Tru Thoughts is as much of a Brighton institution, as The Royal Pavilion is a Brighton landmark. Having released music from the likes of Bonobo, Quantic, Alice Russel and many more – Tru Thoughts has claimed the title, as one of the best independent labels in the game.

Born, and initially run from a room underneath Rob's stairs, Tru Thoughts only a few months back last year, celebrated 18 years in the music industry – with an exceptional show at the Brighton Dome. Bringing together some of their finest artists such as New Orleans Hot 8 Brass Band, alongside newer signings such as Werkha & Bryony Jarman-Pinto, the party blended funk, soul and electronic across two stages.   

A DJ in his own right (and a damn good one), who sometimes goes under the moniker of Nirobi, hosts Unfold Radio on 1BTN, and puts on a monthly night at everyone's favourite Brighton dig, The Green Door Store called Sonic Switch; we caught up with co-founder & A&R of Tru Thoughts – Robert Luis. 

We really enjoyed the Tru Thoughts 18^th birthday at the Brighton Dome last October…. How did it feel to have so many artists play Brighton, where the label all begun?

It was a really positive experience and a reminder of how far the label has progressed. We used to have all the artists together at events when the label first started, but as the artists got more popular, it became difficult to book them as they were so busy. It was also nice to have the new generation of artists playing like Rhi, Werkha, Bryony Jarman Pinto and J Felix.

18 years in the game, and still one of the best independent record labels around, what do you pin Tru Thoughts success down to?

From the feedback I get, I feel people really know Tru Thoughts as a label that supports creative artists and their vision. We do not interfere too much in an A&R way and understand that good artists possibly need guidance on the business but when making music they have to decide what is best for their artistic vision without too much input from a label. I think that has allowed music fans to discover the label and artists rather than having too much hype. The fact that more established artists like Flowdan, Zed Bias aka Maddslinky, Omar and Riz have all worked with us in releasing their music too, shows that this creative policy at Tru Thoughts works.

You have another office in the US, however, have kept Tru Thoughts in the UK very Brighton-central, were you ever tempted to move it up to London?

There have been very short discussions about that over the years, but we quickly decide we want to stay in Brighton. I think part of what makes Tru Thoughts unique is being based here. Brighton is generally a very open-minded place and being quite small compared to most UK cities; we punch above our weight with creativity. We are also close enough to London to go up and do business whenever needed. I also think independent businesses play an important role in providing jobs in Brighton so feel it is important to stay here.  

You've come a long way since Bonobo's - Animal Magic and Phonic Hoop club nights, what has Tru Thoughts got planned for the future?

I am very excited about the new Rhi album. Especially as this is the first solo/vocal project we have released on the label where the artists has written, engineered, produced, played, arranged and sung on all the tracks.

Being a bit more established now means we are getting offered a lot of great music, so I think we can continue to support new talented artists as well as continue to work with the more established artists and that is a great balance to have in a creative business.