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So you have aspirations to start your own label? You want to experience the highs and lows of the music industry? It all sounds pretty straight forward to accomplish on paper, but believe it, next to every other label that exists in the world, you’re going to have to know exactly what you’re doing, why and how you’re going to achieve it.
It’s also going to take guts and determination, and of course, a lot of financial risk taking. One such label that’s experiencing great success due to a string of releases that have been raved about throughout the techno industry, are New York based Gotham Grooves. Born out of a frustration towards the lack of quality techno being produced in the US, they have achieved near cult status within their field and have renowned artists such as Bryan Zentz, Valentino Kanzyani, Cristian Varela, Adam Jay, and Tim Xavier on side, both remixing and releasing tracks through Gotham Grooves. This is not to forget that their in-house artists Alek Biotic and Agent Orange are currently as respected within the techno community as any other artist! And they definitely deserve to be. I caught up with D. Greg, label manager extraordinaire during his hectic schedule to get the lowdown on all things Gotham.
A: D Greg, Gotham Grooves, the label, the sound. Just how did New York's primary dance label become to be and how long has Gotham Grooves been in business?
D. Greg:
We started the label back in January of 2001. Back then, my brother Ara (a.k.a. Agent Orange) and I had become real frustrated with the lack of quality Techno in the States.
Techno had made such an impact in both of our lives. Long nights at Twilo listening to greats such as Carl Cox, Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin, etc. were really unforgettable times for us and our friends. Yet the music was so undiscovered and so underappreciated. We wanted to give something back and wanted to spread the word, especially here in the US, about what we felt was the greatest musical genre of all.
A: What exactly is your role you maintain within the label?
D Greg: I’m the label manager, so I deal with all of the not-so-glamorous “dirty work.” (ha!) I handle all of the aspects of running the label, from release planning, marketing, promotions, managing the staff, licensing, handling bookings for our artists, etc.
Of course, I don’t do all of this alone. I have a really great team that supports our efforts and is truly dedicated to our vision.
When I’m not busy running the label, I DJ under the moniker DEEKRON (which is my first name – hence the “D” in D. Greg). I haven’t started producing yet, but perhaps in the future, if I ever find the time (ha!).
A: Just how long have you guys been on the circuit now? Are you quite a large family as a label now?
D Greg:
Like I was saying, we are very fortunate to have a great team driving Gotham Grooves forward. Our core team is made up of six people:
1) Agent Orange – he’s my partner in crime; co-founder of the label, our main artist, and someone who has exposed so many people to Techno with some of the most brilliant DJ sets you can imagine.
2) Alek Biotic – he’s our other In-House artist; Alek is also a fabulous musician who has scored some nice releases with labels such as Bush, Kazumi, and Bazooka 10. Alek is a top-notch web guru working in New York, so he also helps us with web and graphic design.
3) Ash – this is our main man for promotions and party support; if someone gets a package from us, it’s probably because Ash sent it to them. Plus, Ash is a networking machine, which helps with the contacts.
4) Gene – our wordsmith and online marketing hero. Gene has done a great job in taking over the responsibility for our leading Techno newsletter, Future Frequencies.
5) Eskay – our sound engineer; a great ear and a true audio technology fanatic; he knows about new studio gear six months before the rest of the world; he recently dropped a minimal Techno EP on Clicktracks which got rave reviews from Richie Hawtin.
6) Me
A: Between everybody involved in Gotham Grooves, you have over 20 years
of exclusive business and musical experience, this must have really
helped the success of your label.
D Greg: Well, Alixir, it did and it didn’t. I think it definitely got us off to a fast start and we did a lot of things right. But for all our work and our knowledge, we were unfortunately plagued by persistent distribution problems. You know how it goes, in music, distribution is everything. Unfortunately, as a small label, we have had little to no control over that part of the equation.
We’re on our third distributor now, and these guys (Rhythmic) are working really hard to make it happen, despite the hardships the industry is facing. It hasn’t been easy, but things are finally starting to straighten out, so I think most of our distribution problems are behind us.
A: Where do you see the future for Gotham Grooves? Are you distributing worldwide now?
D Greg:
Yeah, Rhythmic has a tight relationship with Intergroove Germany, who is just fantastic. Especially for Techno. Between these two distributors, our releases are really starting to get some good exposure world wide.
A: What's in the essence of a good Gotham Grooves release? Who exactly is spinning your tracks and what feedback do you get on them?
D Greg: Great question! Our philosophy has always been to provide as much quality music as possible for the Techno fan. We’ve lined up 6 releases and all of them have had no less than 4 tracks, covering a wide range of styles. Our overall sound is a groovier, dance floor flavor of Techno. But we try to incorporate various styles on every record. You’ll almost always find a harder, peak-hour track, a funkier track, a darker track, etc.
Our music has been played by artists such as Carl Cox, Christian Smith, Danilo Vigorito, Stanny Fransenn, Misstress Barbara, Cristian Varela, Bryan Zentz, Valentino Kanzyani, etc.
A: Any specific DJs that make you feel proud to be playing out Gotham Grooves Tracks?
D Greg: Anytime one of our main influencers (Techno heroes) gives us props, it’s a great feeling. The person who sits highest on that list would have to be Carl Cox. He’s really the one that ispired us to start the label and get more great Techno out in the world.
We got a real rush this year, when he played in New York and threw on the white label of our 5th release (Funk Matter EP by Alek Biotic), less that five minutes after I handed to him! He also licensed a track of ours for an upcoming mixed CD he is doing for FACT: Australia, which was a great accolade.
A: What tracks do you tend to release and why? Do they have to specifically fit the mould of what Gotham Grooves sees as viable for the dance floor? Do you produce or have you been involved in any productions yourself?
D Greg:Yeah, we are pretty selective as to the tracks we release. The kind of Techno we like most is the kind that gets both your mind and your feet going. Some would say our sound has a Housier influence. This might be the product of “growing up” musically in the New York club scene.
We also push to add creativity within the track. Enough changes and breaks to keep it interesting and be able to play the record for several minutes without putting the dance floor to sleep. If it’s one loop from start to finish, it’s out.
A: What artists do you currently have signed or releasing through your label? Just how did you come about them and what kind of personal relationship with you maintain with your artists?
D Greg: Our two In-House artists are Agent Orange and Alek Biotic. We may add a third, but have not quite found the person with the right fit yet.
Outside artists we have worked with include Bryan Zentz, Valentino Kanzyani, Cristian Varela, Adam Jay, and Tim Xavier. We pretty much have met all these guys just by building relationships throughout the scene and throughout the years.
A: You've obviously put a lot of time, endless effort and money into your business, what future ventures do you have in mind for Gotham Grooves or are you currently happy with the way things are running at the present?
D Greg: Barry, you’re not kidding, bro! It has been a tremendous amount of time, work and money. It has been very fulfilling in some aspects, but let me tell you, you still have your bad days. Primarily, I want the distribution to be in line with our other efforts (marketing, music production, etc). Once we get on a steady flow of a new release every 6 – 8 weeks I would be happy. I would also like to increase our licensing activity and to get some more high profile booking for Agent and for Alek. These guys are very talented and it would be such a crime for Techno fans not to experience a kick-ass Gotham set by them. But all this will come in time, I am sure. We just need to hang tough and survive the challenges the industry is facing right now with reduced sales and downloading, etc. Before it’s all over, Gotham Grooves will leave an influential mark on Techno, that I assure you.
A: Here's your chance to plug any past, current or future releases. What kind of DJs are you aiming at and please explain what a little Gotham Grooviness will do for their record box!
D Greg:
We have our 5th release due out in stores any minute. It’s by Alek Biotic and features a slamming remix by Valentino Kanzyani. Number 6 is due out later this year. It’s an EP by Adam Jay with a killer remix by Agent Orange (this remix was recently was licensed by Japan’s DJ Mayuri for an upcoming hard Techno compilation!).
Gotham Grooviness means a dope Techno groove, that makes ‘em jack and makes ‘em move!
A: Thanks for taking the time to talk to HKCLUBBING.COM!
D Greg: It was my pleasure Alixir. Hope to see you when we make it out to Asia. I leave your readers with the Gotham Grooves motto that we live by: “ Stay Young. Love Techno.”
Review By: Barry Hinselwood
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