Cease 2 Exist: Reshaping the Sounds of Despair
In the alleys of Stockholm’s underground, where the air reeks of defiance and creativity, lies Cease 2 Exist (C2E)—an enigma, a rebellion, and a declaration. Founded by the provocateur Jonas Rönnberg, better known as Varg²™, C2E is not just a record label but a manifesto of disruption. This is a space where experimental electronic dance music contorts into industrial anthems, and collaboration becomes a weapon against the predictable.
Born from chaos, the name itself—a sardonic reference to a legal skirmish over Rönnberg's moniker "Varg"—mocks conformity. Varg²™ emerged from the ashes of that battle with Fuck Varg, an incendiary EP that signaled his evolution into the unruly, genre-warping force that defines C2E. This label’s sonic identity bleeds into its aesthetic—a dystopian collision of hyperpop, industrial rhythms, and avant-garde ambient, all tinged with a self-aware nihilism.
C2E thrives on collaborations and experimental releases that embody the label's visceral ethos:
Van Boom’s Prosthetics and its remixes (Prosthetics Remixed) redefine hard dance, grinding industrial textures with chaotic urgency.
Varg²™ & Bladee’s SHINIE, and the haunting remix by Escha & Ytem, blend ethereal vocals with trance-infused melancholy.
Zozolqa’s Bloody Dust and Numb the Pain strip back to raw, anguished sonic landscapes, evoking visceral catharsis.
FAKETHIAS’ Excess breaks boundaries between ambient and deconstructed club music.
DJ Worm’s GABA Music Vol. 1 is a hyperactive maelstrom of high-BPM chaos.
Compilations like C2E - Emergency for Gaza remind us of the political heartbeat within the label. These releases channel the desolation of the present moment into a sound that’s unflinching, unapologetic, and necessary.
Even the collaborative projects tell a story of rebellion and intimacy:
The Empire Line’s SPEED and Varg²™’s Hollow Point are anthems for fractured realities.
James Wallace’s SUBURB LEGEND narrates suburban decay through experimental EDM.
Yen Towers & Mini Esco’s See No Evil, Hear No Evil crafts a haunting balance between noise and silence.
But no discussion of C2E is complete without its fearless leader. Varg²™’s prolific output, including Siren Call, Exit Wounds, and C2E (ft. Bladee), reveals his dedication to dismantling traditional structures of electronic music. Albums like Hollow Point and collaborations such as LD50 (ft. RXK Nephew) emphasize his mastery in weaving the grotesque with the sublime.
C2E’s influence isn’t just sonic—it’s cultural. With bold merchandise, a distinct visual identity, and a community of outliers orbiting its gravitational pull, the label is more than a brand; it’s a reckoning.
In a world desperate to conform, Cease 2 Exist is the sound of refusal.
For those brave enough to face it, the noise offers brutal clarity. Through the lens of Varg²™, clarity has never looked so bleak—or so beautiful.
Explore this chaos at Cease 2 Exist or dive into its catalog on Bandcamp.
all images from varg's + cease2exist instagram + google search. we do not claim rights to any of those images.
