I guess that’s always been my problem. The geeks of this world are amongst the most focused people in it. However, while I can concentrate, I am all too easily distracted. This has been something that I have been conscious of for a long time, but only now am I trying to do something about it. I guess it’s the age-old problem of procrastination, only of the more perennial variety. In other words I have no problem working to deadlines, but I do let things slide long term. In other words I’m not out there go getting enough.
So I’m really thinking of starting a record label at the moment. Musical direction to an extent undecided, but on the other hand I have plenty of ideas. If I were to list my favourite labels it wouldn't be too difficult, there are loads depending on the day. However, some always make the cut: Mosaic, Ferox, Perlon, Svek and Underground Resistance to name five. It goes without saying that an all-encompassing label like Warp will always be there, as well as Axis and Red Planet. More recently Central Processing Unit, Craigie Knowes, Dolly, Shipwrec and Tici Taci have been consistently excellent and, coming from another perspective, Joule Imprint, Fake Society and Berg Audio. All of these imprints have strong identities and styles. Obvious I suppose, but the point is often missed. Anyway, so many good things out there already, it’s more difficult than ever to make an impression.
So how to stop procrastinating and get down to business? Buy a load of white inner sleeves, a stamp, some ink and settle on a direction. Now seems to be the worse time ever to embark on this sort of adventure. Is it necessary to even press vinyl anymore? There’s no way I would run a vinyl only label in the current climate. Plenty do this very well though. How long does it take to build up a following? How do you promote in the current climate? Is it ethical to run a limited edition label with no represses thus ensuring the sharks move in sooner rather than later? (As long as your product is desirable of course). What is the initial outlay? What are the risks? What is the direction? Should the label adopt a narrow but serious focus?
As usual I’ve been thinking about mixes and have once more realised that in spite of lockdown and all the time spent at home, I haven’t recorded a mix during that time. So next week I shall sort this out and get cracking. I have bought a few new records over the past four or five months so a process of distillation will begin. Not having done any mixes myself hasn't stopped me from listening to loads. One which I’ve ben returning to again and again recently is John Osborne’s ‘Breathecast 004’ which I don’t listen to from start to finish, but pick it up around half way when it turns into a rave. Once it picks up the pace it’s superb. It’s only a short one but manages to get so much across in so little time. More than anything though, I’m anxious to learn the names of some of the tracks. He said a few weeks ago that the track list would go up in a week, so it looks like I’ll have to be patient. Something which has given me a lot of mix listening time is walking and running. Ever since the beginning of lockdown I’ve walked or run at least five kilometers a day. At the moment I’m in a running break in order to give my legs a rest. Walking is better for listening to music anyway. You don’t contemplate as much when running, unless you’re not listening. Consequently, I mostly don't stick my airpods in when running as they interfere with meditation. I’m aware of how pretentious this all sounds, but what are we doing when running and not plugged in, unless it’s reflection? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. All of the Steve O’Sullivan Mosaic series of mixes are excellent and, if any sound could be said to be one that I live my life by, then it’s that. This is something which is extended and developed by the Romanian school of minimalism and on record, if not necessarily always behind the decks, by Ricardo Villalobos.
Having said that, his recent contribution to the Essential Mix with Raresh shows the Romanian’s influence more than his in my opinion. The Hilltown Disco collection is also interesting, but more in the electro direction that that of the elongated groove, and I suppose my perfect mix is one which combines the two approaches. And I said that not being nerdy enough is something that has possibly held me back. However, my approach to mixing and putting together a good set is forensic, at least when I’m doing one at home. I’ve always thought it necessary to build up from virtual scratch with the pitch set to zero. In other words it’s rare for me to crash into something at full momentum. This is in complete opposition to the way things often pan out when playing out unless you’re the warm up, or a beyond reproach headliner. Another extension of the groove is trance. Not as a genre but an adjective. This doesn’t mean that the bona fide records can’t be deployed, but sparingly I think. It obviously depends though innit? I was listening to this mix by Mr. Assister and I really like some of the sounds and tunes, but as a mix it gets a bit boring after a while. Of course the past trance being made at the moment isn’t trance at all. It’s chiasmic deep house with a stellar bent. Spaced out shit that contains multitudes. Going back to John Osborne again, I feel that this is one of his calling cards. Once things start rolling then we’re ready to add layers of momentum and groove. The challenge for me at least though, is to keep on returning to elements that have occurred earlier in the mix and allow them to be repeat motifs throughout its entirety. Repetition through stealth is a difficult trick to manage. The other side of all of this is the non-linear style that comes laden with bumps in the road, albeit with the ability to flatten them out. When I look at the waveform of one of my mixes there are always loads of fluctuations, and then I see one which looks like a solid rectangle. Does this imply a lack of variety? Not necessarily, although it probably points to a uniform intensity. Different angles in my opinion. So, still wrestling with the idea of doing a mix, and have decided to select records for it this evening, with a view to getting started on it early next week. The watch the floodgates open. Start it off broken and electro orientated, pick up the pace after the first 25%, keep it throbbing for the next 50%, and devolve into an eventual sonic essence for the final quarter. Like this post, really.
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