Labels to Watch 2011: Culprit

Labels to Watch 2011: Culprit

31 January, 2011 | 7.17AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: culprit, droog, labels to watch 2011

Los Angeles, long considered something of a desert when it comes to underground house music, suddenly seems unusually fertile. That’s thanks in no small part to Droog, a trio of party promoters whose residencies at the Avalon club and the rooftop of the Standard Hotel have served as the focal point for a coalescing scene of deep house heads and freaky party people. Last year, they stepped up their ambitions with the launch of Culprit, a left-of-center house label that has so far brought us records from the likes of Lee Foss, Soul Clap, Jamie Jones, and, most recently, Subb-An.

Despite the glamorous cast of their parties, they also might just be the humblest Hollywood players you ever laid eyes upon; read on to find out more.

What’s the vision or guiding philosophy behind your label, and what sets you apart? How many people are running it?

The label is a labor of love for all three of us in the Droog collective (Andrei Osyka, Brett Griffin, Justin Sloe). But it helps if one person focuses on the day-to-day stuff more, makes things efficient. That person is Andrei.

The two main guiding principles for Culprit are simply always maintaining a very high standard of music and staying true to our original identity that’s firmly rooted in our environment—the city of Los Angeles.

The music has to be not only well-produced, but it has to stand out in the current glut of purely functional records out there—we don’t believe in the ultimately disposable nature of dance music; everything we put out has to be memorable, have a distinct personality and feel. And it has to in some way relate to Los Angeles, whether the music was actually made here or reeks of the warm/analogue retro futurism that to us is Los Angeles.

What can we expect to see from the label in 2011?

We’re pleased with our first 18 months as a label, but I think 2011 is when things will really start to pop.  Our particular sound has had time to mature, we’ve figured out the artists we really believe in and want to push, and in turn they are giving us some amazing music. The year will kick off with a trio of super strong EPs from Lee Foss (February), Lee Curtiss feat. Matt Tolfrey (March), and Shonky (April). We will also do our first proper remix package, for Lee Foss, with remixes by Shonky, Dyed Soundorom, Seuil and Anthony Collins; and new EPs from return artists Inxec, MANIK, and Tanner Ross & Sergio Santos of SECT.

Which record label, past or present, would you name as an inspiration or role model for what you do, and why?

It’s important to chart our own course, so we try not to borrow heavily from the many labels we admire. Out of our current peers, the Wolf + Lamb, Crosstown Rebels and Hot Creations trifecta are labels whose dedication to quality and building a family of artists is what we really relate too. Freak N Chic, Playhouse, Rush Hour, Poker Flat Recordings—between the three of us as DJs, I think we have most of their back catalogues, so they’ve been doing things right for many years, which is the way Culprit eventually wants to be remembered.

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