[Special]: Gramofonowa. x NovaFuture Blog – Poland Special | Part 8: “Selected Record Labels”

 

 

hello. Thanks for this small interview and taking part in the last part of our Poland special. Let’s talk about the beginning of your label. When was it founded? Who did it? Tell us something about the founder/owner of it and about the reason for doing it please. What was the first release and what‘s the story behind it?

DRVMS Ltd.: Hey, thanks for invite to this project Jurgen! Im really happy that I can tell some words about DRVMS LTD. for Gramofonowa. & NovaFuture 🙂 So, first of all label was born with first release in 2017. I have founded this label because (as in Lost In Ether Rec. which I was running with Dorota Smyk few years ago) i wanted to promote „unknown,fresh producer/artists places” through music made by people who – as I can say – are not from „the top” of our techno shelf but through their interesting, original style and persons as they are personally too. So I think DRVMS is like home and any of new artists with his good vibe and healthy attitude to techno industry is part of label family. It’s all about the music, not the fame. For example first release was launched in April 2017 and it was EP from A Thousand Details „Overtime EP” and before idea to release Gustavo’s music on DRVMS we speak a lot about industry, music etc.

International Day Off: Me (Gary) and Maciej together organized events in our city. During that time, we invited to Poznan, among others: Cristian Vogel, Minilogue, Konrad Black and Jacek Sienkiewicz. After five years of work on the series of events, we changed the concept of the brand and our label started so. The first release was established a lot earlier. The first artist was our friend, whom we especially respect as musican. – Jurek Przezdziecki. His release “Classicalism EP” icncluded also Sebastian Mulleart and Jacek Sienkiewicz remixes. It was a big thing to us but we felt that would be a good start for the label.

Recognition: It was back in 99… I just recorded a few dozens of tracks in 97/98, so naturally I wanted to release it. There was no electronic music record labels around, so i did it by myself. It was my first album “Recognition CD”, followed by Recognition EP – first vinyl EP on my label. I’ve received very enthusiastic feedbacks from all around the world, so… I had a good start for next releases.

 

Please describe your music style. Is there a special image you want to create for the label? What’s the main idea behind it? Do you have a specific optical idea and work with special graphic designers?

DRVMS Ltd.: There is no specific style in this label I think, now after nine releases I can confidently say that image of label lives by itself, yes im making selection in demos of course but very lot of music that is sending to label is very inspiring for me and im moving it forward so after few listening of new material and when im decided to start cooperation with artist I have some images which fits to this music and Im putting this images on covers and whole graphic designs of DRVMS. Im making all graphics by myself.

International Day Off: We try to release music from the edge of techno and minimal and I can say it’s a very subjective choice. Mayby word „hypnotic” desribies the style the most as result of musical tastes and prefferences. Deffinietly we’re not going to follow the trends and produce some. Dark, drone, techno stuff. Maciej is taking care of the visual side. We designed the covers has to be made form one certain type of paper with only black slolid graphics on it. The labels are also stamped by us.

Recognition: At the beginning I was focused around my vision of detroit techno but it is basically just what I feel and how I feel electronic music in general… or in particular moment of my life, hard to find a specific genre. Idea is to release what I want & when I want. I mostly work with my good and talented friends as a graphic designers, sometimes I’m doing it alone sometimes I have an idea for a cover or vinyl label which is usually very simple and black and white – sometimes there is no design at all !

 

Narciss – 12681 (DRVMS Ltd.)

 

How do you select the artists and tracks? Please give us a overview about the main artists & successful releases.

DRVMS Ltd.: I’m searching and exploring always when I have time for this, but honestly Im receiving loads of music so even now there is really big „database” on my email of new sounds which I must to check in free time and now I have also new podcast project which im running with my friends called: „Intramural” and by this project im exploring some really nice fresh names (of producers of course) that I didn’t hear before. Tracks selection? hmm, I’m trying get tracks from artists which will build EP with tracks like „dancefloor” killers and those melancholic intro’s, outro’s or even slowly building mixes. But truly…there is no rules in choosing.

International Day Off: We appreciate cooperation with Polish all our artists. We have really talented people here such as Michal Wolski, Jacek Sienkiewicz or Jurek Przezdziecki, already considered pillars of the Polish club scene and many young heroes whom we invited to the label: Fisherboyz, Attache, Piotr Figiel. Some of our releases are made becouse of the fact that really talented people send us their music. We are very proud that we can do some work together. Sometimes it takes months. We know what we want to achieve.

Recognition: I just wanna release my own music and music from my closest friends. That why i wanted to have a label. It’s a small underground label run mostly by …me. I’m receiving many demos everyday but usually doesn’t fit to my profile… or simply have no time and capacity for it. To be honest at the beginning all the records were successful… now it’s more difficult. The biggest “hit” of last years was my “Drifting” album, EP and remixes by Ricardo Villalobos and Roman Fluegel.

 

Michał Wolski – “Diamond” (International Day Off)

 

There is still some kind of „religion war“ if a real DJ has to play vinyl or at least should have the skills to do so. What formats do you release? Was there a certain reason to choose this/these? How do you structure your catalogue (vinyl + same content digitally, vinyl only, vinyl + exclusive digital bundle with extra content etc)?

DRVMS Ltd.: I don’t really like to take my state in this „religion war” I don’t care it honestly, most important thing is to have skill to give people energy from the decks. How you will do it, that’s your business. For now I’m releasing only digital, releasing vinyls in Poland is too expensive, but I think I will make in near future some limited CD releases as well. I don’t have marketing plans etc., label is young and it’s growing up naturally by itself I think, when it will be need I will try to fight for some vinyl releases too, with extra content etc. 🙂

International Day Off: It’s very funny because it does not matter from what you play the music but and how can you do it. Let the crowd to do the rating. We’re doing releases differently: digital + vinyl, digital, or a vinyl only(release 004).

Recognition: It’s not a strictly DJ oriented music… its mostly danceable but sometimes it might be hard to mix… its good for home listening and for the dance floor. Some releases are perfect for warmup some for after party. As I said before I’m just releasing my own vision of electronic music and i don’t care a lot what peoples will do with it, an open minded dj will dig it and use it for sure. At the beginning it was a vinyl label but nowadays it all in digital as well. You are not able to escape it. We have some more listening and experimental sounds coming out digitally only. We had some vinyl only releases but generally 90% from recognition catalog is available in digital. Last year we had an art book + cd with more experimental music by Bartosz Zaskórski and also my album with Max Loderbauer this year we have a beautiful prints made for my digital-only mini LP.

 

Jackname Trouble “Rainy Day” (Recognition)

 

So what are your plans for the future? What’s coming up next?

DRVMS Ltd.: DRVMS V/A 2 x CD maybe 3 x CD release on April 🙂 with lot of interesting music, I think tracks included on this VA will be kind of spectrum and music which you can expect on DRVMS 🙂 s o s t a y t u n e d. Previews will be available soon 😉 At the end I would like to say thank all people that support label and cooperate with label 🙂

International Day Off: We’re also plan to release Jacek Sienkiewicz this year and some surprise from Jurek Przezdziecki. We have a lot of good stuff to realease now.

Recognition: I’m more into experimental / listening music at the moment, doing weird things in my new studio… not many peoples will listen to it I guess. Next releases are not very club oriented. I’ve just released my own mini LP “123418” few days ago. With a chain of varied and modern sounds, after nearly eight years my friend Jackname Trouble is back on the label. Tomek Sroczyński is another long-awaited return on Recognition Records. After his last year’s „Symphony_NO. 1” it’s time for more frivolous sound. His work on the new album lasted for years and the only thing we can say at the moment is that it was worth the wait… more after this summer… thx !