Ghostly International: Label of the Week

Ghostly International: Label of the Week

19 October, 2007 | 3.23PM

• Written by: lizwarner
• Filed under: Music News: ann arbor, dabrye, ghostly, lusine, matthew dear, sam valenti, spectral

Eight years ago, an electronic, pop-based record label started out of a dorm room in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

At the time, it was an unlikely location for the forward-thinking label (just adjacent to a city featuring harder, rawer electronic sounds: Detroit), and its label owner was an unlikely 19-year-old student studying art history.

Fast-forward eight years to 2007, and Ghostly has made an indelible impression with its challenging pop and no nonsense dance tunes (enter Ghostly’s sister label, Spectral).

Many artists have been featured from various backgrounds; some had made their name prior to working with the label, such as Daniel Wang and Adult., while others, like Dabrye and Matthew Dear, have developed with some inspired aid from the Ghostly team.

Through Spectral, the label has worked at the development of its DJ team, which includes Ryan Elliott and Jeff Samuel amongst its roster.

At 27, label owner and A&R man Sam Valenti has expanded operations to include New York City.

What he’s begun has clearly become a life obsession, which is good news for fans of that Avant-Pop sound, and of just about anything that screams “quality control”.

Naming Ghostly Label of the Week, Beatportal caught up with Valenti to chat about how the label goes about its business.

If you had to choose a motto for Ghostly, what would it be?

Our first motto was “You’ve Known Us All Your Life”.

It’s hard to explain, but it just feels good.

How does that motto affect your idea of what constitutes a great release?

We’re looking for music that we hope will hold up over time and still sound good 20 to 30 years from now.

I still like everything we have released in eight years of operation.

[Lusine, pictured right]

How do you choose those artists that you develop and support?

It’s really a matter of shared beliefs.

If an artist wants to stay true to him or herself, and we feel they are going to strive to make better and better music, then that is the reason.

We have a very long history with our artists, so it’s important to feel good about the decisions.

You’ve also released a diverse array of music on the labels. Is there one common thread that runs through each release?

The Ghostly label can be broken down into two sides.

Avant-Pop highlights leftfield and unique releases with pop sensibilities, with artists like Matthew Dear [right], Dabrye and Solvent.

SMM, which is a secret name for our more “impressionistic” titles, encompasses artists such as Kiln, Cepia and Christopher Willits.

With Spectral Sound, it’s a love of soul and funk that runs through the catalog.

Most people wouldn’t necessarily see that, but we try to release soulful dance music, even if those releases are banging techno tracks.

In addition to the sound, listeners can also get a lot from the artwork. Do you feel that the artwork is a gateway to the music?

Good records should have good art.

You want to lay out the red carpet for a potential listener, so this is a perfect way to do that, even in the digital era.

Which release’s packaging are you most proud of so far? Any hints about your next packaging innovation?

The USB drive we did with Moss last year was fun and a chance to try a new approach.

In this new era, you want to own something that feels like a document of time, so that’s a clue about the next project…

In an era where many producers DJ instead of playing live, Ghostly features many live touring musicians who play electronic music, or an electronic music hybrid. How do you find that the public reacts to that?

It’s gotten better and better.

Matthew Dear tours with a band he calls Matthew Dear’s Big Hands, which works for the music that he makes under his own name, while inviting new fans to join in.

How do you recommend listening to music from Ghostly?

It depends on the record, but I think driving is a great way to listen to our music, or as a soundtrack to the city/country/your mind.

For Spectral, the preferable treatment is a sweatbox dance party while letting loose with your friends.

But headphones are great too.

How has the your approach changed since the label’s inception?

I like to think it hasn’t changed much.

We don’t want to get stuck doing any one thing, so we stay with what interests us, while maintaining a roster of close artists.

So what’s in store for the future of Ghostly?

More releases, more risks, more rewards!

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Look for Matthew Dear’s ‘Don and Sherri’ this week on Beatport, featuring remixes from M.A.N.D.Y., Hot Chip and DJ Koze.

Also look for ‘Dusker’ by ambient outfit Kiln out soon.

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Learn about Spectral Sound, the sister label of Ghostly International, on this link to Beatport.

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