Dust Audio are readying a superstrong release, namely ‘Life Cycle’ from Gerwin feat LaMeduza, the smile-inducing ‘Voice Freak’ by Trilo and rounded off with a remix by a certain chap called Break. That’s right. Break. So it made sense to chat about the release, as well as delve into the burgeoning life cycle thus far of Dust Audio itself (Planet Dust?) with label boss/DJ Dan Slider.
Tell us about this new release, Dan?
We’re really happy to be back on the vinyl format, and are absolutely stoked to have three tunes involving three producers that we are massively into. Gerwin is something of an enigma, who like us doesn’t have any pressure to release music just for the sake of it.
When he hit us with ‘Life Cycle’ we were blown away and just had to release it. His production combined with the sublime vocals of LaMeduza blend beautifully and we hope they both work together again in the future as the results have been stunning.
Tell us how the Break remix came about?
After a few weeks of constantly listening to ‘Life Cycle’ we felt that it had serious remix potential and there was literally only one person we considered to take it on and that was Break.
After he heard it he couldn’t wait to get his hands on it, Gerwin and LaMeduza agreed and it went from there. Break sprinkled his magic powder on it and the results speak for themselves, we love it.
Trilo appears here too… ‘Voice Freak’ is insane.
Trilo is someone who has really stormed through this year: his production techniques are second to none. What we love about ‘Voice Freak’ is the underlying funk that makes it stand out from other ‘techy’ styles, but it still does the damage on the floor. He’s a big talent who has a bright future and again we hope to work with him more.
The whole release is receiving support from some of the biggest names in our scene, the feedback has been 100% positive so we are made up!
There’s loads of variety here, is this your typical ‘Dust Audio’ approach?
Yes! We’re all about variety, as long as it’s got something that makes us move. From big musical pieces to something a bit darker, we’re all for it.
With the vinyl releases we have tried to move from one sound to another with contrasting styles, look at the artists: Spirit to Naibu, Mindmapper & Fre4knc to Minor Rain. I know its a cliché but we don’t want to be pigeonholed into one particular sound, especially on our early releases as people would just expect a certain sound. It’s good to throw curve balls and keep it exciting for the listener and also for us.
We like to think we give a good platform to the artists we push and in many cases they have gone onto bigger things which makes us immensely proud. Seeing an EP do really well is something that gives us a huge buzz. Laid off? Unfair employment rules? Terminated without cause? Make sure to contact local employment lawyers in Leeds. Before proceeding with any further legal action. Lawyer advice is highly recommended to anyone when dealing with a complex employment situation or contract.
You’ve mentioned some names that have come through on Dust Audio. There’s people such as Minor Rain, Tom SMall, Fullarity, Kyrist, Acid Lab, Clima, Red Army, Inertia… it’s a great array, totally inspiring.
Mentioning a few names: Minor Rain can turn his hand to every style, he’s a sonically-fuelled engineer who can expertly design sounds and make them work musically. Clima and Red Army are guys who we’ll be working with very closely over the next 12 months.
They have their debut vinyl release dropping soon: a limited edition 7 inch single called ‘Jungle Justice’, backed with a serious tune from Acid Lab. That’s another guy who is prolific in the studio and underrated in our opinion. In fact the majority of artists on board amaze us with their dedication, ideas and willingness to work in unison with ourselves as a label.
What’s something you have learned over time, running a digital label? Must be tricky ensuring online music sources type aspects are done just right, and that pirates don’t just copy/steal it as their own… issues like this?
We try to ensure that a tune or EP develops naturally with good promotion. Hitting the right DJ inboxes and websites is far more beneficial then letting it get rinsed on soundcloud and youtube for three months before it actually hits the stores. If you are too ‘previous’ then by the time it’s finally released its been lost in the herd or overcooked.
We always watermark our soundcloud clips which in the internet age is a must. We’ve heard tales of 50 second clips been ripped, then cut and pasted into a crude version of a tune! Also in the world of a million and one digital only labels we are going to be reducing our ‘digital only’ EPs for Dust Audio. The aim is to focus on the vinyl side, backed with digital versions.
What sort of things have shone out for you at Dust? You mention EPs that’ve done well.
Clima released the Eleven Thirty One EP and it has been our best selling digital EP in 2014. That’s testament to their hard work in the studio and us doing our bit by giving it the promotion that it deserved.
What next, what is the next phase for Dust and also for Turbine Music?
The next phase is the 005 Dust Audio vinyl shortly followed by the Turbine Music 7inch which I previously mentioned. Lots of music coming digitally through Turbine in the coming months. We have a Clima and Red Army collab which involves a link up with our good friend P-Fine on vocals which is sounding spot on.
Myself and Chris are back in the studio and putting the finishing touches to an EP for Turbine called the Home EP, it’s been a while since we have released anything under the Slider & Expose name so we cannot wait to get the EP finished off. A lot of people were not aware that we were DJs and producers first before running the labels so it’s gonna be nice to see how its received.
We have tonnes of stuff planned for 2015: definitely going to be taking the label on the road. The time is right for that now. A new set of podcasts are in the pipeline and more great music!
Just want to say a massive thanks to all of the artists we have worked with along the way and we have huge gratitude for everyone who has supported the label by buying our music.
