A free zone, a pop lab, a permanent vacation. Service is all that but also the home of some Sweden’s most talented artists. This playlist speaks for itself. Press play and let it take you.

Bonus interview? Right below.

What’s goin’ on in Service’s world right now?

At the moment we’re releasing The Embassy’s new single in a limited edition of 3 vinyl records. They are being auctioned on eBay and the buyer will get her name engraved onto the vinyl.
The artwork is a signed pigmented ink print by Swedish painter Carl Hammoud.
Follow the auction at www.srvc.se.

Can you introduce the roster of the label and its philosophy?

Service is a free zone and pop lab. We used to finance our early releases with underground parties (and vice versa) and some kind of scene evolved in Goteborg around the label, with The Embassy, Studio, Jens Lekman, The Tough Alliance and Franke.
Now Service has gone into a new, more idea based modus. But the attitude is unchanged.
Service’s rooter has added dirty disco act Jackpot, elegant pop wizards Lake Heartbeat and powerkraut band Ikons. Plus we recently released The Disco Opera: edited together flee market stuff into an intergalactic disco drama.

What are you currently listening to?

The Black Lips new album is super great, and Brightblack Morninglight. And as always Happy Mondays, Royal Trux and “Loveless”.

How is the scene in Sweden at the moment?

I would say it has dipped after the explosion 2002-2005, but it seems it’s now the rest of the world catches on Swedish indie. We’ll see if the attention is still there when new really interesting stuff is soon to happen again.
Best internationally unnoticed band is The Embassy. Studio and Anna Järvinen are really good too.
Producer…I have to say Jackpot.

You are releasing records in a difficult moment for the music industry: does it affect you? How do you see the future for the industry? Is it easier to run a label now with access to a cheaper and more efficient technology?

It’s easier for everyone, but the question is what’s happening to the music. It’s at the same time a wonderful fulfillment of punk’s ideals, but also total inflation reigns. I mean, you get bigger satisfaction deleting mp3s from your hard drive than downloading new ones, right?

How important is the internet for you as an label?

Well it’s a fact I have to build my activity around. I hate the fragmentation. It’s hard to build a deep relationship between music and the listeners out there. And a lot of corporations easily parasite on it. But fuck it – it’s only pop n’ roll.

We are in a world with a lot of different models on the net (free streaming, digital stores, mobile, etc…): what kind of service should be brought to the table?

I’m convinced that streaming is the winning model.
But I’m not so interested in handeling my music so loosely myself. Instead we’ve set up an exclusive membership servie called Service Coop: you pay an annual membership fee and get a login to a site with all releases and a lot of other exclusive stuff. Just like an old fashioned porn site.

Where do you see this whole internet thing going?

Back to the roots.

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