Check out and share our DeepDownDirty Interview. This interview is part of our new Labels in the Spotlight Series. In this interview series we feature exciting labels from all over the world. As always: Share & Support!
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your label. Where are you based, what genres & styles do you cover… And when/how how did it all start?
We are based in a London suburb and we release house and techno and their sub-genres; we have a love of all things deep, quirky, and vocal (wth a penchant for 303 and dark music too!).
Aaaah the story of DeepDownDirty….
Once upon a time there was a track. It was released and not promoted at all by the label which released it. This really upset me because I knew the producer and loved the track. As I had been promoting music online for a little while I thought I could provide better support to tracks such as this by setting up a record label. So I checked out what options were available to me as far as distribution was concerned and it looked like Label-Worx would give the music the best visibility (I wasn’t interested in earning money from this project – just supporting the producers and their music in a more official capacity). So in anger really at what had happened to that track which I loved, I called Label-Worx and put in my application for a new label… They actually pushed my application through more quickly because my social media network was pretty good (even if I felt sick with nerves when I called them!). And so DeepDownDirty was born. The great thing is that in the end we managed to reclaim the track I loved (Sex & Chocolate by Rico Garcia); the label’s distributor went bust and they released the producer from his contract with the label so on Valentine’s Day 2016 we released this and another release <3.
What are some releases our audience simply must check out? (Either new stuff or evergreen classics)
Well this is our Valentine’s 2018 release:
https://www.traxsource.com/title/921689/you-got-me
It has an acoustic guitar original (come on – ‘dare to be different’ is one of our slogans!) and deep dance music remixes ranging from pensive glitch-hop to techno. It’s called ‘You Got Me’ and it’s by Ricky Scott featuring the vocals of John Emil.
Then Lucien Foort remixed the lead track on this track, ‘Lost Goddess’:
https://www.traxsource.com/title/901879/lost-goddess
Love the artwork for this release!
I really have a soft spot for this release, ‘Trail’:
https://www.traxsource.com/title/878344/trail
And we were very honored to work with Phil Hartnoll of Orbital and Rob Gritton of Moon Island Records as well as awesome Argentinian producer Cruster on this release, ‘Enlightenment’:
https://www.traxsource.com/title/870686/enlightenment
I would also like to mention one of the producers who has been with us since the beginning, Konvic. I love this track of his, ‘Flute’:
https://www.traxsource.com/track/4035780/flute-original-mix
Are you looking for new artists to sign or collaboration partners? (Be it media partners, remix competitions or otherwise?)
We love supporting the DJs and radio stations who play our music and support them on social media. We also supporting the non-label-related endeavours of our producers such as their releases on other labels and events they play at. We enjoy connecting so if you have an idea, hit us up! We’re all about building relationships.
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Are you a superfan of anyone? How did you become a superfan? Do you remember how you become a fan and what turned you into super fan? Have you ever thought about why you´re such a fan?
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What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
Never think that anyone is like you if you are honest person. Some people are, some people are not. It is a hard lesson to learn.
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How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
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Do you have good promotion tips for other musicians?
Connect and use Twitter! Build relationships. I see too many people on social media forget it’s called SOCIAL media. Don’t be fake. Connect from the heart and with people you really like.
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Do you have insights on how to grow your audience on soundcloud that you want to share with our audience?
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What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Trying to build a team remotely. Trying to overcome people’s egos and natural barriers. It requires a lot of communication and emotional investment. I talk and try to be as honest as I can be to build trust. I support people’s ventures wherever possible. In the end eventually people realise you really do want to help them.
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How do you personally discover new music?
Soundcloud mixes and track uploads
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Once you discovered new music, do you tell others about the new music/artist you discovered? If yes, how exactly?
“I prefer Twitter but sometimes also Facebook although engagement is poor there.
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What is your number one tip to improve your music production or songwriting skills?
Play with sounds. Record unusual things. Keep a sound bank of noises. Think out of the box. Use vocals. Learn how to time stretch vocals well. Record your friends singing or talking and use their voices.
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What is your best tip for those who struggle with finishing their tracks?
Save them for another day and come back to them. Don’t beat yourself up. Move onto another project and just do what you feel. You can always on a rainy day review unfinished tracks but never delete anything.
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We meet again in one year. What has changed?
No I have a very organic approach to the label and it’s music. I just want the producers to have fun creating and for us to make new interesting contacts. We avoid deadlines and stress as much as possible.
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http://www.deepdowndirty.co.uk
https://soundcloud.com/deepdowndirty-111649731
https://www.facebook.com/DeepDownDirtyRecordLabel/
http://www.twitter.com/DeepDownDirtyRL
https://www.traxsource.com/label/28654/deepdowndirty
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Enter your questions to the artist in the facebook comment section below.
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