Label Profile – Resonance Records – MC Conrad (UK)
MC Conrad has been one of the most consistently original and instantly recognisable MC’s in the scene since 1991. He is of the less is more school, and as well as being an adept hype master he is also an exponent of understated cool, synonymous with integrity and panache. After a 20 plus year career working alongside LTJ Bukem, he has now decided to add another string to his bow.
2020 saw him branch out into becoming a label owner. December 2021 sees the release of the 8th instalment on the label by Aquariid and make no mistake, it delivers.
The label has quickly gained a reputation for airing dark and thoughtful DNB, with a focus on crisp production values and thought provoking soundscapes. We wanted to know what MC Conrad had to say about the label, so we asked him.
Tell us a bit about how the label came into being. Was it a lockdown idea or had you been planning this previously?
The label was something I have always thought about doing. Lockdown definitely gave me time to focus on bringing it to life and to look at things differently from a creative perspective. I had received lots of great demos from people that were not necessarily known but felt their music was great and needed to be heard. I spoke to a friend of mine about the idea of starting a label and here we are already 8 releases in!
What inspired the name Resonance?
The word ‘Resonance’ means the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating. This is something we could relate to within the way we like to convey our sound.
Is this your first venture into running a label?
Yes, it is and I can say that I am learning things all the time both from a business and creative point of view. It is not easy by a long shot, lots of energy and time goes into making each release from the music to the packaging, distribution, and generating revenue for the label to even exist. I have a great team of people around me, who all help to keep Resonance going.
You are known throughout the scene for being involved in the deeper, more dramatic side of the music. What is the policy at Resonance?
There is no blanket policy as such, but most of the stuff we release normally has some sort of deep/musical element to it with a certain level of production standard which makes it fit within todays contemporary drum and bass sounds. We just support what we like pretty much.
Can you explain a bit about your label roster and how you have found your artists?
The great thing is a lot of our artists found us. We get people sending quite a few demos in, so all of our current roster pretty much came together organically. Some of the music we received was great and we spoke to some of the artists involved and decided to release their material as we liked it. Some artists such as Outlier, Aquariid and Type and have been around the scene a minute releasing under different names on bigger labels, or I have known them through mutual circles.
Do you have a release schedule as such? Do you plan to release a certain amount of music very month/year?
To begin with we planned our first 7 releases in advance, we were pushing a release out nearly every month which helped to get us some good traction pretty fast. Moving forward we are planning to keep up the pace in 2022 with a couple of EP’s and also some vinyl projects planned. We want to keep the quality high but also remain consistent with putting out releases, so more of the same really.
How are you finding the technicalities of running a digital label? What would you say are the pros and cons specific to your own personal journey?
Digital allows you to do things at pace with less risk attached to it when compared to vinyl let’s say. However, the digital labyrinth is never ending and is not easy to navigate. There is always something new to learn and a new tool to use, so it’s a constant challenge of trying to stay ahead of the pack. Nowadays everyone has a label or has the ability to produce and release music, in one way this is good because you have more freedom to be creative and also control over your own product. However, this also means that the market gets flooded with lots of tracks (not all of which are good), which makes it more of a challenge to remain visible in a never-ending ocean of music.
What geographical area are your artists coming from? Can you tell us a bit about them?
Our artists so far in terms of releases have been predominately from the UK, the Midlands, London and Glasgow to be precise. However, we speak to producers from all over Europe and even from the USA, Brazil and New Zealand. Most of them have been feeling what we have been doing so far as a label, and it’s been great to hear from like-minded creatives from far away and receiving their music. There are no geographical boundaries for us as a label.
Do you see value in signing artists long term and helping them to nurture both their own sound and the labels, or is there more of a focus on singles?
Being a relatively new label, our logical approach has been to focus on singles with the odd EP thrown in. We work with each artist individually to shape and package their release so they end up feeling as good about it as we do. We always provide artists with feedback and encourage them to develop their own identity and sound as well.
What about moving into full album releases? Is that something you’ve thought about?
An album is always a major ask, especially in terms of time and the resource it takes to make something on the level it needs to be at in the current market. No plans to release an album yet, but there are some MC Conrad vocalist EPs planned for Resonance in the future. All I will say for now is watch this space!
You’ve got a nice little selection of merchandise available. Who does the design for that?
Thanks for that. The merch was very well received, it was great to see our first batches of Resonance tees fly off the shelves. Credit where credits due, what you’ve seen so far across our merch range was an older design by a previous designer, Jason Soley. However, we’ve recently updated all of our branding & logos and our new in-house designer now is Gareth Jones, and he will be doing a lot of our new merch designs going forward. You might remember him as the person behind a lot of the legendary artwork for the Good Looking Records back catalogue. He is always great to work with and helps to bring our ideas to life in eye catching ways.
The latest release is a brooding 3 track EP by Aquariid called the Hologram EP. Tell us a bit about it.
I met Aquariid through Resonance artists Outlier some years back. He had been making new music and decided to send in some of his latest works. As soon as I heard some of his content, I instantly thought ‘this sounds great’. We spoke back and forth a bit, and he eventually sent in 3 contrasting tracks which ended up as the Hologram EP. I liked the overall vibe he was creating with his own contemporary take on the atmospheric Jungle sound.
So onto your plans for the future then, what’s in store for followers of the Resonance sound?
Well, we have lots of exciting projects to come. From more talented up and coming artists to more established drum and bass producers (We can’t mention names yet as we are still planning our schedule for 2022). It’s going to be very exciting to showcase what we have in store, so keep it locked.
And your personal plans for the future? What does that look like for MC Conrad?
The future for me is definitely pouring my energies into this label for now. It something I’ve wished for a long time ago and I think will allow me to express myself with a freedom unlike anything I’ve had before. I think timing is everything, and I’ve waited to do this for a while. I’m not saying its going to be easy and I’m ready for the many challenges ahead, but something just feels right about chasing this right now, so I’m following my instincts and my heart.
Good Luck Conrad. I’m sure 2022 will be pure fire!
