I remember when I first listened to Boyscott when Goosebumps lead single “Nova Scotia 500” popped up on my Discover Weekly playlist. As a 14 year old boy still getting into indie music, this track helped me begin my journey into the scene. Nearly a decade later, the band has returned to drop their Sophomore LP, a worthy successor to Goosebumps. Filled with tracks from deep in the vault,, Spellbound offers an experience similar to getting a group of old friends together to go on a pleasant road trip down the coast.
Opener “Rocky Road”, sees the band quickly hit their stride. With their ability to quickly recapture the whimsical nature of their sound, Boyscott transports the listener to a nice scenic drive down the mountainside. “Rocky Road” manages to deliver in the same vein as “Nova Scotia 500” with its upbeat percussion and stunning vocal harmonies.
We caught up with label manager Nick Boyd after grabbing this b2b deejay set from Nick & Sweat Equity co-founder Alien D.
Press play & sink into the chat ▶️
Chris B: Nick, thanks so much for linking up to do this mix, chat, etc! I feel like you wear a lot of different ‘hats’. For the uninitiated, can you walk us through who you are and what you do?
Nick B: No worries Chris — thanks for inviting me to do the show and all your hospitality!
I’m from Winston-Salem, North Carolina originally — moved to New York when I was eighteen or so for school and have been just generally doing as much music stuff as I can since. I run Sorry Records, interview NYC artists for the great Love Injection fanzine, write about music every now and then for places like Crack and Bolting Bits, DJ, and run two radio shows on The Lot Radio and Newtown Radio here in Brooklyn. I used to go out dancing a lot too! I try to approach all the stuff I do with that mindset.
How have you been hanging in there this past crazy year? What a time to be alive, right? Any new Covid hobbies ? How have you been coping and getting through this all?
Not quite sure how well I’ve been hanging in but I’m still here! It’s been just an insane sludge of a year — finding it difficult to find any consistency between bright highs and new lows. Outside of a weekend or two, I’ve been in New York non stop since this whole thing started. I’ve been very lucky to have held onto my pre-pandemic day job which wasn’t the case for so many folks so I really can’t complain though. Besides long aimless walks through Brooklyn and combing through the David Morales remix catalog, I’ve been coping by throwing myself into running Sorry. We’ve probably “signed” 10 records in the last year and significantly ramped up the frequency of our releases. That first month of pandemic I think I commissioned like six remixes.
What is the ethos behind Sorry Records? Why did you start the label & where were you when you started it? Was this like a back of the napkin kind of thing or had been premeditated for a while or … ?
Definitely wasn’t premeditated. We’ve grown and changed a lot since our first records in 2015. Sorry started back when I was living with Tony G and Nick Dalessio (Figur fka Stick Figure) in college. They started a band and made an indie rock record with our friend Noah Engel from ART DLR on vocals and Drummy on drums. The label was initially started to promote that record but I’d wanted to start a label since I was in high school.Those early releases were all over the place, predominately music from my close friends, and genre wise everything from Dalessio’s experimental IDM leaning breaks stuff to the aforementioned indie rock and pop punk stuff from our friends Trash Boy in Philadelphia.
Drummy & Nick Boyd at The Lot Radio in Brooklyn
Our original ethos was completely open format — really just any music I liked of any genre period. As time moved on and I myself got heavy into disco and subsequently house, techno, going out raving, the Sorry Records as it exists today cemented as a label primarily focused on the diverse sound of the dance floor and dance music history as a whole. I’ve always been in love with dance music as a curatorial genre developed via DJs who pieced together music from all sorts of genres and eras in their own new vision. I feel like all you really need to know was pretty much laid down by David Mancuso before Disco even had a name, you know? Lead with love, community, and play whatever feels right for you and the dancers.
Must admit I’ve had a lingering frustration with what I perceive to be a loss of that spirit from current DJs and dance labels. From house to techno, there’s tons of labels out there putting out record after record with the same tone, same sound, same artwork… You hear stories about folks like Anthony Parosole ending a set at Berghain with Frank Sinatra and people being legitimately mad! That mindset sounds like hell to me.
Ahh, to get lost in the fog again — soon enough! Figur enjoying a moment in the dance at the 2018 Sorry Records Halloween party
Sorry Records is also super influenced by the diversity of the New York dance music sound and we definitely want to champion our community where you can go to Bossa on like a Wednesday night and hear ballroom mixed into gabber into Detroit techno into reggaeton. I want to turn the techno kids onto house and vise versa. Would love to help people my age be more familiar with the history of this music and community within our city and the rest of America. I also want to make music that is fun to dance to. As far as ethos goes, these things are always in mind when I approach our label.
What are some of your favorite labels & why? Maybe include a favorite label growing up, an all-time favorite and some contemporary labels you’re feeling…
I could go on and on so this will be an incomplete smattering but I’d be remiss to not mention a trio of labels that actively and directly inspired me to start Sorry.
I’ve been a humongous fan of Jeff Rosenstock and his community-oriented/anti-capitalist DIY approach to his collective Bomb the Music industry! and Quote Unquote Records was hugely influential on just about everything I do. He made so many decisions that completely shifted my understanding of what was possible for a musician and record label. Every record he’s put out since 2005 is available for free download online even since he’s signed to larger labels like Polyvinyl. Almost every Bomb show was all ages, under $10, and instead of selling merch you’d just bring a blank t-shirt to the show and Jeff would spray paint a stencil on it for you in the parking lot. To me I guess Jeff proved that idealism and honest commitment to DIY ethics was not only possible but fun. I’ve strayed pretty far from the punk world since but his words and approach are always in mind — “So write some songs with lots of hooks / Remember why you wrote songs in the first place / Let’s start a band / This is all that you can do.”
Another label that inspired a similar realization of “wow I can do this” was my old friend Nathan Romano’s cassette label Personal Records based out of Greensboro, NC. I met Nathan when I was 16 at a summer filmmaking program and he is an insanely creative person who spent high school releasing dozens of folk/experimental/rock type records via this cassette label he ran out of his bedroom. Nathan was the first person I knew personally that ran a record label, booked shows, built his own world via DIY… He pushed me way more than I think he realizes.
Lastly I just generally wouldn’t be running a label if it weren’t for A. G. Cook and PC Music. What they did with that label especially between 2013 and 2016 just bowled me over. They created their own world and changed the world at large in turn — legitimately the most thrilling and impressive record label in my lifetime, you know? PC Music taught me so much about intentionality, curation, presentation, and the overall possibilities of what you can do with a record label especially as it relates to digital media.
In interest of brevity, here’s some other labels I adore divided between past and present:
Strictly Rhythm are HUGE for me and everyone. Salsoul, Fania, Ze Records, West End, Philadelphia International, Prelude, Nice ’N’ Ripe; MOTOWN, Sleeping Bag, Emotive, Movin Records, everything Power Music especially Sex Trax, Nu Groove, Nervous, Easy Street, King Street Sounds, T.K. Disco, Suburban Base, Dance Mania, Teklife, Warriors Dance…
Sweat Equity, Haus Of Altr, Moveltraxx, Naive, Juke Bounce Werk, Future Times, ONE PUF, Sneaker Social Club, Kiwi Records, Allergy Season, EAT DIS, Mood Hut, Incensio, Timedance, The Bunker NY, Knightwerk, Scuffed Recordings, Most Excellent Unlimited, TWIN, Super Rhythm Trax, N.A.A.F.I., BFDM, Mister Saturday Night, TraTraTrax, Frendzone, ROOM, Off Me Nut, Local Action, Dark Entries, Balkan Recordings, Fixed Rhythms, T4T LUV NRG, Intedimensional Transmissions, Loveless Records, Planet Euphorique, Swing Ting, Kindergarten Records, Super Tuff, Twin, Hooversound, Illegal Afters, Honey Soundsystem, Loveless, Local Action…
If you had to give someone advice for starting a label today, what would it be?
My advice would be if you’re thinking about starting one, just start one. Work with your friends at first, really think about what you can do for the artists you work with that they can’t do by themselves, and never prioritize money ever. Also just email me — I don’t have enough friends who run labels and would love to help any way I can.
Escaflowne rocking it at Good Room for a livestream
What’s one thing you love and one thing you don’t love about electronic music right now ? (not being able to do parties aside)
Octo Octa said “good DJs make dance music still feel like a secret.” That’s my favorite part about electronic music.
Something I don’t love? The fact that not a single publication or platform is even coming close to properly covering even 10% of the beautiful stuff going on right now.
What’s in the pipeline for you, Sorry Records, and beyond?
We’ve got a ton of projects in the works for the next year or so on Sorry Records. Records and remixes from Escaflowne, C Powers, PlayPlay, Bored Lord, John Barera, Brian Abelson, WTCHCRFT, Amal, X-Coast, Xhosa, UNIIQU3, Interplanetary Criminal, Chrissy & Maria Amor, Bianca Oblivion, Alien D, Tony G, DJ Girl, Sonia Calico, Drummy, zorenLo, Nick Leon, Figur, Loraine James, They Hate Change, NIGELTHREETIMES, Olive T, Martyn Bootyspoon, Overland…
Our next record is from Miami bass duo Basside and produced by the late genius SOPHIE
We’ll get around to our first vinyl release sometime as well. Besides that I’m just going to continue to try to do as much radio, DJing, music writing as I can while I can.
What’s one thing you found out about yourself through this crazy period?
I’m addicted to YouTube and TikTok in a profound and concerning way.
What’s your favorite post-rave meal / snack ? (For whenever that happens again….)
Whatever’s available but I do have a fond memory of walking home from a DJ Harvey all nighter years ago and passing Bergen Bagels on Flatbush Ave just as they were opening and getting a plain bagel w/ lox and cream cheese. In a dream world my favorite post-rave meal would a BBQ tray w/ red slaw from whatever they call the original Little Richards in Winston-Salem, NC. That or a Cookout tray — burger cheddar style, fries & a corn dog, with a Cheerwine float.
We’ll all be in the dance rocking it to awesome peeps like Sorry Records soon enough! Be well & spread love y’all <3
From hazy break-beats, to pumping acid techno, to hands-in-the-air Detroit diva house, 2018 was another great year for dance music. So many upstart labels shined and delivered great releases, countless new names floated to the top of lineups, and some of our favorite artists continued to bring the goods.
Bearing in mind that year-end lists tire everyone out and usually suck, here are forty tracks that heavily sound-tracked my radio show, club gigs, car stereo, and beyond — presented in alphabetical order because any ranking would be completely arbitrary.
Tune into WKDU one last time in 2018 for the ‘Resolutions Show’ from 8:30 – 10:30 pm, where we’ll read your resolutions on air, play some of the tracks below, and prepare you for a brand new year!
🎉 HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉
The Top 40 Dance Tracks of 2018 (in alphabetical order)
Artist
Track
Label
Waajeed
After You Left
DIRT TECH RECK
Hugo Massien
Alien Shapes
E-BEAMZ
Videopath
And So Do Eye
Peach Discs
Sa’D Ali
Asylum (Louie Vega Deep In The Underground)
Nulu Electronic
Steffi
Between Form & Matter
Air Texture
Pangaea
Bonesucka
Hessle Audio
Sami
Bright Blue feat. ZSY
1432 R
Dj Steaw
Celestial Vibrations
Rutillance Recordings
Leo Pol
Dark Outside
Bass Culture
J. Albert
Deep State Riddim
Trilogy Tapes
Marquis Hawkes, Ursula Rucker
Don’t U (Dubbed Out Vocal)
Aus Music
Roza Terenzi
Electronique
Oscillate Tracks
Almaty
Gennaro (Endian Remix)
naïve
Moodymann
Got Me Coming Back Rite Now
Mahogani Music
Lady Blacktronica
How I Learned
Meda Fury
Omar S featuring Simon Black
I’ll Do It Again
FXHE
Baltra
IWUNNAF33L
CD-R
Scott Richmond and John Selway
Keep On Climbing
Firehouse NYC
Teakup
Lose My Mind
is / was
Heckadecimal
Murder Tape
Great Circles
Brother Nebula
Parting Infinity
Legwork
DJ Koze
Pick Up
Pampa
Hoshina Anniversary
Pimp
Jack Dept.
Batu
Rebuilt
XL Recordings
BMG & Derek Plaslaiko
Rendezvous (NWB Mix)
Interdimensional Transmissions
DJ Dre
Respect
These Things Take Time
Galcher Lustwerk
Rules Meant to Be Broken
Lustwerk Music
Djrum
Sex
R&S Records
D. Tiffany
Sip & Savour
Planet Euphorique
AceMo
Speedn N Smokin
Vanity Press
Will Dimaggio
Steppin W Friends
Future Times
Universal Cave
Take Your Time (Universal Cave’s 909 Rubdown)
Universal Cave
Omar S & Brian Kage
Thru The Madness
Michigander
Antemeridian
Tuesday AM
The Bunker NY
Alex Falk
Upp
International Black
The Horn
Villager (Luca Lozano Remix)
Klasse Wrecks
Scott Grooves
We Move…We Have To
Natural Midi
Marie Davidson
Work It
Ninja Tune
Shawn Rudiman
Works On Paper
Pittsburgh Tracks
Cassy X Pete Moss
You Gotta Know (Ron Trent Remix)
Kwench
Thank you to all the labels, artists, PRs, etc for the great music!!! See you next year — SPREAD LOVE <3 <3 <3
Catch the Hot Mix on Tuesday nights at 10 pm for a preview of The Top 40 Dance Tracks of 2019 ; )
The week of August 13th was overwhelmingly busy from a music lover’s perspective. While every week contains a multitude of new releases and announcements of new music, this week was a dream for any fan in the indie and underground music world. In case you happened to miss anything, we’ve compiled a review of last […]
The week of August 13th was overwhelmingly busy from a music lover’s perspective. While every week contains a multitude of new releases and announcements of new music, this week was a dream for any fan in the indie and underground music world. In case you happened to miss anything, we’ve compiled a review of last week’s most relevant announcements and drops. Our review spans multiple genres and scenes, so chances are, you’ll find something new that you can bop to. Check it out below.
Album Releases
mewithoutYou – Untitled EP Mitski – Be The Cowboy Trevor Powers – Mulberry Violence
Album Announcements
Cloud Nothings – Last Building Burning (October 19, 2018) Daughters – You Won’t Get What You Want (October 26, 2018)
Ian Sweet – Crush Crusher (October 26, 2018) It Looks Sad – Sky Lake (November 2, 2018) Justus Proffit and Jay Som – Nobody’s Changed EP (September 28, 2018) mewithoutYou – Untitled LP (October 5, 2018) Saves The Day – 9 (October 26, 2018) Say Anything – Oliver Appropriate (October 12, 2018) Young Jesus – The Whole Thing Is Just There (October 12, 2018)
Just about to turn one year old, Pittsburgh-based label is / was has already made quite the impact with fresh and timeless releases from heavy hitters and new names alike. We had a chat with label boss Tony Fairchild after he turned in this bangin’ set for the Hot Mix.
Tell us a little about the mix — what was the idea behind it?
It’s a collection of records I’ve bought over the past month or two with maybe 3-4 that have been in my collection for some time. I think I’m starting to get to a point where my personal definition of house music is starting to congeal and define itself. This mix is another step in the distillation process.
You’re a new imprint — how’d this all get started? Is it “is / was” or “was / is” ?
Yes, the labels (is / was & was / is) will turn 1 in April and they are my first labels. It all started with my desire to present music from the 90’s that has maybe fallen out of the spotlight to dance floors of today. Currently the curatorial ethos is simply releasing whatever I feel is timeless and important music. It helps to have a kick drum too!
Looking across the state from Philly, Pittsburgh packs quite the punch with its scene / labels / parties. Tell me a little bit about the scene and what you think makes it special / different.
I think what makes Pittsburgh great is what makes Midwest techno great in general. Heads-down, no frills, hyper-devoted people who involve themselves in dance music simply for the love of it. It’s an example of the beautiful things that can happen to art and culture when you take money out of the equation. What I’m most proud about is how cohesive the scene is and how supportive everyone is of each other. All the contributors to our scene have their own hustle yet are able to come together to lift each other up and put wind in each other’s sails.
How do you come across some of these older projects and go about re-releasing them? What can we expect the rest of 2018 ?
Usually it starts with a record I have, or am aware of (and wish I had!), that I think has something to offer current dance floors. Often its just a matter of contacting the artist and asking if they are interested in working together. Facebook is a big help!
As far as what to expect from the label, there will be 4 more pairs of is / was & was / is records dropping between now and the end of the year. Expect tunes from Mark Ambrose, Archetype, BPMF, Dar Embarks, a couple of top secret surprises and the debut of the insanely talented Teakup. I am also launching a new label, “TerraFirm”, this spring via Subwax Distribution. Its a very conceptual project focusing on a melodic, utopian, futuristic strain of techno. Look for 2 releases or so this year on that imprint.
Tell me something distinctly Pittsburgh that I should know about.
I’ve only lived here for about 2.5 years so I’m not the most qualified cultural ambassador! Our museum has a sick gem room that should be one of the first stops on any tour of the city.
What’s your favorite / least favorite thing about electronic music right now?
Favorite: watching the DJ’s and producers of my generation evolve as they mature in the scene. I see my cohort getting more nuanced, skilled and discerning. We aren’t the ankle-biters anymore!
Founded in 2016 and based in Brooklyn, NEW YORK TRAX is an outlet for New York music, by New York artists, in New York city.
Ahead of the label’s seventh release, this one coming from techno icon John Selway under his Semblance Factor alias, we chatted with label boss Nicole about the state of electronic music, hype, and of course, New York.
Check out this mix of 100% NEW YORK TRAX releases and get a sneak peek at three upcoming releases from the label:
How did you get into electronic music? What were some of the first labels you loved?
I started going to events around the age of 18. I quickly became involved in the local scene by organizing my own events. My first big love when it comes to electronic music was hardcore techno (and it remains my favorite genre to this day). I spent a lot of time exploring the truly underground and obscure hardcore labels of the 1990s. One of my greatest discoveries was Fischkopf from Germany, Hangars Liquides from France, and, of course, New York’s Industrial Strength.
Why did you start the label? Have you done any other labels before? What’s the idea behind this label?
I started New York Trax to release music by New York producers only. The sound of New York is like its people: diverse and unique. Despite the common belief, New York Trax is not only a techno label. It releases electro, acid, hardcore, experimental, and will release even more genres in the future. What matters to me is creative sound with character. In the past, I did some work for other labels, but this is the first label that I run on my own.
What’s one thing you see a lot of labels doing wrong / right?
There is no formula for running a label and there are no limitations as to who can run a label and who cannot. As a result, concepts and sounds are constantly being recycled. I wish people asked themselves more often what is the purpose behind their projects, are they in any way original, are they contributing anything to the big picture, and so on.
What do you think is the state of New York nightlife?
New York nightlife is at its peak right now. There are a lot of venues, crews, labels, promoters etc. We have recently abolished the Cabaret Law and the office of Night Mayor was created. I hope we are off to a fresh start and an even brighter future.
What’s one thing in electronic music you wish you could change?
Less hype, more merit.
What’s your favorite post-rave snack / meal?
Sometimes I just don’t eat until Monday.
JohnSelway Pres. Semblance Factor EP is will be available in all fine outlets on March 19th.
NEW YORK TRAX Promo mix track list:
1. Lot.te – Graft (NYT05)
2. Richard Hinge – Changes (NYT01)
3. Dawid Dahl – Gehenna (NYT Imports 01)
4. Brenecki – The Oven (NYT02)
5. Another Alias – Craic Fiend (NYT Imports 01)
6. Alex Alben – Irin (NYT03)
7. TBA – NYT08
8. Steve Stoll – She rises up (NYT04)
9. TBA – NYT Imports 03
10. Endlec – Rhythm 387_1 (NYT Imports 02)
11. Steve Stoll – No questions please (NYT04)
12. Lot.te – Ultra Vires (NYT05)
13. Liquid Asset – Contact (NYT06)
14. John Selway – Jack the Void (Raw) (NYT07)
15. Endlec – Rhythm 401_Mix 1 (NYT Imports 02)
16. TBA – NYT Imports 04
17. John Selway – Defiance (NYT07)
18. Liquid Asset – Forgetmenot (NYT06)
Last week, we had the honor and pleasure of hosting the ever-RAD Dave P in our studios to help him celebrate FIFTEEN YEARS of legendary Making Time parties. Our station actually goes way back with Dave, as he made his FIRST EVER RADio appearance on WKDU to promote the VERY FIRST Making Time in 2000.
