Few interesting points in here, so I'll try and be succint and to the point.
Demos:
As a label owner I did used to listen to every demo we got sent, whether it'd be people linking myspaces / soundclouds / sending tunes direct. Everything. All the music I'd listen to all day would be people's demos and when Soul Motive started to gather popularity, the volume of demos increased. I will quite openly admit I don't listen to every demo now. I actively don't listen to a fair few names now for a few reasons, such as the following:
* Having listened to a few things they sent, it's obvious they have never really thought about the sound we promote, we've never put out aggressive wobble bangers and we never will.
* A single link to a soundcloud page, where it's already been sent to well over a thousand people, if everyone already has it, why would we risk bare cash?
* Opening line on the email is, 'this tune's a massive one / banger / garans seller and deserves a release'. Cool, hit up Tempa then. We're not on an ego thing.
If someone sends a personal email, with contacts details, what sort of thing they're into and why they might be compatable to our label, with a link, soundcloud (prefered nowdays) or otherwise, to thier best tunes; then we are very likely going to respond to that person. It may take a while to get round to it, but it'll happen. And if it's not for us but it's good, I will recommend oneof the other 6/7 label owners that I speak to daily to check it out.
Who do I make music for?
Myself! Sure I'll go through emo moments of working on beats for ages and no one really giving a fuck about them, or no label being interested etc etc.I'll want that release, I'm competitive and want to achieve, so hell yeah, it means something to me. BUT, I've always been able to hear a difference in quality and sound in tunes I made for me and loved making and tunes I made for someone else to get into. And the the ones I make for me always turn out better tunes and I have loads more fun making them. So with reference to the OP, always makes tunes for yourself g, releases are a bonus, but if you ain't enjoying the process of making music, once you get stuck into releases you're going to lose faith real fast.
101 Labels out there...
I honestly believe the market is saturated right now, with low quality, poor production, sub par labels. A lot are digital only admittedly, but that doesn't mean all digital only labels are shit. The reasons the majority of labels are digital only in our genres is becasue they can't sell enough vinyl or raise the intial investment or secure a P&D deal. I really wish people would put more thought into thier labels and all the threads all over the forum about copycat producers and poor ratios of good music to bad music would be non existant.
The key is to do your research about labels, don't fling your demos to just anyone. Pick and choose whose going to work for you, who is going to suit your sound and if you're serious about this music ting, who can take you further. If the labels you love and respect aren't getting back to you, then maybe think long and hard about if you're putting your best foot forward. If you're convinced that you have a high quality and, most importantly, unique take, then maybe creating a label from scratch is the way. But you have to be 100% involved and ready to fucking work, otherwise join the legions of crap labels the forum and others whinge about!
Skream mixing
LOL, I remember hearing him play in Bristol in 2006, and he couldn't mix for shit. Admittedly he was absolutely out of his tree as well. Since then I have heard Skream play some absolutely brilliant sets, a couple of DMZ parties he was the highlight. I think he can mix and perform exceptionally well, when he's sober
Taiko Riddim / Unique sounds
A unique sound is the single most important thing to me in music, I don't give too much of a fuck about prouction values. You need your skills to be on a level so you can tell the story you want to with your music. But putting the likes of Noisia or the Neptunes to shame, ain't important to me. It's why I love Eastern Jam and Cockney Thug, no one could have made those tunes except C&S and Rusko. People will pay more attention to you if your sound is like no one elses, that's why Untold, James Blake, Peverelist, Pangaea etc are all the hot shit right now, thier tunes are unique.
Basic A, cheers for mentioning Taiko Riddim. Ironically it was made because I wanted to make drum patterns that Jammer, Mark One and Wiley had nailed. Wish I had mixed it down better tbh. But the files are long gone, 2 computers ago now!
Kejk, I honestly don't what you're listening to if you say you don't find Mala's tunes spectacular. Neverland, Stuck, Conference, Anti War Dub are all genre defining tunes. Classics people will be playing in ten/twenty/thirty years time. As for production quality, it can always be improved, it can always be worked on and refined. Originality, story telling and vibes are what counts.
Sorry for the lengthy opinionated post!
the fact that someone can identify it as that means that I'll be able to conduct massive manhunts for similar producers.
