Adhesive was founded in London, UK with the vision to challenge, subvert and push the boundaries of modern techno. We are an independent record label focused on releasing cutting edge music by some of the most subversive artists in the game.
techno dystopia bred in the uk afterhours
LABEL VISION
blurring the lines between techno and immersive storytelling
In the current class society of the music industry, labels have taken on the role of a luxury brand flagship store where releases are marketed as high end products and sold as commodities. These have become a critical form of social currency for musicians and artists worldwide; from Instagram bios cluttered with high profile names to co-ordinated celebrity collabs pretending to illustrate artistic expression. This has established new hierarchies and a new order within the scene where artists are primarily judged on their online presence, following and quantity of releases. This system remains operational on the basis of artists making music suited to high-end labels rather than making music that authentically represents their sound and identity.
As a label, we emerged out of the underground scene where our artistic and musical vision was born out of ideas surrounding equality, unity and inclusivity. Our music was nourished by anti-consumerist and inherently democratic values of the underground scene where we found a home in this environment free from social hierarchies. The growing commodification of techno and rave culture goes against its fundamental principles, which is causing serious harm to the many communities that it is home to. While this is mainly affecting artists and independent labels, the rules within the newly established hierarchy of techno has also contributed to the purging of intellectuals within the scene, critique and suppressed any serious music journalism, which has stopped the discourse that is necessary for this genre to progress and evolve.
Our vision is driven by our desire to challenge and subvert modern techno, we select music that excites us and brings something radically new and fresh to the scene. Our releases are aligned with our dystopian vision for techno and our unique sound is characterised by mesmerising sonic landscapes, radical experimentation and innovation. We work with some of the most innovative musical minds in the game and our artists have demonstrated creative ways of disrupting the status quo with their work. We have signed tracks that venture into the peripheries of techno, experimental and post-club and take a multi-disciplinary approach to music. We are currently accepting demos.
the pill imagery in adhesive
Adhesive’s take on the pill plays upon the ‘red pill’ concept that evolved in online culture in the early 2000s, where it refers to the idea of becoming aware of a perceived hidden truth about society and societal structures. This concept has been widely used and applied across the cultural and political sphere with the phrase ‘taking the red pill’ referring to the state of becoming aware of perceived biases in mainstream media or society.
Adhesive’s postmodern approach to the concept of the pill and its imagery transcends its popularised representation in media and culture and explores it in context with ideas surrounding hyperreality, simulacra and simulation. Drawing upon issues addressed by consumerist critique, the degeneration of culture and the death of intellectualism within the music industry, the Adhesive Pill encourages its audience to reflect on our role in society, living in the comfort zone as a musician or creative and the ideas that are prescribed to us. This also plays upon the medical representation of the pill and its use to the scientific community, which promotes ideas of innovation, rationale and ethics.
The Adhesive Pill embodies the label’s dystopian vision for techno, playing upon various ideas that it represents and its importance to online communities. In its representation of social hierarchies, consumerism and commodity fetishism it aims to subvert the established norms within the music industry today, question the distribution of power among its key players and most importantly, encourage artists to think about their role within this system.
UPCOMING RELEASES
UPCOMING RELEASE AEI 1
UPCOMING RELEASE AEI 1
