Hot on the heels of the announcement of música /RECORDINGS, we caught up with the man behind the música brand – Kane Bligh – to talk about the artists they’re working with, their /TUMBALONG event and much more!
How long has /RECORDINGS been in the works?
It’s always been part of the greater vision for the brand. In regards to the timing, the stars aligned and it became possible that we were able to launch the label a little sooner than expected. We’re blessed we had stellar event that made some serious inroads for us – an opportunity passed is an opportunity lost!
What led you towards the artists you have chosen first?
To put it simply – they’re amazing, leaders and innovators in their field. They’re artists who are on the cusp of doing great things in the underground world with a definite crossover appeal.
Any hints as to who else you’ll be working with?
For now we have to keep all of that under our hats, but we’re pretty excited about what’s ahead.
Your festival last year was widely acclaimed – what did you take away from the event?
We’re a very small fish in a very big pond – it’s a hard slog but we got there. The one stage format and boutique vibe is definitely a formula that worked for us and we definitely felt a sense of togetherness and connection on the day from artist through to punter. We received great reviews across the board and were even nominated for an FBi SMAC Award which was a great honor to have after only our first outdoor event!
Anything that went wrong? and do you think went right?
As mentioned definitely the boutique side of things worked for us as well as the most gorgeous day Sydney had experienced in a while. Also, the programming and flow of the musica /TUMBALONG event, we feel that’s generally lacking from music events these days. We were taking a massive punt on artists that hardly anyone had heard of or hadn’t had any radio or media support in Australia as of yet. For example, we booked SBTRKT almost 6 months prior to the event based on the strength of his debut EP – that was a real roll of the dice for us, honestly the whole line-up was.
Not many of the artists had local releases or support at all however we felt Sydney needed to be exposed to them. We were obviously doing something right as a few months later SBTRKT was booked nationally by the good folks over at Laneway Festival as one of their headliners. LUNICE was a real surprise packet for us too, he tore the place apart and we were surprised by event day just how many people were vibing on him. And who would’ve thought that when we booked Ghostpoet that a few short months later he was going to be shortlisted for the coveted Mercury Prize. For us the whole line-up was a win. What went wrong!? – honestly nothing of note and worth, just mundane back room issues that didn’t effect the event come show day – there’s always challenges though. We’ve put a very small but great team together, we always get there in the end!
Will there be another event in the future?
We’ve been working away busily in the background working on the next series of outdoor events, these will be happening in October and November this year. Without saying too much, there’s scope for an interstate event and a trip across the pond…. we’re looking at 3 outdoor events with the same vibe as musica /TUMBALONG. Keep your eye on the musica Facebook page for updates…. there’s no standing still at this end…
Any hints on that one?
Loose lips and all that….We’re currently listening to hundreds of new artists, negotiating contracts, putting out offers and getting all of the background admin happening for October/November. You’ll have to subscribe to our Facebook page to ensure you’re in the know…all we can say is we know it will be just as forward thinking and groundbreaking musically as 2011….
You’ve got the festival, the /RECORDINGS… what else is in the future for música?
Every day we’re work shopping new ideas and opportunities – really the possibilities are endless but of course as to fit with what the brand is all about. For now it’s all about the launch party and getting everything together for the next series of events.
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música/RECORDINGS will be launching in Sydney on May 5th with Melo-X (USA) and Star Slinger (UK). For your chance to win a double pass to the industry event, head over to our competitions page!
