There isn’t too much in the way of newly established genre’s or innovative pulses that stick to the ears or feet, but there are several labels who continue to push their “sound” to new limits without veering too far into abstraction. Labels that have uniqueness and consistency in their releases seem to cultivate a style that represents their original intent from the start. This isn’t the case for all labels, unfortunately. Some of them tend to broaden the approach by continually redefining themselves with different crowds. With their release schedules spanning the genre spectrum, they continue to grow by releasing content that appeals to a varied crowd.
But in the end, when you comb through the abundance of releases pouring out in every direction, it’s good to see that independently run labels (be it small or large) have a mission to release electronic music that would have otherwise gone unheard. The question remains, however: Do all these releases etch a firm sound in your mind? Do they really appeal or do they casually drift into the pile of mediocre titles with one great musical piece? It’s sad to see such a display of ingenuity gone stale. Where music isn’t filtered to the extent that it sometimes should be. Where tracks could use minor tweaks and adjustments rather than being left as is.
Many releases, of course, are underscored with creativity and genuine efforts. These are the titles that remain at the top of the stack and that receive the most rotation, it seems. By stretching the musical envelope and delving into uniquely created sound manipulations, there are several individuals changing the pace of tomorrow’s musical direction. Whether it’s glitch, ambience, electro, experimental, noise, hip-hop or techno, the energy sparked when a track is played should have at least some long-lasting impression. An impression that has you itching for more, or one that simply satisfies your senses from start to end.
