Russian Trio Swanky Tunes Launch Their Showland Label, Party & Radio Show

by Roy Sekewael · Published April 16, 2013 · Updated October 10, 2013

In 2011, the Russian electro/progressive-house trio Swanky Tunes unleashed one of the most powerful and most played dancefloor tracks of the year, “Sending My Love,” which catapulted them onto center stage of the dance-music world. Soon they were collaborating with Tiësto for his famous Musical Freedom imprint, and after a string of other Swanky hits, they launched their own Showland label late last year, with the track “Blood Rush” leading the charge

After touring and performing at huge gatherings like Ultra Music Festival, the guys have decided to dedicate a large portion of 2013 to Showland’s development as a label, a monthly podcast and radio show, and now their own parties. We had a chance to chat with Swanky Tunesmith Stanislav Zaytsev about the trio’s long but successful trip to Miami, their plans for this year, and how their new Showland party is progressing.

You just did a back-to-back set with Hard Rock Sofa at this year’s Ultra Music Festival. We know you have played the festival before and have collaborated with the HRS guys as well, but what was it like to tag-team a set with five artists on stage during one of the biggest festivals in the world?

Right, we just got back from Miami. It was a crazy time there. But let’s start from the very beginning. In February, we received an offer to open weekend two of UMF at the main stage, but by two teams. We were a bit confused and thought, “How could it be, and what are five people going to do at the stage?” Then we realized, it doesn’t matter how many you are and what you do on the stage. The main point is the music you play. So we locked ourselves in a studio with Hard Rock Sofa for one day and prepared a special DJ set containing our new tracks and tunes we just love so much. It was awesome to see the crowd’s feedback while we were all together playing. Honestly, it was one of the best back-to-back sets of Swanky Tunes and Hard Rock Sofa. We enjoyed it!

You definitely didn’t have a quiet Miami Music Week this year. Tell us how the first edition of your Showland party went in Miami at Wall. What direction do you hope to take the party in for 2013?

Yes, as we said above, it was a really crazy time. Too many meetings, parties, and after-parties in a row. By the end of the week we were really tired, but the goal hadn’t been achieved yet. We still had to present the first Showland party and it was a hard task. Most of all, we wanted to surprise people with the lineup. We invited our fellas Hard Rock Sofa, Arno Cost, and for the first time ever in Miami, the Russian duo Matisse & Sadko, and Australians Peking Duk. But that wasn’t enough, so we decided to get one more guy as a special guest, and it was Arty.

We got together all the best Russian artists and added the progressive French and dirty Australian sounds there as well. A “perfect combination” is what many people said. To be honest, we couldn’t believe this was true until the lights at Wall Club came on and the music was stopped at 5 a.m. The club was fully packed and nobody wanted to leave. Unfortunately, each party has to end. This year we’re going to do more Showland parties, of course. First of all, the party will be brought to US cities like New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, then to Europe, Australia, Asia, and Russia.

Showland is also your label and your podcast. In an artist’s career, what do you believe are the essential things that have to happen before you can jump from just artist to label owner as well? Are you particular with the types of artists you sign to the label, picking ones with the Swanky sound?

I think each artist should release tracks on all labels that he wants—from the smallest one to the biggest one, just to ensure their growth. It gives the artist so much experience and understanding of how everything works. As for us, we had a desire to release tracks on labels like Axtone, Spinnin’, Refune, Ultra, Size, Wall, Doorn, Interscope, etc. That was an aim and we worked hard to make it real. At the same time, we never forgot about our own label. Finally, in 2012, we decided to launch Showland. Now it’s going very well and many releases are planned for this year.

Yes, we’re particular in choosing new names, but it’s all about sound. These days you can hear so much of the same style of music, but nothing special. When we see someone’s good ideas, we can make a collaboration. Our name helps upcoming artists to grow and builds up the Showland’s background as well.

Your track with DVBBS and Eitro, “We Know,” comes out on your label on April 15. Coming hot off the heels of your Miami experience, as well as your track with Kaskade, what influenced the track’s sound and the artists you collaborated with? If you have been playing it in your sets, how has the response been so far?

It seems that the response could be really huge, but we had to make some edits of it before we use it in our sets, in case it won’t work for people who have never heard music we are inspired by. We’ve gone a long way through different music styles, from funk, punk and electro of the ’80s to techno, big beat, and house. We always add new elements to our own music, trying to catch something fresh and interesting. That’s why our sound differs every time. But to never repeat ourselves and to be recognizable is very difficult, believe us! For example, when Tiesto asked us to do a collaboration with him, that was a kind of challenge. We worked on the track for three months. The same thing happened with Kaskade. We tried to find new ideas and make them clear for people.

How do you think your track “No One Knows Who We Are,” with Kaskade and Lights, had an impact on your career? How did the track come about anyway?

Yes, of course. All of our tracks have an impact on our career, and “No One Knows Who We Are” isn’t an exception. When we started to work with Ryan [Kaskade] on it, we already had the lyrics by Lights. We had tried many drafts until we got an idea to renew the old sound of the ’90s. The reason was the following: just imagine how many listeners were born in the ’90s. The lack of understanding is always between generations, but music is the universal language. Lyrics give the elder generation understanding of the young guys. At the same time, music brings the young generation closer to the elder ones. They are in the loop and it’s really cool to see!

Festival season is upon us. What are Swanky Tunes’ and the Showland crew’s big plans for the rest of 2013?

We have so much planned for the rest of this year, but to name a few: Electric Daisy Carnival, Life In Color (Dayglow), Sensation White, and different festivals in Europe, Asia, and Australia. We do our best just to let our fans catch us everywhere!