Progress Productions

Tell us more about the founding of the label and how you did it all.
- "Somehow it has always been my goal to have a little and interesting label that works with quality music. A label that is able to work close to the band without keeping anything in the dark. Progress Productions is as much me as the bands. You could almost say that we are a little family of people that work together. Unfortunately my dream didn't get along with my former job at Energy Rekords. But when it was time to move on an opening finally came. Said and done. The idea of Progress Productions was born. And when I moved to the wonderful Gothenburg the plans began to become reality. A label of people that really adores synth to people that does the same. Some kind of a synth people label."

What's the reason you started the label?
- "The biggest reason was that I wanted to be rich, make millions and bath in champagne. No, just kidding. As I said, it was a dream for me to have a label where you are able to communicate to the bands in the open. We have no secrets between label and band. Everyone knows everything. We take decisions together and put up goals that we try to make reality. I have never been so fond of working with music as now. A while I almost stopped working with music. But after I was able to get away from my last work I felt the spark again. Further than that, we really love to cooperate. We have for an example a very good cooperation with Memento Materia and Plutonium. We help each other. Together we could help the electronical music to get more space in radio, newspapers and so on. We do not compete with each other. The key to success is to have a good attitude and to work together."

What kind of bands/music genres do you accept?
- "Synth music only. It maybe sounds a little bit thin, but at the same time it is the synth music that we love and know bets. If we would try to break in to other arias I think we would have lost our credibility very quickly. However, we do not have any limits within the synth genre, everything from the cutest synthpop to the most cruel power noise. As long as we like the music and the band have the right attitude. I want people that likes synth music are able to see a Progress Productions CD and now that they are buying a great album. The labels symbol turns to a sale argument - a trademark for quality, not quantity."

What kind of qualities should a band that wants to be signed to Progress Production have?
- "To be able to give 110%. If the will be there for the label, the label will be there for the bands. Attitude and will is to extremely important factors if a band should be signed to Progress Productions. All bands get the same time with us as all the others. Everyone is priorities. Further than that you should be in our taste and fit our profile. But most of all, a humble and open attitude and the will to cooperate and to evolve."

What does the future looks like for Progress Production?
- "Right now it seems to be very bright. We are working seriously. We have started a bunch of nice cooperation's with different labels / distributors in Sweden and abroad. I believe in Progress and all the bands signed to the label. I'm sure that we together are able to provide something to all the synth people. We are synth people ourselves. We do something that we all burn for. In front of all we trust each other to 100%. I trust the bands and the trust Progress. We are here for them and they are here for us. I have a hard time to see that I'm able to work full time with the label, but my future is theirs. I really want to be there when the need a label."

Will you hire more co-workers or will you keep it as a one man project?
- "Actually it isn't a one man project, more like a family project where we all help each other to run Progress. Sure, I'm the one who have "the final will" for Progress, but without the help from the bands and all close friends the idea would never have carried out. Besides, we would like to invite all the synth people to Progress. With their support to the label we are able to continue to be their label and are able to deliver great music. I think many have much to learn from Cold Meat Industry, Ant-Zen and Hands, for an example. The all work together. Band and label in one symbiosis."

Tell us in short more about the bands that are signed to Progress Productions right now.
- "Right now there are three bands in the Progress Productions-family. 8kHz Mono is a trio from Stockholm that plays danceable EBM with inlays of more modern beats. Their debut album, 'Monochromator', is the first production we release. A band I've burned for a long time, but have not had the opportunity to work with until now. A truly amazing band that always will be there in all hard times. Hype is from Malmö with the well-known Robert Enforsen (former Elegant Machinery) in the front. They play synthpop of the most excellent sort. Danceable and hum along friendly with melodies that really sticks. You get happy when you hear Hype. Beside Robert the band are David and Sanna who's really friendly and nice. A real Progress band. Sturm Café from Gävle is our new addition to the family. The play some kind of hybrid between EBM and NDW. Welle:Erdball meets DAF. This will make all the oldschool fans cheer. You are really able to hear references to Rheingold, Keine Ahnung, early Die Krupps, and so on. A band that are really committed and I believe in them so much. Extremely nice and humble guys who really have a future on the stage. We do try to sign some additional band, but we try not to fall in the trap of growing to fast. Even though I love Progress Productions, some short breaks from the music are needed. But all our bands complement each other just great. From Oldschool EBM to synthpop. Every single one of them has their own special sound."

This interview was made 2004 and initially published on Neurozine.com