‚Lebensfreude‘ means zest of life. The label emerged 2004 out of a party series of the same name in Berlin. You may imagine what Berlin parties used to be back then, and how the name came about. And by that name we stood. We always put out music that was meant to be enjoyed. On the dancefloor or off.
Dark, weird or pop. Techno, House or everything in between. It’s never been about a genre. It’s never been about a format, a medium, stardom, or a tone. And it’s never been about success. It’s always been about an attitude towards life. Call it punk or simply, Lebensfreude. Wildly eclectic, we release music we love, are intrigued by or that puts a smile on our faces. 13 years in and re-listening most of it still stands well against the ravages of time and the hype cycles of a contemporary electronic music industry that shouldn’t have become an industry in the first place. Guys, relax and be a little bit more Lebensfreude. But that just on a side note.
We had small artists and big (Ruede Hagelstein), budding artists and successful ones (Douglas Greed), artsy artists and straightforward ones (Mathias Schaffhäuser), intellectuals and down-to-earthlings (Gunne & Zuckermann, or vice versa), but all of them carried the flame of a passion that put music first. Music and what it conveys. Music and what it can mean. Music that makes a difference – because it is different. More than just a tool, more than just a streamed commodity, more than just fabricated feelings to cover up those moments of emptiness, Lebensfreude and its records stand for the joy to be out there, to be alive.
After some excursions into the spheres in between electronic and pop with the just released albums by Stereofysh and Pentatones, we will cut back for a while to that dancefloor where it all started from. Oliver Chlass’ new EP coming out in September will just be the beginning of a re-focused journey that will mostly be aiming at providing rather interesting music for the clubs. And that will have a bigger emphasis on the work by label heads Gunne, Zuckermann and Hans Klavier. Time to be lebensfreudig about our own music a bit more. In that respect and having gone full-circle, Zest of Life is the old Punk (with an improved haircut).
