All this week, Swedish House Mafia don Steve Angello will be sitting pretty as inthemix Guest Editor as we count down to Future Music Festival. In his second feature, he dishes up some advice for budding producers and reveals what being a label boss is all about.

Being a label boss

I run my label Size Records, and through that I can give opportunities to people that I was never given as a young artist. I think we’ve found a lot of talented guys and being involved in developing them is what keeps me going. I can only develop so much…you get bored after a while.

Getting these young guys in on the stable keeps everything fresh. I help them out 24/7, from logos to artwork to their social networks to release dates to tours. For example we’ve been finishing off my brother AN21’s album and it sounds amazing.

They give me music, and I’m the only one who has it. That takes me back, because I used to buy white labels and I’d be the only guy to play these 10 records in my set. I’d be the only guy in the world. I think that excitement gets lost today with the digital world. I receive a promo from an artist, but then it’s out the next week.

Keeping that feeling is important for DJs: you want to be exclusive, you want to be first. Otherwise, I could just burn off the Beatport Top Ten chart and say: “Perfect, here’s my new show.” I’m always editing records and making bootlegs. If there’s a record I really love, I’ll go in and make a re-edit of it.

If it’s your track, nothing, nothing beats playing it out. It’s the best feeling in the world. It doesn’t matter about money. Appreciation for what you’ve put so much time and effort into is what really matters. That’s the satisfaction right there.

Making it in dance music

I always say: Do your thing. Don’t listen to anybody’s records and then go home and create something that sounds exactly the same. Do you. Create your own path. I remember after we did One, I got sent 900 versions of One. Now you can go on YouTube to find out how to make anything. It’s amazing for people who want to learn, but then you have to make your own way.

I remember when I was a kid and no one liked my music. How do you tell a 14-year-old kid that their music is shit? But I heard that the hard way because then there was vinyl, and vinyl was expensive. So for a label to pick up your record, they had to make sure it would sell. Otherwise it would lose money. It would cost between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds to put out a record. So at the time it was, like: “No, you guys are shit.” So you’d have to improve and improve. The gamble was harder then: you couldn’t upload it and it’s out there. It’s easy to do what everyone else is doing, but coming up with something is the hard part.

I have got calls from so many pop artists asking me for records. To be honest, it’s going to reach a boiling point, but the strong will survive. Just having one commercial hit doesn’t make a DJ. Being able to go through the rough times when your music wasn’t appreciated, the ups and downs, lefts and rights; that’s what makes you strong.

The Swedish House Mafia album

I hate to say that we’re working on an album, but I would say that we’re working on a lot of music. If that becomes an album, then okay. I just hate this thing of: Let’s do an album. Because every time I think that, I work for one year towards it and then it doesn’t end up being an album.

At first I thought that the whole album concept is very dated, but then I changed my mind. A lot of people use outside producers to make their music so they can constantly tour while releasing new records. But we’re not like that, so I think that’s why it takes us a while.

We need to get three guys with individual careers in the studio together. The Swedish House Mafia is three guys with individual careers coming together and having fun. We’re having a blast doing it. We grew up together. It’s like three rock guitarists who went to the same school but ended up in different bands and then reunited. We love to go on new adventures.

Steve Angello is here all week as Guest Editor, so stay tuned for more from the Swedish House Mafioso and don’t forget to enter our biggest comp ever to win A Swedish House Mafia House Party At Your Place!