Input - Output Inc.

Turns out these people don't just have a nifty t-shirt design you can buy online at Goat King.

Since 1999 Input - Output Inc. has worked with people like Neil Landstrumm, Dave Tarrida, Tobias Schmidt, Bill Youngman, Si Begg, Michael Forshaw, Tube Jerk, Steve Glencross, Jason Leach, Al Tourettes, and Paul Birken.

Most of these people would make regular Fun In The Murky lurkers a little green with envy, and much of the back-catalogue stuff has been on vinyl, but recently the label has steered into the digital domain as well.

As a digital carrier they've also seen fit to help out a wad of like-minded fellow indie electronic labels.

"The idea for the 'new' site was basically to set up a platform for friends and labels I like, so it would be easy for everybody to get their stuff available," says Jon, better known as producer Cynthia Stern - the mover-and-shaker behind Input - Output Inc.

The imprints piggybacking on the platform include Tonewrecker, Slappy Recordings, Klangnet, Bonus Round, Elektrax, Combat, Rag & Bone and Digital Distortions, and we've run our own label IF? through them since February - probably because I dig and admire all these other previously-mentioned people.

The site itself also looks sweet.

"It isn't as huge as Beatport, where I actually think it's hard to find good stuff," Jon says. "And since there's no massive company behind i-o-inc.com, it's rather easy to keep the prices down as well. There's so much good music here. We're currently working on a new 'mix' section, so there'll be even more stuff to enjoy soon."

Picking your own favorite musicians and labels - when you run a label and digital music carrier yourself - can be a diabolically tricky call.

"Hmm, this is always a tough one," Jon agrees.

"But I'm a great fan of Tobias Schmidt's sound, rough-and-ready but still so extremely well-produced. I also must mention Subhead, of course - way ahead of their time, 'ruckno' as Jason [Leach] himself calls it. Nowadays i really dig the new bassy sound from the UK, loads of nice dubstep, bassline and ravey stuff coming from there on labels like Coin Operated, Rag & Bone, and the list goes on..."

Childhood influences are another matter, especially for this particular producer born in late '70s Gothenburg, in Sweden - a place I visited for one day several years ago, but chiefly only remember for its trams.

"I was well into a Swedish band called Imperiet, or The Empire," Jon laughs, "and my dad used to brainwash me with Neil Young, Talking Heads, and all that, so I guess that counts as well. There was always music around when I grew up."

Jon has an extensive back-catalogue of his own as Cynthia Stern, on labels like Noodles, Urban Electro Squad and Database.

"I guess I first got into electronic music making thanks to my old mate J Antoni , but then he turned more into a house producer and I just kept going with what I wanted to do. My sound, I think, has just evolved through the years; I don't know if it's unique or not - it's basically just having a laugh."

That laugh seems to have lately been stretched between job commitments, the label, the digital platform, web design, production, and a hectic personal life.

"I haven't been in the studio for quite some time now," Jon admits. "But recently I've been writing tracks with Teutonic Kaboom from Manchester, and I'm about to do a project with Lief Ryan. Besides that, I've just worked a lot on my live set, which has been good fun playing out. I actually DJ'd for the first time in ages the other week in Berlin, and it was proper fun playing all the new stuff out on a good sound-system."

Labelwise, there's also much to look out for.

"I've just released an EP ['Follow'] by myself, with remixes from nice people like Warlock, Smashback, The Wee DJs, Faceless Mind, and Paul Birken. For the future, nothing is written in stone but it looks like there will be releases from Bill Youngman, Dave Tarrida and Debasser - but since vinyl sales are really slow right now, I cant really say where and when."

NOTE: Cynthia Stern photo by Skerries.