Record Label PR File: Peacefrog

Introduction: Peacefrog has dedicated itself to entirely different genres of music in its time. Once home to the notoriously reclusive house/techno DJ Moodymann, the label, run by ex-DJ Pete Hutchinson (pictured above), offers American folk, singer-songwriters and is now exploring contemporary pop music. A lot of the artists are American or Swedish born. Sound-engineering and mastering are another side to Peacefrog's business.

History: Finding himself unemployed and looking for a career in the music industry other than as a DJ, Hutchinson founded Peacefrog: "I wanted to get involved in production. I didn't really have any other idea - I was into music and wanted to make cash!" Detroit and Chicago house records made up the very early releases, but once that "exploded in creativity", Hutchinson rifled through record shops to find alternative music, moving on to American folk and singer-songwriters.

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What they say: "What we look for is an artist is one whereby I would want to go and buy their record. If it is good, the sales side of it comes naturally. But we do sign left-of-field, avant-garde acts even we like even if they won't make money," says Hutchinson.

Notable acts: Past big names include DJ Moodymann. Currently, French band Nouvelle Vague and José González.

Top tips for 2007: Singer-songwriter Findlay Brown, who released an album last month, has been likened to Paul Simon.

Few labels have charted such varied waters as Peacefrog. At its inception in 1992 the label was at the forefront of putting out house, techno and electronic records. But after the mid-Nineties, Peacefrog mellowed, diversifying into more folksy and pop music.

So what caused the drastic change? "I found the house music scene becoming repetitive. The best records were all made in the mid-Nineties and it went downhill from there," says Pete Hutchinson, label founder and managing director.

"What was an exciting revolution in terms of clubs and parties was hijacked by the mainstream. It became music for dads to listen to and Radio 1 DJs to play." At that time, Hutchinson was finding most of his signings in the US: "Chicago was the home of house, techno came out of Detroit and I found the rootsy side of it was still there." Indeed, according to Hutchinson, part of what brought the downfall of the genre was "European watering-down."

Hutchinson, himself a former DJ, disputes that electronic music was just a fad that captured people's attention.

"It doesn't matter what instrument you're on, whether it's a Fender or a sampler, it has just got to be innovative. I suspect that people just wrote off house without really listening to it," he says. "We're all scared of genres of music we don't know about and at that time there wasn't the easy access to music via the internet that we have today."

But Hutchinson is confident of house and techno's legacy. "Punk was significant, but acid house lasted 20 years!"

Once the market had dulled, Peacefrog realised it would have to diversify or die. Hutchinson went to record shops and found out about the alternative country music scene in the United States.

Athough initially Peacefrog's acts were American, the more recent folk signings are on the UK music scene. The up-and-coming Findlay Brown is from Yorkshire and cites influences from John Martyn to Nick Drake.

Ever mellow, but of a different cast, a couple of years ago Peacefrog signed Nouvelle Vague. Their first album sold an unexpected 300,000 copies and gave the label a new lease of life.

Now, with only half a dozen artists on the books at any time, a large part of the business comes from mastering and cutting records for other independent labels as well as licensing tracks for use in advertising. Their artists' music has accompanied T-Mobile, Tropicana, Nescafé and, for the label, Sony Bravia, which launched José González into the public conscious.

Hutchinson's love of music goes back to his childhood. "I got into music through my older brothers. When I was growing up you got a dole cheque and with that you could get a sixteenth of hash and a record from Our Price. I bought records because I liked the look of the cover. I started collecting records, seeing DJs and making notes on what they were playing."

As his brothers changed taste, so did Hutchinson, which helps explain the dexterity with which Peacefrog has reinvented itself. He was exposed to Crosby, Stills and Nash, Led Zeppelin and Mötorhead early on, followed by jazz, soul, northern soul, funk, rare groove and late Eighties house music from friends.

"I think it's important to have been around a while," he says. "The Seventies and Eighties were important and to be successful you need in-depth knowledge of what happened 40 years ago as well as what's going on now."

So is Hutchinson ready to predict the next big thing? "No," he says. "It will depend on whoever comes up with something of good quality. There's a lot of mileage in electronic music if it's innovative enough and there are a lot of good singer-songwriters, but I can't predict genres."

But for Peacefrog, the year is more calculated - and it will be eclectic as usual. "We're working with a Swedish band called Little Dragon who do contemporary pop. They have female vocals and are very unique," Hutchinson says.

Then there's Aril Brikha, also from Sweden, with a techno recording due. And José González has also just confirmed that he will be collaborating on a documentary with Kylie Minogue.

"We've always got our ears open," says Hutchinson. "Anything is a possibility in the future."