Label Focus – Local Talk

The benchmark-setting house label that is Local Talk

Founded in 2013, Sweden’s Local Talk has been at the cutting edge of Scandinavian house music since inception. Swerving the pitfalls of trends in favour of consistently interesting — not to mention intelligent — output, the imprint has established a unique musical identity while also reflecting a region that has long been synonymous with sophisticated takes on typical club sounds.

Tracks and albums bring complex musicality to the fore, without forsaking needs of the dance floor. Simply put, the label’s consistently high standards set benchmarks for others to meet. We speak to the heads behind this institution, Mad Mats and Tooli, about their back catalogue, plans for the future, and twin compilation albums, Local Talk: 13 Years Later, parts one and two.

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

Local Talk.  The dynamic duo Mad Mats & Tooli. 

WHEN & WHY DID THE LABEL START?

We started Local Talk in 2010. We decided to start a house label that would release everything within the house spectrum and 13 years later we’re still doing the same thing.

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

The short answer is a lot of house music. The slightly longer would be that we’re soon approaching 200 releases across Local Talk and the sub-labels associated with it.

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

Tasteful house production but not limited to any specific genre. I would say there is always a touch of soul in most releases we’ve put out.

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

When we started out, we wanted something fairly straightforward, so if you ever saw the logo or a record with the colours you’d know it was a Local Talk record. After releasing our 50th release we decided it was time to change that. Visual identity is of course as important as the music and since we’re also releasing vinyl we wanted to bring something extra and make the releases special. We’re trying to do something special when we do merchandise too, not just a t-shirt with a logo but new colours, different designs etcetera.

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

All the HNNY releases have been big ones for Local Talk. His sound is very personal and distinct but also reaches out to a wide audience.

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

Willie Graff & Tuccillo’s Sunday Morning / Misdirection.  It’s timeless house music, and sounds like something that could have been released back in 1990, or 2023.  I’ve only heard it once out in a club but then I’m certain it is enjoyed by a few others out there. I’ve played it myself many, many times, it’s a classic. 

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

Probably Louie Vega, he is by far the greatest house producer (and beyond) for our generation.

WHICH OTHER LABELS DO YOU ADMIRE AND WHY?

There’s a few within our scene that still keep doing what they love which is admirable. Keep it up. Running a label takes time and dedication.  On that note, why not mention two that’s been around the block a few times – Blue Note and Studio One.

WHAT CAN WE LOOK TO FROM YOUR LABEL NEXT?

We got our second label compilation Local Talk: 13 Years Later out this spring. We also have an amazing house, boogie and soul album from Laroy, and singles from Nico Lahs, Caserta, Envee with Zed Bias, Dan Tenor-City, Tom Funk and many more. 

Martin Hewitt

Pre-order Local Talk’s next vinyl releases – Timothee Milton’s ‘Love’s Gonna Get You’ 12″ and Envee’s Sum Luv featuring two mixes from Zed Bias – here