Let’s go back to the very first release on We Are The Brave in 2016, why did you decide starting a label was the right step?
At that point, I’d wanted to start my own label for a while, but I held off for the right moment. I’d had a lot of success releasing music on other labels and really admired what my peers were doing with their own brands. In 2016 I had just produced ‘We Do What We Want’ and I thought ‘Fuck It’, now’s the time and this is the track. I’ll release it myself and this will be the start of my own thing.
And what was the biggest struggle you faced in the beginning?
Ha, probably getting the rest of the release schedule organised. I don’t know of many artists who would start a label with a single-track release, but it worked for me. At that point I didn’t really have a plan, I didn’t know who or what was next, so I started putting feelers out to DJs I respected to see if they were interested in being a part of ‘We Are The Brave’. 32 releases later, we’re not doing so bad!
Was there a moment or a release when you thought ‘this is it’?
There were a few actually. Having Marcus Intalex remix my track ‘Magnetic Dog’ under his ‘Trevino’ alias was a real honour and a big personal achievement for me. But probably the Sasha collab, that was the release that made me pinch myself. He’s such a well-respected artist and I’d always been a fan, so for him to be into the idea of a collab for my own label, that just showed he was into my vision and liked what I was doing with Brave.
The internet and services like Spotify have allowed almost anyone to put out a release, do you think the ease of access is good for the industry or has it only filled the stores with mediocre music?
In my opinion, it’s a good thing. For creatives, the ease of getting your music out will always be a good thing. The only downside is that artists will probably have to dig a lot more to find quality releases. But that’s definitely not a bad thing. You’ll always find hidden gems where you least expect them.
What label continually impresses you besides your own?
I’ve always been a fan of R&S Records and XL Recordings. These two labels are consistently solid and have been in my collections since I started DJing. I’ve got a lot of respect for Rekids, I love their vibe and the releases are always so credible and unique. And Drumcode, over 20 years now and Adam and the team are stronger than ever.
Finally, tell us what’s next for We Are The Brave?
Up next on Brave we’ve got our first artist album from Reset Robot. He’s one of the best producers in the game so it’s a real pleasure to have him on our roster.
We’ve got a heap of label showcases coming up this year which I’m really excited for and I’m also working hard to get some new merch lines out. And our release schedule is full of bombs – obviously ha! Some follow-up EP’s from familiar faces and new material from fresh artists in the scene. It’s gonna be a big year for the WATB team, stay tuned!
