The amount of unreleased music that makes its way into Copenhagen-based imprint Escho’s Nina Label Mix is a testament to the fact that, even two decades deep, the label is still looking towards the future. For sure, since 2005, Escho has been documenting the world of forward-thinking music and culture in Denmark and farther afield. As a label and a publisher, they have facilitated projects for not only the punk band Iceage and the electronic duo Smerz but also the Danish author Bo Reinholdt; from 2003 to 2012, they promoted concerts for everyone from Black Dice to Omar Souleyman. All of this just scratches the surface of their activity, though, which is why it was nice to get them in the mix for Nina. Listen to the mix and read an interview with Escho’s Nis Bysted below. You can also check out the label’s Nina Hub for more releases.

Where are you based?

Nis Bysted: Copenhagen, Denmark.

Can you describe your label mix?

It’s new and old releases and a few upcoming unreleased songs :)

What inspired you to start a label?

When we started out, our main objective was to document what was going on around us, because no one else was doing it. Presenting new sounds, whether it was recorded music or bringing artists to town for shows. 

Does your label have a sound or a mission?

One of the artists we release, Fine, talks about there being potential in all sounds. That’s perhaps our sound, many different sounds. The mission is sharing great music and making sure it’s documented and available to as many as possible.

Tell us about your scene(s).

Copenhagen and Denmark are very small, everything crosses over and everyone knows each other, one could call that a scene. But we as a label have never really been a part of a certain scene.

What's your A&R process?

For most of the records, we get to listen from the very beginning. Sometimes it’s listening and then talking about stuff we love or the weather and what the music makes us feel like in connection with all that. We also record and mix some of the records. It's an all-around process, whatever the artist needs.

What labels do you look up to?

Maybe not so much labels, but someone like Harry Partch or The Residents have always been an inspiration—the aspect of doing everything yourself. Also the band Excepter, their sounds have meant a lot to us, we’ve listened endlessly to them while working. The bands we have done shows with in our formative years: Black Dice, Gang Gang Dance, Lucky Dragons, White Magic, Boredoms, Lorenzo Senni, these artists are still in our DNA. Labels like The Numero Group, From Dust to Digital—the documentation and archival approach is always inspiring. Friends are always inspiring: 15 Love, In Real Life, Paradise of Bachelors.