’s when I met the artists who make up the label family today: Cosmonection, Tour-Maubourg, KX9000, Madcat, Calmos, Berzingue, TAOS, Saudade.

GIVE US A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WHAT YOU’VE RELEASED SINCE THEN….

The label now has more than thirty releases from the same artists that the label has been supporting since the beginning: EPs, albums but also compilations that allow us to gather all these producers

WHAT QUALITIES ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN THE MUSIC YOU RELEASE?

It really depends on the project: for EPs or albums we really try to create and tell a story with the artist. So, we try to find a common thread and to put forward the emotions they want to transmit. On compilations it’s completely different: I try to make the different worlds live together. It’s almost a schizophrenic task to seek homogeneity while at the same time valuing the musical differences of each one.

WHAT KIND OF VISUAL IDENTITY DOES THE LABEL HAVE (ARTWORK, VIDEOS ETC)?

Again, it all depends on the project! We try to develop specific visual universes for each artist while keeping a certain aesthetic specific to the label. Of course, this aspect evolves with time and desires, but I would say that we always try to make things relatively elegant and as timeless as possible. We want to be able to look at our vinyl releases in several years and say that we still like them.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SELLING RELEASE TO DATE?  TELL US A BIT ABOUT IT AND WHY YOU THINK IT WAS SO POPULAR.

I’m going to talk about Tour-Maubourg who has really exploded in recent years. We released some of first his EPs in 2017 and 2018, then his first album almost 2 years ago.

We were very surprised to see the warm reception he got from the public, the press and the clubs / festivals. We were obviously very proud of this release, like all the others. But it’s true that on this release we really had the impression with Pierre (Tour-Maubourg) that we had passed a milestone and that we were no longer only followed by a niche audience. And we have some good news regarding his project in the coming months 😉

NAME ONE RELEASE THAT YOU THINK DESERVED TO GET MORE ATTENTION THAN IT DID                                                         

I would say the EP and then the album of TAOS released last year on the label. It’s not necessarily the most “mainstream” or the most housy project on the label. But he’s a true musical goldsmith, one of the best producers I’ve ever met in my short career as a label manager.

IF YOU COULD SIGN ANY ARTIST, ALIVE OR DEAD, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?

There are so many artists that I find inspiring for countless reasons, and in so many different musical worlds, from soul, to jazz, to rap, to house, to city pop, even film music… Joker!

WHICH OTHER LABELS DO YOU ADMIRE AND WHY?

It’s complicated there too (laughs)! The first ones that naturally come to mind are Ed Banger or Ninja Tune but there are so many others from so many different musical worlds. Maybe I’ll take this opportunity to shout out my friends: D.KO Records, Amsem Records, House of Underground, Chevry Records, Happiness Therapy, De La Groove. There are many of us who propose something on the new French house scene, we all know each other and that’s what I find super inspiring too.

WHAT CAN WE LOOK TO FROM YOUR LABEL NEXT?

We have quite a few more releases planned from Tour-Maubourg, KX9000, THEOS (for his first release on the label), Cosmonection, Berzingue, Saudade and more.

Pre-order the latest Pont Neuf compilation Hexagonal Club Vol3 here