Copenhagen Rising

The record label soundtracking Denmark’s underground music scene
By Sarah Roberts | Music | 26 May 2017

Top image: Posh Isolation, photo by Hannah Jorgensen.

Turn your ears towards Denmark, something is bubbling. The Scandinavian country may be more known for its design credentials than for its musical contributions, however a new wave of musicians are proving that Denmark as a hotbed of exciting new talent. Stretching a broad range of genres and sounds, COPENHAGEN RISING is our portfolio of those musicians standing at the vanguard of Denmark’s rising scene. Here, we turn our attention to the duo putting Copenhagen’s music scene on the map via their record label, Posh Isolation.

Posh Isolation is the Copenhagen-based record label run by Christian Stadgaard and Loke Rahbek, who also make up Damien Dubrovnik, a synth band that veers between experimental music and performance art.

Hailing from the close-knit Danish music scene, Stadgaard and Rahbek are key in uniting Copenhagen’s vibrant underground music culture. Pre-Damien Dubrovnik, they were members of several other bands respectively, including Vår and Sexdrome. Rahbeck recently officially joined Lust for Youth, after co-writing some of the material on their 2014 album International. This sense of eclecticism translates into Posh Isolation, a record label that releases music within a wide range of different genres, from punk and synth-pop, to electronics and noise, while also dabbling in the worlds of fashion and art.

Sarah Roberts: Why did you decide to start Posh Isolation?
Loke Rahbek: Because there was no one else doing it.

Sarah: You are primarily a record label, but your practices extend to fashion and art. How would you describe what you do?
Loke: Posh Isolation has existed for eight years and we have done a lot of different things. We put out music and sometimes we make t-shirts or curate events.
Christian Stadgaard: I just try to avoid boredom and doing Posh Isolation helps.

Sarah: How does Posh Isolation differ from other labels?
Loke: I think it is generally better.
Christian: It’s the only label I collect these days.

Sarah: How would you describe the Danish music scene you grew up in? How has it changed?
Christian: I grew up in the noise scene in Copenhagen and it has not changed a bit over the past fifteen years.

Sarah: How does Posh Isolation reflect, and build upon, it’s base in Copenhagen?
Christian: It’s important to us to have close contact with our artists. Being in the same city as most of them is convenient.
Loke: The two still feel very connected. A lot of the music we put out is made in Copenhagen. It is where we have run the label from since the beginning. A lot of what Posh Isolation represents did not exist in Copenhagen before, it exists now, and it has for a while. Copenhagen is a good place to be.

Sarah: What role do you think Posh Isolation plays in the future of modern Scandinavian music?
Loke: I think Posh Isolation is the future of modern Scandinavian music.
Christian: I hope that we can inspire as many people as possible in as many ways as possible

Sarah: What’s next for the label?
Loke: We have a lot of projects and releases planned. Next is our physical release number 200 (which is streaming above).
Christian: Just spending more time in the studio, writing emails, and being on the phone.

Follow Posh Isolation here.
Listen to a mixtape Posh Isolation recently did for NTS London.


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