Section 27 - Label Showcase/Guest Mix

section 27 - label showcase / guest mix

Tam Ferrans of Scotland-based experimental/electronica/IDM netlabel Section 27 provides a mix for INDUSTRY and gives us the low-down on the label (http://section27netlabel.blogspot.com/):

So, tell us about Section 27...

"Section 27 began in April of 2009. It was originally conceived as a platform for Andy and myself to release our collaborative and individual music projects through whenever we felt like it, both of us really being into the DIY ethic of labels like (the sadly no longer in operation) Monotonik and could keep complete control over what we put out and when. After a few weeks we started to release music by artists we had got to know through Myspace and Soundcloud and this grew over time, through that we ended up where we are right now. For me personally it has been a great way of hearing new music and meeting some bloody talented individuals along the way. We do develop quite a queue of releases sometimes. There is a minimum of two weeks between albums (one week for short EP's) which can be a frustrating thing to some people having to wait a couple of months before they see their work released but so far everyone's been understanding and really nice about it. Can only be a positive thing I guess."

And what's this mix all about?

"The tracks in this mix are a blend of past, present and future work that we have on the label. I prefer the music to talk for me here. It's a real shame that I couldn't include every roster artist in this one, the idea was originally to get all artists who have released music on Section 27 till now shrink wrapped into one very restless mix, but hopefully this one is an enjoyable listen and gives a feel for where we have been and are going. There are a couple of little exclusives in there too for those that listen to it. ;)"

How is running S27 as a netlabel working out?

"Running this netlabel is a lot of fun but understandably there are a few downsides to being a strictly "digital" netlabel. First off all our releases are just that, digital. A lot of love goes into the releases and they are great pieces of work, but we still remember when we got excited about physical formats. Certainly you can burn the releases onto a CDR, but it isn't the same as having a complete package with printed art and stuff. Another downside is that there are literally hundreds of netlabels out there on the web, so with all of that choice and quantity it makes it harder for some labels to break out of that. With the ability to share your art online it has opened up a whole new way to create which is both a blessing and a curse. There are a few notable netlabels that we personally follow as their output is consistently of high standard and their cover art is brilliant, I believe I listen to more "unsigned" music than I do commercial music these days and always seem to find something new on a regular basis. Having music licensed under Creative Commons and released through a netlabel is a great way to get your stuff out to people for free. It doesn't take a genius to know that the music industry is all about profit and is teetering on the brink of collapse and more people are going independent... From an artist's perspective netlabels can be an additional mode of promotion plus they also have a dedicated core following that have a tendency to check out anything new they put out. In turn artists could get exposure to an audience that may seek out other releases on the label, just because they picked up something they really enjoyed listening to. I have done the same thing many times myself."

What does the future hold for Section 27?

"We just release what we like the sound of, it would be very good to have live nights where we get some artists to play at it. Realistically though due to everyone's geographical location this would be a very difficult thing to get into operation! Its also been discussed in passing between Andy and I the subject of doing some limited runs of physical releases at some point in the future once we can afford to press up a few CDs and distribute them, or just play host to an artist that wants to do a physical release and they deal with the shipping and Paypal stuff. There are a lot of things we have talked about regarding the future for Section 27 but nothing has been set in stone, the spirit is to keep the music free to obtain so that will always be the primary focus. Some ideas get suggested from the artists too, they always have suggestions they contribute to us. It's a community and we really could not have got this far without them, which is (by shameless plug) evidenced on the latest Section 27 compilation called "Sectioned v2.0". The response to shape the sound of our second year celebration was overwhelmingly positive and the feedback from people outside of its creation tells us it has been very well received do far. That for me is enough, to know that people are listening and feeling the sounds we share is such a great thing. Here's to more.

Posted at 10:50, 22nd April 2011