Imprints brings you weekly profiles of the most exciting independent record labels the world over, written by movers and shakers from within their own electronic music communities.Name: Feel So Real
Vibe: Dark, sexy, and elegant—like the feeling of leaving of warehouse party at 7 a.m. after watching the sunrise from Skid Row.
Founded: 2013
Location: Los Angeles
Upcoming Releases: Feel So Real is cooking up a handful of records to be released over the next six months. First up is a collaboration between the LA-based producers Benedek and Rare Times. Future offerings include a third Rare Times EP and a yet-to-be-announced record from a new face.
By the numbers: The label has released three records to date.
Artists to watch: Black Merlin, Jessy Lanza, and Seahawks.What's the deal?
Label co-owners Sam Allman and Alex Talan have been friends since middle school. The pair headed to UC Santa Cruz, where the local scene was dominated by dubstep, folk, and, according to Allman "other stuff we're totally uninterested in." Instead, they got into electronic music from the '80s and '90s, learned to DJ, and started throwing renegade parties in the Santa Cruz mountains. Last year, Allman and Talan teamed up with Keiko Schnelle to launch their own label, which they describe as a "celebration of slick aesthetics" and a "reaction to what was happening in the musical climate at the time." To them, it seemed like even house and techno were stagnating, so they created an imprint with the goal of ignoring current trends. Consequently, the outpost has no genre boundaries; house tracks, R&B burners, and pop tunes can all find a home on Feel So Real. The unifying element, Allman explains, is a "focus on songwriting and arrangement instead of functionality" for the dance floor.THUMP: Explain the name.
Sam Allman: "It's a nod to a hedonistic lifestyle that informs our sound and the themes in our music. Interpret it however you like."What's the scene like in LA?
"It's sad that LA is always associated with this mainstream Hollywood element, when there's this thriving underground that feels stronger than ever. I feel very lucky to enjoy [a high] level of talent in the context of an underground warehouse party, [and to] escape the Hollywood club culture most often associated with LA nightlife. LA is similar to Berlin in its sense of desolation. It's an industrial and almost dystopian landscape that happens to be nested in a beautiful metropolis. We do have some pretty toxic sunsets, though."What's your favorite label that isn't your own?
"There's no way I could pick a favorite label, but one contemporary label that's been really influential for us is International Feel. They've managed to construct something that focuses on the music itself. Everything they craft is complete and whole from start to finish; whether it's the artwork or the music itself, everything bolsters one another."Connect with Feel So Real on the label's website
Connect with Feel So Real on BandcampLauren Schwartzberg wears earplugs in loud music venues. -@LaurSchwar
Vibe: Dark, sexy, and elegant—like the feeling of leaving of warehouse party at 7 a.m. after watching the sunrise from Skid Row.
Founded: 2013
Location: Los Angeles
Upcoming Releases: Feel So Real is cooking up a handful of records to be released over the next six months. First up is a collaboration between the LA-based producers Benedek and Rare Times. Future offerings include a third Rare Times EP and a yet-to-be-announced record from a new face.
By the numbers: The label has released three records to date.
Artists to watch: Black Merlin, Jessy Lanza, and Seahawks.
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Label co-owners Sam Allman and Alex Talan have been friends since middle school. The pair headed to UC Santa Cruz, where the local scene was dominated by dubstep, folk, and, according to Allman "other stuff we're totally uninterested in." Instead, they got into electronic music from the '80s and '90s, learned to DJ, and started throwing renegade parties in the Santa Cruz mountains. Last year, Allman and Talan teamed up with Keiko Schnelle to launch their own label, which they describe as a "celebration of slick aesthetics" and a "reaction to what was happening in the musical climate at the time." To them, it seemed like even house and techno were stagnating, so they created an imprint with the goal of ignoring current trends. Consequently, the outpost has no genre boundaries; house tracks, R&B burners, and pop tunes can all find a home on Feel So Real. The unifying element, Allman explains, is a "focus on songwriting and arrangement instead of functionality" for the dance floor.THUMP: Explain the name.
Sam Allman: "It's a nod to a hedonistic lifestyle that informs our sound and the themes in our music. Interpret it however you like."What's the scene like in LA?
"It's sad that LA is always associated with this mainstream Hollywood element, when there's this thriving underground that feels stronger than ever. I feel very lucky to enjoy [a high] level of talent in the context of an underground warehouse party, [and to] escape the Hollywood club culture most often associated with LA nightlife. LA is similar to Berlin in its sense of desolation. It's an industrial and almost dystopian landscape that happens to be nested in a beautiful metropolis. We do have some pretty toxic sunsets, though."What's your favorite label that isn't your own?
"There's no way I could pick a favorite label, but one contemporary label that's been really influential for us is International Feel. They've managed to construct something that focuses on the music itself. Everything they craft is complete and whole from start to finish; whether it's the artwork or the music itself, everything bolsters one another."Connect with Feel So Real on the label's website
Connect with Feel So Real on BandcampLauren Schwartzberg wears earplugs in loud music venues. -@LaurSchwar