The Indelible Lane of House Music Carved by PIV Records Boss Prunk
Nowadays, the name Prunk is virtually synonymous with PIV Records. The Dutch house label has made good on its promise to build upon the rich dance music legacies of places like New York City and Chicago, emphasizing an inclusive philosophy towards nightlife along the way. Few may realize how much Prunk has contributed to the culture with his own releases.
Prunk, née Nilz Pronk, is of Dutch-Indonesian descent. His career as a recording artist extends back at least as far as 2010 when he collaborated with Norman Soares on the EP Cirque du Soleil via Masal. The title track’s trumpet sample and energizing bass stabs offered a glimpse of what was to come from the producer, with “Carma” offering a more tranquil, reverb delay-soaked permutation of his budding style.
From 2013 on, Prunk’s output increased. That year, he collaborated with PONY on the Disluv EP on Electronique, opting for a UK garage-infused sound defined by bouncy bass lines and soulful vocal refrains. In 2014 he followed it up with a solo EP titled Make U Crazy that saw him dive more deeply into a classic, Chicago house-inspired sound.
2015, of course, marked the launch of PIV Records, which Prunk dedicated to this time-tested style. The label’s first releases arrived by way of artists like Roland Nights, Yusuke Yamamoto, and Chris Stussy — the latter of whom shares label head duties. Parallel to his work on PIV Records, Prunk still toiled away on his music in the background. That same year, he released the Life EP on Moulton Music and the collaborative effort What I Do alongside Bas Roos on Inner City Records.
It wasn’t until the following year that Prunk put out his music through PIV Records. The Sexy Brasil EP marked the label’s fourth release, combining classic themes with minimal house overtones. His two 2017 collaborations with Stussy carried out this evolution: the Brooklyn Tears EP via PIV and Material / The System on Berlin label EWax.
More recently, Prunk returned to PIV Records in 2020 with the four-track Through The Walls EP. He followed it up with an EP titled Perception Of Groove on French label Djebali that encapsulates a decidedly current update to his evolving style. Crisp leads and smooth bass lines now carry his distinguished sound signature. It is at once old and new, paying homage to the roots of house while adding European flavor.
Prunk has also established a formidable presence as an internationally touring DJ. A regular at Amsterdam gatherings like STRAF_WERK, Awakenings, and DGTL, he’s graced the decks from Monaco to Barcelona, Zürich to Sao Paulo, and even the white isle of Ibiza.
Where will Prunk’s musings take him next? Only time will tell. One thing is certain: you should follow him closely to get a sneak peek into the future of true-to-form house music.
