Tip of the Iceberg — Manfred Zähringer on Dúné

Dúné are backed by one of Scandinavia’s oldest indie labels, Iceberg Records. So expect to hear more from them.

Have a Cigar!

At first glance, Manfred Zähringer is slightly reminiscent of the cynical record-company boss in the old  Pink Floyd classic, all big smiles and even bigger cigars. But the director of Iceberg Records is no industry baron comfortably parked on his backside in an executive lounger while the troops do all the hard work. Quite the contrary. Zähringer spends 130 days a year abroad, fighting for Iceberg’s artists. In recent  years, he has put a great deal of effort into two red-hot rock names: Dúné and the slightly more experienced The Blue Van, who have been busy criss-crossing the USA. Iceberg Records was set up all the way back in 1982. Zähringer says that Iceberg is “probably the oldest Scandinavian indie label that’s been run by the same management throughout its entire existence, and has never been financed by outside investors.”

Zähringer, who runs Iceberg along with his wife Mette, has experienced his share of ups and downs over  the years, but the label has established a strong position for itself in the industry – largely thanks to the  pop artist Scatman John, who sold more than eight million records worldwide in the mid-’90s. This  enabled Iceberg to make its name as a versatile indie label with a wide spectrum of products.

The very young musicians in Dúné are now drawing on Zähringer’s wisdom and experience, the result of his many years in the industry. Most recently, Zähringer paved the way for Dúné’s debut on the  Japanese market. “I said to Dúné that they should be ready for the fact that in Japan the music is 50% and the other 50% is image/looks/charisma,” he says. “After we had been there a while, Ole [Bjørn Sørensen, keyboard player] said to me ‘You’re right – except that the music is 20% and all the rest is 80%’.”

Read the full article here — Boom Boom Magazine #03.

Text: Anders Houmøller Thomsen
Photography: Raw Format

Dúné: School’s out forever!

Dúné struck a delicate balance between homework and an international breakthrough.  Call them  Denmark’s youngest veterans.

Even though the seven members of Dúné are only about 20, they’ve been playing together for eight years. “When we were 12–14 we were already known as a bunch of little psycho kids who’d go totally amok on stage,” says singer Mattias Kolstrup. “We weren’t as good then as we are now, so that wildness probably paved the way for us. We still put on a high-octane live show  though. It’s become part of our image, and something our core audience expects. Personally, I get bored quickly when I go to gigs where not enough is happening. That’s why I’ve got such great respect for  people like Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop or Ricky Wilson from Kaiser Chiefs, who crawl around on monitors and ledges and are completely unruly.

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The record went gold in Denmark and sold 10,000 copies in Germany.  Dúné were honoured with a European Border Breakers Award in 2008, which sums up exactly what they’re trying to achieve: reaching beyond the boundaries of their home country. “That prize really meant a lot to us,” Kolstrup says. “We were spotted by Dreamusic, who’re now releasing our debut in Japan. They’ve given us a lucrative deal and are making our music their top priority, so we hope to make it on the Japanese market.” Huge rock-star sums may not be flooding into their bank accounts just yet, but right now the group are happy to have the time to concentrate 100% on the music.  Rock student “Hey, I was able to afford an HDTV and a PlayStation 3!” the singer smiles. “We’ve just finished high school and all did well – or, the very least, we weren’t among the worst. Now, at last, we can focus all our attention on writing songs for the new album, which’ll hopefully be out in spring 2009. There’ll be no more worrying about homework when we’re out on the road either.”

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Third time lucky [- Zähringer's perspective]

“We try to launch all of our names abroad,” says Zähringer [of Iceberg records]. “We’re not just focused on the Danish  market. It can take an incredibly long time to build a band up, so we prefer to work with bands who like to play live. The Blue Van are a prime example. We expect their third album to be a sales success. Over the years, I’ve spent millions of kroner building up an international network, and that investment is now paying off. One of the big Indian music magazines is a good example of a useful contact. The editor-in-chief has invited me to a press conference in Mumbai to introduce three of our acts. In India you can’t sell CDs – it’s like in Russia and China, they all get pirated – but there’s a lot of money to be made from concerts there. After that presentation, my ‘world tour’ will take me to Japan, Korea, Taiwan,Hong Kong, Melbourne, Sydney, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto.”

Read the full article here — Boom Boom Magazine #03.

Text: Anders Houmøller Thomsen
Photography: Raw Format