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Private company

Tru Thoughts

Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

British independent record label

Tru Thoughts is a British independent record label founded in Brighton in 1999 by Robert Luis and Paul Jonas. The label has put out over 200 LPs of electronic, funk, soul, hip hop, jazz, tropical, grime and other music.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1999Founded1

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Tru Thoughts is a British independent record label founded in Brighton in 1999 by Robert Luis and Paul Jonas. The label has put out over 200 LPs of electronic, funk, soul, hip hop, jazz, tropical, grime and other music.2

The story

In September 1999, after running club nights "Phonic: hoop" and "Shake Yer Wig", Paul Jonas and Robert Luis, two music-obsessed friends, launched their own label. From Luis' home, Tru Thoughts began with its first 12" EP, Steady's Alarming Frequency. Bonobo's debut album Animal Magic followed in 2000 and Quantic's debut The 5th Exotic in 2001.

In 2009, Tru Thoughts marked its 10th anniversary with a 3-disc compilation. In 2017, Tru Thoughts celebrated its 18th birthday with an all-day event at London's Roundhouse, with appearances from Quantic, Alice Russell, the Hot 8 Brass Band, Anchorsong and Rodney P.

From Wikipedia’s article on Tru Thoughts, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

Tru Thoughts has a publishing company called Full Thought Publishing. The music from the label has been used in adverts and appeared in films and TV programs.

Tru Thoughts organizes club nights in Brighton and London, and broadcasts on several radio stations.

It has subsidiary labels Unfold Records, for compilation releases, and Zebra Traffic, for UK hip hop.

From Wikipedia’s article on Tru Thoughts, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1999Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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