In the growing dance music industry there are tons of record labels popping up and looking to be the one that discovers the next great artist or genre. This search for the golden record comes with many trials and tribulations that can truly make or break the growth of a start up label. One label that has been able to stand out and break through the noise is San Francisco's MalLabel Music. A label specializing in weird bass sounds and discovering new music that pushes the envelope of dance music.
I got the chance to ask label owner Mal a few questions about how MalLabel has been able to grow so quickly and what they look for in music. Check it out below.
Interview:
What would you say you did differently to make the label grow faster than many start up dance labels?
In the beginning, we were hosting underground events that were quite notorious a decade ago.
The dubstep / glitch hop scene was just getting started and there were many spaces that you could go all night in. We put many up and coming acts in curated environments that went off.
The buzz from the shows helped create an audience for the label and we also released artists we were hosting. The combo helped grow us very quickly.
Is there an increase of any one type of music genre you are noticing in the bay area?
Weird bass or future bass is still very popular out here, but half time made huge gains this year as a producer favorite.
What did you do before MalLabel?
I was in a few bands and started promoting house parties in college, that carried over into event production in SF which I sustained on before I started the label.
What do you hope the label will represent or expand into within 1-2 years?
We will continue to support emerging artists and stay tuned into forward thinking sounds.
The main goal for the next 2 years is to grow within the international bass music community, so that our brand is recognized worldwide.
How do you plan to guide the label's sound going into fall as well as 2018?
I don’t really pay attention to the trends as far as dictating our label direction. I typically like any type music that gives me the feelz. We tend to go for dance floor centric beats, but there have been plenty of releases we have dropped that are vibey, melodic, or hip hop based. Music that is innovated, well produced, and fresh. Our schedule is booked through January and the next 6 months are looking very solid.
