Imprints brings you regular profiles of the most exciting record labels the world over, with input from the movers and shakers who contribute to their local electronic music communities.
Name: Downpour
Vibe: Techno and deep house
Founded: 2012
Location: Toronto and Aurora, Ontario
Upcoming releases: City Kid Soul's EP, The Queen, Boki's EP, Temptstion$, Patrick Daniel's EP, In The Cut.
Artists-to-watch: City Kid Soul, Boki, Patrick Daniels, Keyprono, Mateo Roksandic, R+D, Rich Mollen, Guyus Grey and Cosella.Toronto's ever-growing dance music scene brings endless amounts of labels, events and artists. With that in mind, how do labels stay original and differentiate themselves from others? Downpour is the newest addition to the city's underground culture by promoting techno and deep house acts with an extra platform—storytelling. I sat down with the guys to find out where this concept comes from.THUMP: What's the Deal?
Downpour Inc. is a Canadian based record and entertainment company located in Toronto, Ontario. As a recording company we are a full service production based label whose primary goals are to create, share and produce a tangible culture for the ever-growing underground dance music genres of techno and deep house. Our aim is to achieve this through the artists we sign and manage, the way we produce, package and release our music, the events we host, promote and throw, as well as the way we style our company's brand. Downpour is not just a record label, it is a recording company whose sole ideology is to offer a new way of experiencing underground dance music.How would you describe your sound?
Peter: Our sound ranges from UK garage house to that melodic and funky deep house sound. We also have a big focus on techno and chill out music. All types of underground dance music are embedded into our sound.Explain the name?
P: Matthew, Andreas and myself sat down about two years ago to create this nightlife company and originally we had named it Organik Records. We went online to check it out and someone already had the name. As we sat looking at the clouds from inside my library, a friend of ours who was with us at the time said, 'What you guys want to do is essentially pour over the scene, why don't you call yourselves Downpour?' And then, a massive torrential downpour struck outside, as if it were some godlike sign. We watched the rain and storm unfold, and then formed Downpour as our name.Why did you decide to form your label?
P: Initially we wanted an outlet to push our own music and artwork. Also to have our fellow artistic friends express their work too. As we progressed further along in this project we soon realized that there was a want and need for an independent recording company in Toronto (and quite possibly the world) that focused on releasing more than just music.What underground dance music lacks is an engaging listening experience from your own home. For example, you can go to a club to see your favourite artists play and get an engaging experience while you're there. However, there isn't an outlet for the consumer or fan of the music to have an aesthetically engaging listening experience while at home. What we quickly realized was, 'Well fuck, why not just make our record label that releases more than just music with each album sale?' So with that, we decided to fully make our label the company that provides an ever-growing multitude of entertainment with each album purchase.What makes your label different?
P: A big difference in our record label is that we release aesthetic packages with each set or record that you purchase from us. What I do, as a science fiction writer, is I write short science fiction stories that I've designed for each of our artists based on each of their names and their content. I write a story around that, and set that for the fans or the audience to read while listening to the EPs or LPs.Andreas: It really brings more to the consumer. The big thing I like to explain to people is that—I'm a big vinyl collector, and you used to be able to go buy records and see the image case. You would pull it out and see the artwork and the writing credits, and Armin Van Buuren did this with Intense, he has all these different colours and motion, and we're trying to bring that back. With digital you have this intangible thing, so we are trying to create something that you get physically, it brings that back, something different groups of people can connect with.We don't believe that there should only be one medium of art purchased when you buy into our brand. We believe that a fan or a customer should be given more than music with their purchase. We see music as an auditory picture, so we figured why not create an actual painting for that picture with these stories.What challenges do you face running the label?
P: For me, it's mainly limited to how the fuck am I going to write these stories? How am I going to match this to the pace of the music, how am I going to make this artist seem interesting first as an artist and then as a character? Then are all of us going to use to branch it to the fans? I'd say that's the hardest part, figuring out the market for each release.A: I'd say it's getting Peter to write the stories! [Laughs] It's really funny, when Peter pitched me the idea of having these stories, I don't think he really spoke about the story he created. I've always been behind him with everything and it was funny doing the chatter for so long and then we finally decided on the date and I asked Peter, 'how many stories have you got?' And he's like… 'I have to start writing!' And he just pounded out all these stories. How many did you do?P: I did eightA: In under four weeks!What releases would you recommend to introduce a new listener to your label?
A: Definitely our first release and full package. It's coming out on September 3rd with Toronto natives City Kid Soul; it's more of a house vibe. For the next month we're campaigning the introduction story to everything, so you get a better view of to how it is. Following that, we will go to a darker techno side with a London artist named Boki at the end of September. We kind of balance the way we scheduled the releases, they complement a journey to Peter's story.Follow Downpour: FB // SC // YTYou can follow Connie on Twitter: @ConstanceChanMore IMPRINTS:IMPRINTS: Beat X ChangersIMPRINTS: Multi CultiIMRPINTS: DETH Records
Vibe: Techno and deep house
Founded: 2012
Location: Toronto and Aurora, Ontario
Upcoming releases: City Kid Soul's EP, The Queen, Boki's EP, Temptstion$, Patrick Daniel's EP, In The Cut.
Artists-to-watch: City Kid Soul, Boki, Patrick Daniels, Keyprono, Mateo Roksandic, R+D, Rich Mollen, Guyus Grey and Cosella.Toronto's ever-growing dance music scene brings endless amounts of labels, events and artists. With that in mind, how do labels stay original and differentiate themselves from others? Downpour is the newest addition to the city's underground culture by promoting techno and deep house acts with an extra platform—storytelling. I sat down with the guys to find out where this concept comes from.
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Downpour Inc. is a Canadian based record and entertainment company located in Toronto, Ontario. As a recording company we are a full service production based label whose primary goals are to create, share and produce a tangible culture for the ever-growing underground dance music genres of techno and deep house. Our aim is to achieve this through the artists we sign and manage, the way we produce, package and release our music, the events we host, promote and throw, as well as the way we style our company's brand. Downpour is not just a record label, it is a recording company whose sole ideology is to offer a new way of experiencing underground dance music.How would you describe your sound?
Peter: Our sound ranges from UK garage house to that melodic and funky deep house sound. We also have a big focus on techno and chill out music. All types of underground dance music are embedded into our sound.Explain the name?
P: Matthew, Andreas and myself sat down about two years ago to create this nightlife company and originally we had named it Organik Records. We went online to check it out and someone already had the name. As we sat looking at the clouds from inside my library, a friend of ours who was with us at the time said, 'What you guys want to do is essentially pour over the scene, why don't you call yourselves Downpour?' And then, a massive torrential downpour struck outside, as if it were some godlike sign. We watched the rain and storm unfold, and then formed Downpour as our name.
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P: Initially we wanted an outlet to push our own music and artwork. Also to have our fellow artistic friends express their work too. As we progressed further along in this project we soon realized that there was a want and need for an independent recording company in Toronto (and quite possibly the world) that focused on releasing more than just music.What underground dance music lacks is an engaging listening experience from your own home. For example, you can go to a club to see your favourite artists play and get an engaging experience while you're there. However, there isn't an outlet for the consumer or fan of the music to have an aesthetically engaging listening experience while at home. What we quickly realized was, 'Well fuck, why not just make our record label that releases more than just music with each album sale?' So with that, we decided to fully make our label the company that provides an ever-growing multitude of entertainment with each album purchase.What makes your label different?
P: A big difference in our record label is that we release aesthetic packages with each set or record that you purchase from us. What I do, as a science fiction writer, is I write short science fiction stories that I've designed for each of our artists based on each of their names and their content. I write a story around that, and set that for the fans or the audience to read while listening to the EPs or LPs.
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P: For me, it's mainly limited to how the fuck am I going to write these stories? How am I going to match this to the pace of the music, how am I going to make this artist seem interesting first as an artist and then as a character? Then are all of us going to use to branch it to the fans? I'd say that's the hardest part, figuring out the market for each release.A: I'd say it's getting Peter to write the stories! [Laughs] It's really funny, when Peter pitched me the idea of having these stories, I don't think he really spoke about the story he created. I've always been behind him with everything and it was funny doing the chatter for so long and then we finally decided on the date and I asked Peter, 'how many stories have you got?' And he's like… 'I have to start writing!' And he just pounded out all these stories. How many did you do?
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A: Definitely our first release and full package. It's coming out on September 3rd with Toronto natives City Kid Soul; it's more of a house vibe. For the next month we're campaigning the introduction story to everything, so you get a better view of to how it is. Following that, we will go to a darker techno side with a London artist named Boki at the end of September. We kind of balance the way we scheduled the releases, they complement a journey to Peter's story.Follow Downpour: FB // SC // YTYou can follow Connie on Twitter: @ConstanceChanMore IMPRINTS:IMPRINTS: Beat X ChangersIMPRINTS: Multi CultiIMRPINTS: DETH Records