RELEVANT PARTIES

In the next episode of our monthly RELEVANT PARTIES podcast series, Carhartt WIP features Adrian Sherwood, the legendary English dub music record producer and founder of labels such as Green Tea, Pressure Sounds, and @on-u-sound-records. 

As a producer, Sherwood worked with luminaries including Vivian Goldman, Creation Rebel, Cabaret Voltaire, and Lee “Scratch” Perry, while also shaping remixed compositions for the likes of Primal Scream, Depeche Mode and Einstürzende Neubauten.

His most influential label, On-U Sound, is stylistically rooted between dub, experimental, Reggae, post-Punk, and electronica, and is known for groundbreaking releases by artists and collectives, from African Head Charge and Singers & Players to Bim Sherman and Tackhead. In recent years, Sherwood has worked with contemporary acts, like the Japanese trio Nisennenmondai and UK ensemble The Near Jazz Experience, as well as releasing cutting-edge bass music together with Bristol’s dubstep wizard Pinch.

For this episode, host Chal Ravens sat down with Adrian Sherwood to discuss squatting with Ari Up and Neneh Cherry, dub reggae philosophy, and why you should never trust a hippy.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - On-U Sound

In the next episode of our monthly podcast series RELEVANT PARTIES, we speak to producer, DJ and founder of @exitrecords, Darren White, better known as @dbridge_exitrecords. Since 2003, his label has dropped music that’s “true to the craft,” exploring new avenues of sound and helping reshape UK club culture in the process, through an eclectic mix of drum and bass, jungle, autonomic, footwork, juke, hip-hop, and soul.

The label’s roster includes legendary acts such as @goldie-official’s Rufige Kru project, British multi-instrumentalist Steve Spacek, Northern Irish producer @calibresignature, and production duo Instra:mental, as well as contemporary drum and bass producers like @jeffreydolenz, @fixate_uk, @workforce_uk, and dBridge himself.

For this episode, RELEVANT PARTIES host Chal Ravens sat down with dBridge, currently based in Antwerp, to explore the world of Exit Records and his own personal backstory. Together, they discussed how he threw himself into drum and bass after a turbulent childhood, became a pioneer of digital technology before returning to analogue machines, and his unerring desire to push things forward.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - Exit Records

In the next episode of our monthly RELEVANT PARTIES podcast series, host Chal Ravens meets Parisian record producer, DJ and former artist manager Pedro Winter – also known as @busy-p-official – to discuss his brainchild, @edbangerrecords.

Since 2003, the Paris-based label has been the source of constant surprise, with a remarkably varied output that helped push indie kids onto the dancefloor, with a pop-influenced electronic sound that incorporates elements of hip hop, disco, rock and electro. The label’s releases have included the likes of Justice and their globally renowned rock-tronica, the outré electro of Mr. @oizo-mr-3000,, @sebastian1-music’s glitch-laden electro-house, and @uffie-official-458383245’s addictive alternative-pop.

In the 11th episode of RELEVANT PARTIES, Busy P tells music writer Chal Ravens about his journey, from teenage skate rat on the streets of Paris to becoming @daftpunkofficialmusic’s manager, reflecting on the robots’ glittering legacy in the weeks after their split, and revealing just what’s inside those helmets. He also goes on to discuss his own imprint and why the boundless creativity of the late, great DJ Mehdi was so crucial to Ed Banger’s success.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - Ed Banger

In the latest episode of our monthly podcast series RELEVANT PARTIES, host Chal Ravens delves into Detroit’s rich musical history, exploring the world of @mahoganimusic, the label founded by iconic DJ and producer Kenny Dixon Jr., better known as @moodymann313.

Since 2002, the imprint has drawn on the musical soul of Motor City. Its output incorporates a slew of genres – house, hip-hop, jazz, funk, soul – with a catalogue that features music from the likes of @ampfiddler, Celebrity BBQ Sauce Band, @dezandres, @jdilla, Rick Wilhite, and of course Moodymann. Over time, the label has become both a cornerstone of the city’s music scene, and symbolic of Detroit’s seminal contribution to global dance music culture.

In the 12th RELEVANT PARTIES episode, UK music journalist Chal Ravens speaks to Traci Washington and Florence J. Leigh (@floreal1), the women who keep Mahogani Music running from their respective bases in Detroit and Vienna, Austria. They reflect on their unusual roles as caretakers and collaborators on this resolutely underground label and on the unique artistry of the label’s founder. The episode also features insights from label staples such as Amp Fiddler, Dez Andres, and Norma Jean Bell.

This episode marks the end of RELEVANT PARTIES Vol. 2. The podcast will return in Fall/Winter 2021 with a new season and format, which explores cities that have impacted our musical landscape and the subcultures that underpin them. Stay tuned.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - Mahogani Music

The second episode of our new monthly RELEVANT PARTIES podcast series features Ninja Tune. Founded in 1990 by Matt Black and Jonathan More, also known as Coldcut, Ninja Tune was created as a means of wrestling back creative control from major labels. It has since gone on to release music by a slew of global artists, such as Bonobo, Young Fathers, Kelis, Actress, Hype Williams, The Cinematic Orchestra, Roots Manuva and Helena Hauff as well as the likes of Thundercat or Georgia Anne Muldrow through Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder imprint.

Tune in to hear what secrets Matt Black and Jonathan More revealed to RELEVANT PARTIES host Chal Ravens about their record label and make sure to check the accompanied unique Spotify playlist, highlighting some of the essential tracks of Ninja Tune.

Spotify

Relevant Parties Podcast Series -  Ninja Tune

Carhartt WIP launches RELEVANT PARTIES, a new monthly podcast series dedicated to the work of groundbreaking record labels around the globe. 

The first episode features Stones Throw Records. Founded in 1996 by DJ and producer Peanut Butter Wolf, the Los Angeles-based label is known for its eclectic sound, which ranges from hip hop to experimental psychedelic rock, with elements of soul, funk and jazz in between. The label has also released records by acclaimed artists, such as J Dilla, Madlib and Dam-Funk, as well as a new generation that includes Knxwledge, Kiefer, Sudan Archives, and Mndsgn.
 
Tune in to hear what Peanut Butter Wolf told RELEVANT PARTIES host Chal Ravens about his enterprise and make sure to chech a unique Stones Throw playlist at Spotify, highlighting some of the essential tracks of Stones Throw.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - Stones Throw

Carhartt WIP launches RELEVANT PARTIES, a new monthly podcast series dedicated to the work of groundbreaking record labels around the globe. 

The third episode features Ghostly International. Founded in 1999 by Sam Valenti IV in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and now located in New York City, the label went global with its multidisciplinary approach, releasing hip-hop, techno, house, and rock records, and working with artists such as Matthew Dear, Dabrye, School of Seven Bells, and Shigeto.

Tune in to hear what Sam Valenti IV told RELEVANT PARTIES host Chal Ravens about his enterprise and make sure to chech the accompanied unique Spotify playlist, highlighting some of the essential tracks of Ghostly International.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - Ghostly International

The fourth episode of RELEVANT PARTIES, Carhartt WIP’s monthly podcast series dedicated to the work of groundbreaking record labels, features Jazzy Sport from Tokyo, Japan.

The label has been one of Japan’s most important hubs for hip hop culture since it launched in 2003. Taking influence from the vinyl-worshipping beat culture championed by the likes of J Dilla and Madlib, Jazzy Sport has been an essential platform for homegrown artists like hip hop crew Gagle, veteran selector Grooveman Spot, and acid jazz ensemble Cro-Magnon. But while Jazzy Sport’s roots are in hip hop, the label and its record stores are an eclectic portal for all kinds of music – and they’ve even branched out into physical recreation, famed for their ski trips and hip hop-soundtracked climbing competitions.

Tune in to hear what Jazzy Sport co-founder Taro Kesen told RELEVANT PARTIES host Chal Ravens about his enterprise and make sure to check the accompanying Spotify playlist, highlighting some of the essential tracks of Jazzy Sport.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - Jazzy Sport

Next up on our monthly Carhartt WIP RELEVANT PARTIES podcast series is Munich-based label Public Possession. In our fifth episode, the label’s founders Valentino Betz and Marvin Schuhmann talk about their uncompromising and uncommon vision for Public Possession, which was founded in 2013 with the intention of it being more than just a musical outlet. The result has seen the label produce art, clothes and events, acting as something of a cultural hub for the Bavarian city.

At its core, however, is Public Possession’s musical releases, which have included the likes of Bell Towers; Australian producer Andras; Austria’s king of glam club pop Wolfram; up-and-coming New Zealanders Eden Burns and Nice Girl; and multidisciplinary Taiwanese artist Yutie Lee.

Tune in to hear what Valentino and Marvin told RELEVANT PARTIES host Chal Ravens about their multifaceted enterprise and make sure you check the accompanying Spotify playlist, highlighting some of the essential tracks in the Public Possession catalogue.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - Public Possession

In the final episode of RELEVANT PARTIES Vol. 1, the monthly podcast series dedicated to the work of groundbreaking record labels around the globe, Carhartt WIP features DFA Records from New York City. 

The iconic, self-proclaimed “Punk funk” label was founded in 2001 by James Murphy of the group LCD Soundsystem, Jonathan Galkin, and Tim Goldsworthy. In its near-20 year history, DFA has released a string of history-making records by artists such as The Rapture, Hercules And Love Affair, Hot Chip, Yacht, LCD Soundsystem, The Juan Maclean, Shitrobot, and Larry Gus. The label’s output has been consistently eclectic, featuring unique acts across numerous genres, including art rock, pop, various styles of dance music, and shoegaze.
 
Tune in to hear what the label’s long-standing artists The Juan Maclean and Shitrobot told RELEVANT PARTIES host Chal Ravens, as they discuss the formative years of DFA and New York in a pre-social media age. In addition, there's a unique Spotify playlist to accompany the podcast, highlighting some essential DFA tracks.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - DFA

RELEVANT PARTIES returns for Spring/Summer 21, as we continue to delve into the archives and quiz the architects of some of the world’s most innovative independent record labels. Kicking off Volume 2 of this six podcast series is Berlin’s @pan_hq – a relative newcomer compared to many of the labels featured so far, but one which has garnered a reputation for its experimental and multifaceted approach since launching in 2008.

Founded by DJ, producer, and artist Bill Kouligas, PAN has released work by the likes of British musician and DJ @LeeGamble, his compatriot and Turner Prize winning visual artist Mark Leckey, American experimental music producer @YvesTumor, Chinese musician @pan-daijing, German artist @ANNEIMHOF, Venezuelan multihyphenate @arca1000000, New York-based performance artist Eartheater(@alex-drewchin), UK producer @BeatriceDillon, and the Finnish multimedia duo @amnesia-scanner. For an aural journey into the world of PAN, you check out our most recent Carhartt WIP Radio show, curated by Kouligas. 

For this episode of RELEVANT PARTIES, however, we go behind the music, as UK music journalist Chal Ravens sits down with Kouligas to discuss the value of “difficult music,” the label’s 13 year history, and the post-pandemic future for underground culture.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - PAN

In the second episode of RELEVANT PARTIES Vol. 2, our six-part series that looks at the work of groundbreaking record labels around the globe, we head to Amsterdam to explore the multifaceted world of @rushhourrecords.

Launched in 1997, the Dutch imprint has become a global institution for outstanding Afrobeat, Brasil, disco, house, jazz, soul and techno music. As a label, Rush Hour has always provided room for fresh, up-and-coming acts, such as @tomtrago, @hunee, and @interstellarfunk, while also releasing records by legendary artists like Virgo Four, Ron Trent, @terrencedixon, and @soichi-terada. Aside from spreading soulful sonic wisdom via their label and it’s many sub-labels, the company also functions as a record store and distributor, working with the likes of @artificialdance, @knekelhuis, @music-from-memory or STROOM 〰.

For this episode, RELEVANT PARTIES host Chal Ravens sits down with the DJ and Rush Hour co-founder @antalrushhour to discuss crate digging trips around the world, his own eclectic approach to DJing, and 23 years of distributing and selling all manner of music.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - Rush Hour

Exclusive mixes, directly from the artist.
 
Launched in 2008, Carhartt WIP Radio serves as a platform for spotlighting artists and record labels around the world. Each episode is curated by the artists or labels themselves, offering a one-hour mix of carefully selected tracks – past, present and forthcoming. From Sahel sounds to adventures in bass; hip hop to eclectic electronics; or house to techno, versatility is key.
 
Accompanying each episode is an interview that delves into the stories behind the artists, offering a glimpse into their creative processes and unique perspectives on the music industry.
 
Listen to the show on the official Carhartt WIP Radio App for iOS: bit.ly/W5yC1D.
And visit www.carhartt-wip.com/journal/music for updates on Carhartt WIP Music projects.

RELEVANT PARTIES

Carhartt Work in Progress