Pond Life Records, originally founded and based in Berlin, have continued to churn out great releases since we covered ‘Steady Income Band – Untitled’ way back in 2020. Their latest EP, ‘Overnight’ comes courtesy of label-founder, Robi, is a more club-focussed release than the majority of their back catalogue, however it still hits the heights that we have come to expect from the label. We got the chance to catch up with Robi about his musical influences, the new release, and the inspiration behind Pond Life Records. If you missed this week’s 100% Pond Life Mantissa mix, you can check it out via the link below:
Hi Robi, firstly thanks for agreeing to this interview. How have you been and have you been up to
anything fun recently?
Hey! I’ve been good thanks, enjoying the change of season. My biggest highlight recently would
be moving to London. I was in the countryside for almost two years so everything seems fun at
the moment. Amongst the buzz, being based in London has meant I’m near a lot of talented and
inspiring artists, studio sessions have been fun. Lately I’ve been working on the programme for
Cosmic Roots in September which is always an exciting challenge.
Can you tell us about some of your earliest music related memories?
A big chunk of my childhood was spent growing up in Basel, Switzerland. Every weekend my
sister and I were allowed to buy one CD for the car. In the early naughties the Swiss charts were
dominated by R&B, Skatepunk and Eurodance, I remember a lot of the hits. In the same era, when
the first big chunky iPod came out, I vividly remember listening to my dads T-Rex and Blink 182
albums on family road trips. So mostly car / journey related I guess… Apart from that, my Dad
playing the 12 bar blues on the piano, I thought he was a magician.
What was your progression into dance music, producing and DJing?
When I was 17 my family moved to Tokyo and I spent the year before starting music college
working in a Japanese ski resort. During that time I held a DJ residency in a bar called ‘Wild Bills’,
it was pretty far from a music loving crowd but it helped me get to grips with the technical side of
DJ’ing. After music college I moved to Berlin and started working for an experimental sound art
group called Soundwalk Collective. I learned a lot with them music production wise, particularly in
modular synthesis and experimental recording techniques. Through my role at Soundwalk
Collective I helped produce everything from sound installations, records, film scores to audio
books. My relationship to dance music was kept alive during that period through Cosmic Roots
Festival and Pond Life. Being based in Berlin also regularly exposed me to a whole cosmos of
club culture.
What was the inspiration behind founding Pond Life in 2018?
Whilst at Leeds College of Music my friends were making a blend of live instrumentation and inthe-
box music. I thought it would be a good idea to bring those artists together on wax and press
a 12” vinyl compilation. We started a low key Pond Life Band project which we wrote music for
and performed live. The name Pond Life and the label concept idea came whilst taking a stroll in
Yoyogi park in Tokyo, looking at some Koi fish in the ponds of the Meiji shrine.
What challenges do you face when running an independent label and what motivates you to keep it
going?
Yeah, the independent label world can be challenging. I think there’s a good exercise in finding
artists outside the original Pond Life bubble, trying to grow the talent pool whilst staying true to
the sound. A key factor in keeping it going has been Cosmic Roots Festival, where there is a
physical home for the label (Pond Life stage). That’s been important since everyone moved to
different countries after college, allowing us to come together at least once a year and keep the
spirit alive outside the digital realms.
What’s the curation process behind the record label releases and the artists that you get involved?
It’s pretty organic, we have moments where we don’t have an upcoming release for months on
end and then suddenly it’s all hands on deck preparing for the next release. Honestly, there isn’t
really a step-by-step process, it changes every time.
We loved your new EP, Overnight. Can you talk us through the creation process and inspiration behind
it?
Thank you! When I started writing these tracks I’d just moved from the centre of Neukölln, Berlin
to a quaint valley in English countryside, alone with my dog. I was a little in out of my depth with
the change of scene. I bought a new sequencer (Eloquencer) as part of my modular synth set up,
a lot of the ideas spawned from me figuring out how it works. The challenge came in arranging
hour long modular synth jams into listenable, digestible pieces of music.
Can you shout-out some of the artists that you have enjoyed playing alongside, producers and labels
whose music has found a home in your record bag, and clubs that you’ve enjoyed playing most in
2023/2024?
Caldera aka Loop LF – I love all his music. Carlota aka Gadea, Steevio, Forest Drive West, also a
huge fan. GIGI FM is also making some great techno. Club wise I’m very happy to be a resident DJ
at Giant Steps, a Sunday party in East London on a six point Klipsch Horn system, it was a dream
of mine for many years to play there because the dance floor sounds so good. Last year playing
Houghton was also big bucket list tick.
What are your plans for the rest of 2024?
Cosmic Roots is back in a new location in September and there’s a lot to plan. Apart from that,
Pond Life is hosting a stage at Gottwood this year, I’m playing a nice bunch of festivals and club
nights. I am also working on an album that is a world away from the Overnight EP and I’m really
excited about the newness of it all.
Interview By: James Acquaye Nortey-Glover