Page 21 - Zone Magazine Issue 006

label spotlight [usa]
At the moment there must be thousands of Techno record labels, since the movement to most things being digital it has opened the doors for people that previously wouldn’t have had the skills or the funds to take the risks that used to be involved back in the day. However, at Zone we know well that this doesn’t guarantee you any kind of success, you need to have something extra and a pile of hard work to make any headway at all in a saturated market. One label in the last year that has had some early success is Terminus Audio from the states, so DaGeneral caught up with Jason the label owner to have a little chinwag.
Hey Jason, seems to be busy times over at Terminus Audio please let us know how it all began, and what the ethos is for the label?
I have an addictive personality; I love music. My background is skipping school to dig through vinyl crates at "local stores" in my hometown as soon as I could drive and I began DJing. I was a long-time touring drummer, but electronic music has always been a passion of mine and has gotten me through some rough times. My ethos is simply "good music". I take pride in giving new or overlooked artists a chance to shine. My staff is very small; I manage the label but I also have co-owner Bryon Gardner who helps out and my engineer Stiles "Velos" Fifield who handles mastering for most releases. The idea for Terminus Audio was hatched in the summer, but some people also might not know that this isn't my first label. It is definitely my first "serious" label. However.
Seems to be a nice mix of artists that have been doing work on your label of course including myself “DaGeneral”, Nico Kohler, Joy Fagnani, and Bageera. That’s a lot of work in your first few months, how have you managed to hit the ground running so smoothly?
I genuinely love what I do and I hope it shows through on my releases. Maybe I make it look "smooth"... the truth is it is a lot of hours spent and sometimes it is smooth and sometimes it isn't... life happens. My personal musical radar works. It takes a pretty selfless person who can promote others but also take the lead by delivering good releases from time to time. I offer complete creative freedom, I try not to control any artist's direction. I've
only just begun and plan to be flexable for some time to come.
What are the plans with the label and
parties, can we expect some Terminus Audio events coming up in the future?
The plan for my label - simply release the music I believe in - with the presentation/value that I myself would appreciate myself as an artist. I will be in Europe around springtime in 2016... I have May 6th confirmed in Glasgow with Wax Factory (Cool guys, shouts out to Kenny Mulligan and Kenny Campbell). Some gigs unconfirmed but I will spend about a week over there and look forward to it. Unfortunately in the Southeastern United States (and most of the US for that matter), Techno events are a rarity.
What exciting things are coming up for the label that you can share with us?
I don't abide be rules. I release good music... if it's good, it's good - if not, keep it moving. We have numerous amazing acts coming up... a recent favorite release of mine is this upcoming DIRCRONE EP, an artist from Germany that myself and Ampulex hooked up with to remix - Nico Kohler introduced me to this artist. Nico has a remix on that release as well as my flagship artist Emir Hazir. My release to cap the year off is "Man's Ruin"; my follow up to my recent "Ptyrix EP" which will remixes from XHEI, Joy Fagnani, Israel Toledo, Jared Pastore, Construct and Enrico Fuerte along with a collaboration featuring Emir Hazir. I will release an experimental record, a pop record... whatever. Terminus Audio releases records almost every week and I love it! From Construct, F.O.A.B., Adrien Trel, John Wil, Nikola Carusso, to Bone Skippers, Brolax Bones, Ben Techy and SubNetix. Lots of awesome new talent.
What is the most challenging aspect of running a diverse label with acts across the world?
The most challenging thing... long hours/money. Not much sleep. Kiss your personal life goodbye.
What goals and visions do you hope for Terminus Audio to achieve?
I love music. My aim is always to be best in the world without competing directly with anyone. My goal is to create and feature amazing artists.
You are also an artist yourself, what equipment are you using at the moment?
My studio is very humble. I use an older laptop running XP (reliable), decent monitors, and a simple DJing set up. Old school vinyl DJ here... but USB and Serato are great. I played drums and wrote songs in bands for many years and I think I draw from that as a basis for a lot of what I create. Ableton is my DAW, I dabbled in Reason for a long time before making the switch. Couldn't be happier. As basic as it comes - for me personally more gadgets/ toys in the studio are distracting.
Do you have any tips for aspiring producers that want to get in contact with Terminus Audio for having their music signed?
Be yourself. Nothing is handed to you. Be creative and work hard. You can learn from tutorials... but you can also learn more from simply writing song after song and training your ears. Finish everything you start. If you toss it, oh well. You learned something. It isn't an overnight process for anyone I don't think.
How are you finding it getting the label noticed in such a crowded market?
I don't worry about other labels, I'm passionate and it shows through I hope... No short cuts in this business. Consistency and quality.
In your own opinion Jason what is your all-time top 10?
1. Kerri Chandler - Bar A Thym Duh 2. DJ Hell - I Prefer Women to Men Anyway (Hannah Holland remix) Hell is my favorite DJ and I love Hannah... this song makes me happy. Win/win
3. Roy Ayers - Get On Up, Get On Down (Joey Negro Revibe) My baby. Poached this off Rick Wade. I play it whenver I can.
4. David Carretta - Vicious Game Still goes off. 5. Frankie Knuckles ft. Jamie Principle - Take You There
6. Delta 9 - Shooting Rampage 7. John B - Up All Night. 8. Ame - Rej 9. Phil Kieran - I Think I'm A Monster 10. Joy Fagnani - Soldier's Attitude
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/
terminusaudio
Words By Alan Lumley
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 21