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; from Instagram bios cluttered with high profile names to co-ordinated celebrity collars pretending to illustrate artistic expression. This has established new hierarchies where artists find themselves judged by their aesthetic, online presence, following and amount of releases they have had and on which label; most importantly, this system has established a structure where artists are compelled, whether directly or indirectly, into making music suited to high-end labels rather than music that authentically represents their sound and identity.

The current business model of music releases depends on reproduction and distribution for its sustenance, where stealing and mimicking is not only welcomed but even encouraged. What used to be a culture concerned with art that is high-brow and of good taste, has degenerated into a systematic culture of commodity fetishism where vulgarity is the norm and high quality is hard to come by. In the European scene, which is home to some of the leading artists in the field, the pressure felt by (both emerging and established) artists and labels to release music that would be deemed as commercially lucrative is slowly suffocating the music scene from within. At this point, any artist that is inherently serious about what they do will find themselves faced with making the detrimental choice between conforming to the new norms and industry standards in order to get their music signed or maintaining their artistic integrity by refusing to chase releases. The amount of artists who choose the latter and start questioning their own skill and value as musicians as a result is heartbreaking. In fact, it is difficult to name any successful artist, label or collective to have escaped having to make this choice. How can we all continue to rationalise our participation in this system?

We are inspired by the unique artists that we work with, each release celebrates their sound and identity. Moving forward, we continue to operate at the peripheries of the scene, honouring our underground heritage and retaining our values; innovation, creativity and audacity