Label Spotlight: Rawganics
To start the Label Spotlight series here is a Q & A with Rawganics, a label based in Birmingham that is responsible for releasing some amazing forward thinking deep music!
Q. First off, what and who is Rawganics and how long has it been going for?
A. Rawganics is a digital record label that focus’s on the deeper side of electronic music, such as Drum & Bass, Dub, Dubstep, Techno and all good Bass music. Rawganics was created by myself Dean Lee aka Curious as part of a University final year project. After passing my degree I decided to carry on with the label at which point Jahdai Kush aka Asanyeh came on board.
The label has been going for two years now and is starting to gain respect within the scene with support from artist like Loxy, Gremlinz, Thing & Justice & Metro etc.
Q. Listening to your past releases I’ve noticed a lot of Drum & Bass among the ranks but also other types of deep bass music, is there a certain style you look for when choosing what to release on your label?
A. No not really, the first thing we look for when choosing a track to be released is how it makes us feel. We at Rawganics are very open to releasing music that is typically not mainstream. We don’t like to be pigeonholed into any one genre or tempo.
Q. From experiencing your own productions at Listening Sessions I can hear a real sense of intensity and rawness! Can you tell me a little about where you draw your inspiration?
A. I draw a lot of my inspiration from the music that I listened to growing up, Dub, Reggae, Hip Hop and later on Jungle and Techno. I also take inspiration from film scores and everyday sounds e.g. nature, traffic & people, anything that I can sample really and create something new with.
Q. Could you describe Rawganics in one sentence?
A. Forward thinking music.
Q. Can you tell us a little about some upcoming releases on Rawganics and where we can buy copies of the releases?
A. We’ve just released two tracks from two really talented guys who go by the names Wooda & D Ess. Both these tracks are full of party vibes and are quite uplifting compared to our previous releases, which aremore on the dark and atmospheric side.
You can buy these tracks and more from here:
http://www.junodownload.com/labels/Rawganics/releases/
http://www.digitalgoodsstore.com/mydgs/rawganicsmusic
The next release from Rawganics is an E.P. from Spanish duo Clima. This E.P. has a big dub influence running through it, tied with Clima’s trademarked sound. Which will be making you want to dance as soon as you hear the first beat.
After that we have some releases from Concealed Identity, Amigo and Dyl and a few more artists.
Q. What are your future plans for Rawganics and where do you see the label in 5 years?
A. Our future plans are to release physical products like vinyl & Cd’s. These products will be collector’s items produced in limited runs. They will come complete with extra tracks, artwork and stickers etc. We are also planning to start a Rawganics club night later this year, playing all types of music and hosting some of the most talented up and coming DJs/acts and established DJs.
We hope to see the label in five years time being as reconcilable as labels like Cylon, CX digital, Exit, Samurai, 31 records etc but still have our own identity and sound, that’s our dream. We also look forward to discovering loads more talented artists and pushing their music forward.
Q. And finally where can we find more info online about Rawganics and how is best to get in contact?
A. The best way of contacting us is to email [email protected] and you can find out more information about Rawganics at https://www.facebook.com/rawganicsmusic, https://soundcloud.com/curious_rawganics and https://twitter.com/rawganicsmusic, and very soon the new Rawganics website.
Curious and Asanyeh