THE
NYC LABELS - part 2 - (part one here)
and local artists that
call them home - by Liz Shcroeter
What’s
Your Rupture?
Pretty new to the scene and still a small operation,
What’s Your Rupture’s first full-length
release, Love is All Nine Times That Same Song, has
gotten enormous praise for the Swedish band’s
lo-fi pop. With a roster that also includes vinyl
releases for lo-fi imports The Long Blondes and Brooklyn’s
caUSE co-MOTION, the What’s Your Rupture? bands
are often found banging it out at The Cake Shop, and
are turning heads with the likes of Pitchforkmedia.com
and local hipsters.
When asked what makes him decide
to sign certain bands, What’s Your Rupture?
man Kevin Pedersen says it’s simply when, “You’re
sure that a song is the best thing you ever heard.
Your mind runs wild and you don’t have to think
about it.” And should we send in our demos?
“I could use some demos... no one sends me anything.”
Downtown
One of the newest labels on the NYC scene, Downtown
has come out of the gates sprinting with their first
three releases: Eagles of Death Metal Death By Sexy,
Art Brut’s US release of the much loved import
Bang, Bang, Rock and Roll, and Gnarls Barkley (the
genre-bending collaboration between Dangermouse and
Cee-Lo) St. Elsewhere. Certainly the label’s
quick success is helped by the fact that their infrastructure
includes major label exec and record producer Josh
Deutsch. Clearly someone who knows the ins and outs
of the music business (having done A&R for big
artists like Courtney Love for example), Deutsch decided
to branch out on his own and started Downtown in 2006.
The label has its own small staff and an office downtown
(where else?), but a distribution deal through ADA
and a joint venture with Atlantic Records in North
America has really helped make these three big releases
as big as they outta be.
What’s next for Downtown? Chicago
band Wax on Radio’s full length titled Exposition
comes out this fall.
LABELS THAT DO IT DIFFERENTLY
VICE
Records
Before there was a VICE Records, there was the edgy
Montreal magazine VICE that celebrated all things
hedonistic. Pretty much your standard sex, drugs and
rock n roll winning equation. And since rock n roll
is a key part of that triumvirate, it was only natural
that VICE would launch a record label. By that time,
VICE also had a thriving NYC magazine, and Brooklyn
ended up being home to VICE Records. The label has
released albums from The Streets, Bloc Party and Death
From Above 1979 amongst others. Besides these artists
being pretty successful on their own, VICE has added
to their appeal by making them a part of the VICE
brand. Since VICE is so much more than just a label
(presently there is also VICE Film, VICE TV, clothing,
stores and even VICE Books, and their empire spans
twelve nations making VICE an all-inclusive media
empire!) their reputation for cheeky debauchery and
good times leaves its mark on all of their products.
Additionally, being so much more than just a record
label, VICE Records knows better than to adapt any
old indie label model and applies out of the box thinking
when it comes to the way they operate and market their
bands. This reputation for cutting edge thinking and
music has led to VICE’S roll this summer as
curator of the second annual Intonation Music Festival
in Chicago!
As far as deciding which bands to
work with, Jamie Farkas of VICE Records says, “It’s
always been important to us that we get along with
our bands, that we like them as people. We want to
work with artists who we want to hang out with, go
to dinner with, etc. VICE is a family.” She
adds, “The one thing we are always looking for
in bands that we sign is that they are career artists.
We’re not about a first album being an end all
or be all, it’s a starting point for a long
life, and we want bands who see themselves having
long careers and know they we as a label support that
and will nurture that.”
She also assures us they listen to
all the demos that come in, and there are a lot of
them! “The array of the types of demos we get
is something I find very flattering. The fact that
anyone from an MC to a singer/songwriter to a noise
band can see themselves having a home on VICE to me
says we have proven ourselves as a label with the
ability to break artists across the board, not just
from a certain sound or scene.”
Nublu
What is Nublu? Is it a venue? A group of musicians?
A record label? Really, it’s all of the above,
which makes this NYC label truly unique. Three years
ago a group of musician friends, who had come from
all over the world to find themselves in the East
Village, got together and starting making music. Their
varied backgrounds lent sounds like dub, soul, Brazilian
rhythm and global beats to the mix. Out of that magical
mélange came bands including Kudu, Wax Poetic
and the much loved Brazilian Girls.
Not wanting the international jam
session to end, saxophonist and composer Ilhan Ersahin
launched Nublu the venue and the label to give these
musicians a place to play and a home for their recorded
music. Ersahin plays in several of the Nublu groups
whose music ranges from jazz to world to electronic.
The venue itself is tucked away, a small space on
Ave. C, providing a cozy respite for these likeminded
musicians and a showcase for some truly unique NYC
melting-pot music.
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This diverse list of local labels
barely scratches the surface of NYC’s thriving
indie record label community. And certainly the labels
creating a buzz this year might fade away just as
likely as they might launch a musical dynasty that
will impress us for years to come. You never know.
The encouraging thing is that there is no shortage
of dedicated music fans ready to take the time and
energy (and personal financial investments!) to independently
release new music in this town. From the old pros
to the young upstarts, NYC has countless, sundry homes
for indie music.
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