You can't have a serious conversation about the legacy of underground house music without mentioning Alan Russell's Black Vinyl label. Since 1996, the label has been known for a special kind of deep, funky, house music with a layer of soul unique in every release and unique to the sound of Black Vinyl. Responsible for breaking new artists from all over Europe including DJ Chus & David Penn, Rasmus Faber, Paulo Rocha, but also exposing Europe to American artists such as <Kerri Chandler, Miguel Migs and DJ Spen.
The art of finding the proper releases to represent the character of the label is no easy task, as it was nearly three years between releases before returning with Dj Ermi's "Dolce Profondo". Fortunately for the music world, Black Vinyl continues with a steady stream of solid new releases from many fresh faces. The many different incarnations of the sound, artists, artwork, and timeless classics that make up the label continue on with Mauritzio's "Wanna Be" featuring Lavern, Masahiro Suzuki's "Wondazloop", and Trio's "Nara's City Nights".
Stompy - The label was one of the most prolific labels of its time--the black cover with distinct white writing was a staple in the record shop. Do you have a moment that you knew the BV brand was a hit?
Alan - Well we didn't start using those black and white printed bags until release number 26 (or was it 27?) but I'm glad they stick in your memory! To be honest I've never been particularly aware that 'the BV brand' was or is 'a hit'. We just put out music that we love and if the Black Vinyl 'brand' helps, then it's all good.
Stompy - With the conscious effort of putting out only music that you love, was the idea of starting a label born first, or was it the music that you received that pushed you to start Black Vinyl?
Alan - A combination of both. I originally started BV as the 'Trax' off-shoot of the label i managed, Hott Records. The idea was that Hott would go for the more mainstream side of things, with the big name remixes, radio promotion, all that stuff....so i really wanted a label for the Underground cuts that i was playing in the clubs at the time. Originally i was looking to license tracks from the US for release in Europe, but it soon became clear that that wasn't really viable so i decided to only release original material that i owned worldwide. After Hott folded i took over Black Vinyl and from then on it was very much a case of only releasing stuff i love.
Stompy - After a three year hiatus, why did you decide to bring the label back?
Alan - It wasn't really a deliberate decision to take such a long break. The simple truth is that i didn't receive anything that was worthy of a release on BV. I didn't want to do endless remixes of the old stuff.Then i did start getting sent stuff i liked and that i believed in, so it seemed like it was the right time to start up again.
Stompy - How were you spending your time during the break?
Alan - You decide....I was either -
a) In prison
b) In rehab
c) On a beach
or
d) Touring the world playing bass in a Clash tribute band
Stompy - What do you feel is the biggest challenge running a record label now as opposed to when you started BV?
Alan - Now it's all about trying to get visibility for your releases amongst the thousands of others. It's way too easy to miss the good stuff.
Stompy - What have you seen is an effective way for an artist or label to get visibility amongst the thousands?
Alan - Hmmm...not sure i've figured that out yet! Whilst it's annoying (if understandable) that some sites still 'prioritise' the 'big names' and labels, it's great that people can discover (and hopefully buy) back catalogue. Before digital, that was simply not possible as stores only stocked the new stuff and maybe a few old copies of catalogue. I've also found that often a track can have a spike in sales in a particular digi store or territory that is completely independent of any promotion or marketing.
Stompy - Does the London scene still have an influence on the label?
Alan - No and i don't think it ever has had. I have always released music that i like, regardless of where it was from or what 'scene' it fitted into. The question you should ask is how, over the years, have we influenced the London scene!
Stompy - How has Black Vinyl influenced the London scene?;))
Alan - Ha haaa....well i'm sure there are plenty in London who would say we haven't, but in my opinion we paved the way for a quite a lot of things. For example we were amongst the first UK labels to not try and make our releases look like US pressings. Back in the Hott days contemporary labels would shrink-wrap their releases and put a New York area telephone number on them. We put "Made In London" in big letters on the label! We were also one of the first UK underground labels to start signing new and previously unreleased artists, The trend until then for UK labels had been to sign or license releases by established US artitsts, with remixes for the "UK market". I think we were also amongst the first UK labels to sign and release a lot of music from elsewhere in Europe. So we had Paulo Rocha from Portugal (first release), DJ Chus & David Penn from Spain (first release), Rasmus Faber from Sweden (first release) etc. It was just the idea that underground house music was a worldwide thing that didn't have to come from New York, Chicago or Detroit that, at the time, was qute novel.
Stompy - Where do you feel the house scene is headed right now?
Alan - I don't really know. Musically I guess it will continue to fragment into endless sub-genres and sub-sub-genres. And there will continue to be far too much of it. Without the filters of label bosses, A&R men, distributors and retailers, all of whom in the past had the power to say "no", anyone can make a track in GarageBand or Fruity loops and be selling it on-line (or giving it away for free in an attempt to boost their DJ profile) before you can say "amateurish, derivative, self-indulgent shite". But there seems to be something of a resurgence of the Deep and Soulful vibe, so that's very positive in my opinion.
Stompy - What are some of the newer artists that are exciting to you now?
Alan - I like some of the South African artists, I like a lot of Japanese producers like Masahiro Suzuki and Trio, and i think DJ Ermi from Italy is destined for mega-stardom!
Stompy - What is your A&R process like? Do you listen to many demos, or do you actively search for talent and reach out for music?
Alan - There's no hard and fast rules. Sometimes i just listen to the demos i've been sent, sometimes I dig around on SoundCloud or MySpace etc (that's how i found Trio and Masahiro Suzuki) and sometimes i'll put out a little call for new material in an e-mail or whatever....either way the A&R process is the same. If me and Janet (the wife) like it, we'll sign it and release it!
Stompy - If you were to perform a set comprised of only the Black Vinyl catalogue, what would be your opening single as an introduction, what would be the defining single played during the peak hour, and what would be the single you close with to leave the lasting impression?
Alan - What do you mean, I play sets comprised entirely of Black Vinyl on a regular basis! Just kidding (sort of). I'd start with 'Moody State Of Mind' by DJ Pope (Blak Beat Niks Mix), peak with Arnold Jarvis 'Rising Into Joy' and end with 'Dreamwalker' by Paulo Rocha...or maybe 'Wanna Be' by Maurizio featuring Levern just so peeps could go to sleep humming it and buy it from Stompy when they woke up!
Coming Up on Black Vinyl:
DJ Ermi - Dolce E Profondo E.P Vol 2
Mauritzio Feat. Levern - Wanna Be - Remixes
Trio - Nara City Nights Vol 2
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