SPOTLIGHT: HÖRZ AUDIO
Published April 27, 2023
Hörz Audio caught our attention. They host Red Box Saturday 29 April, and we had a small chat with Queen E before their big night.
Can you give a quick introduction of those who are part of the Hörz Audio project at the moment?
I’m Queen E, Artist, Label Manager, and DJ with a huge love for creating my own stage costumes and dancing to electronic or disco music. In 2021 I founded the Stockholm-based indie label Hörz Audio together with Rut Meyersson and Rebecca Rix which is more and more becoming a base for us and other artists to freely express ourselves in the context of nightlife. Rebecca is an eclectic sound geek who loves synthesizers and disco, Rut is a 2cool4school DJ genius and I just want to wreak havoc on all dancefloors that come my way.
What brought you all together?
Stockholm nightlife, we are coming from very different groups of friends but we came together in our found love for keeping it weird and making people dance. We all inspire each other in different directions but even though our differences, the product of it all feels very coherent and fresh. It feels like we are heading somewhere together.
Can you describe the Hörz Audio project for us, the story behind it, and the chosen name?
I was out partying with Rut during the pandemic when DJ gigs were really scarce, she told me ‘’We should start a record label’’ and I answered ‘’Yea! let’s do it with Rebecca’’. Then we had a first meeting where we painted (our logo amongst other things) and wrote down all possible names we could think of for the label. We decided that everything was to happen very organically. A lot of people that we asked for advice told us to have at least 6 releases ready. but it never felt right for us, people constantly talk about branding, strategy, and getting the most likes or views. For us, this is pure freedom of expression, and we don’t want to force it. When the time is right, the right things will happen. It’s so easy to release music nowadays and we want to focus more on creative collaborations, community, and intention.
What can you expect from a Hörz Audio release? A Hörz Audio party?
Expect the unexpected, our latest release was bordering on trance but we are a wild mix of artists that want to do a wild mix of stuff. We don’t really have any genres on our ‘’shit list’’ when it comes to releases and we don’t really want to be put in a more specific box than ‘’can you party to it?’’. We love a good party, and we get so much nice support in our hometown of Stockholm. We share all our energy with the dancefloor, everyone at the party is just as important and we all came there to celebrate the beauty of being alive, and freely express ourselves through music or with our bodies, and being able to share this moment together. Sounds super cheesy, but it’s true!
What motivates you to work with electronic music?
I have been a part of the Stockholm rave scene for 12 years now and went to my first rave as a 17-year-old. The spirit of electronic music is that anyone can be whoever they want. It represents freedom and so much history related to parties and subcultures over many decades and countries. It’s something that has moved me deeply and it’s one of the few subjects I even read books about, the history of clubbing and dance music.
Can you tell us about your inspirations and influences as musicians/promoters/label managers?
We come from different backgrounds musically, but my influences are the 70s/80s gay club culture in New York and Chicago and I’m a big fan of punk culture in a sense. Rut comes from a more minimal/electro 404 house background and has a really sleek concept going on, Rebecca is inspired by disco and Balearic sounds and is a bit more of a synthesizer lover. We have overlapping interests that cover a lot of good stuff. I want to go to outer space and Rut pulls me back down to earth in a good manner, Rebecca is there in between keeping the peace.
How is the Swedish electronic music scene thriving at the moment in your opinion?
There are so many new events, venues, and collectives happening right now in Sweden that have risen after the pandemic, and we have been really fortunate to work with Kind People Club which is one of the best club concepts I have seen in Sweden during all my years. They really help put Stockholm on the map with other international party cities, It can, however, be quite hard to find the few really good parties in Stockholm since there is a huge quantity of new events happening. I’m also really grateful for the level of experimentalism Sweden has when it comes to electronic music with festivals such as Norberg.
What‘s your hopes and dreams for the future of Hörz Audio?
That we get to include more external artists both in music and in other creative expressions, expanding our little group of awesome people. The dream is definitely to build a platform to promote people that might not have had the chance to make something with their creativity and reach outside of Sweden.
Do you have any good advice for Culture Box in regards to the future of electronic music in Denmark?
It’s important not to be so afraid of musical differences between what DJs are booked for a specific night. Mixing it up more and including not only DJs but also VJs, Dancers, and other types of artists/performers that typically aren’t seen as essential in most Scandinavian clubs is key to creating a more evolving scene.
You are hosting Red Box Saturday 29 April. What’s your feelings and expectations?
Wow! Rut (aka. DJ Snackattack) has played at Culturebox before and Queen E has been a frequent flyer at S.W.E.A.T Rave Collectives club nights in Copenhagen. We are also happy to announce Hörx Audio’s and Rebecca Rix’s first gig in Denmark.<3 We are so excited to spread our love for dance and music outside of our home country of Sweden.
Anything else you wish to share with us?
Check out our latest release with Kajsa Villius on all streaming services, and also don’t miss the last few t-shirts from our merch collab with Sensitive Kids Club on our Bandcamp that also will be available in the DJ booth this Saturday. See here.
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