Meet…Direct Drive Digital Records

Meet…Direct Drive Digital Records

21 June, 2007 | 5.38AM

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: direct drive digital, peakafeller

Beatportal caught up with Angel F and Eric Marquez from Direct Drive Digital Records in Chicago to discuss the digital world and to find out more about how their imprint is giving props to the smaller producer as a platform for releasing music.

1. What’s so special about Direct Drive Digital Records?

“‘Production, concept and arrangement’ are the fundamental rules when making tracks - you need all three to make a hit.

“And we believe there are tons of producers out there that know this formula and we intend to find them.

“So our ethos is that we are trying to cultivate the lesser-known producers and bring them to the forefront.

“We believe strongly that a label can be successful in the digital market place without having power names on it.

“But that’s not to say that we are not interested in the ‘super producer’, we just intend to prove that with a diligent work ethic and solid promotions anyone can be successful in the digital world, and there is a super producer out there waiting for his/her big break.

“That’s why I wrote this comment on Beatportal:

“I remember personally back in the days growing up in Chicago. It was every producer’s dream to be on IHR or UC Music but there was never a way in. But Beatportal can help producer’s dreams come true by involving the labelless producer.” [www.beatportal.com/blogs/post/welcome-to-beatportal]

“We believe in being accessible to the small guy.”

So what can you do for the ‘small guy’?

“What makes us stand out in this large crowd is the fact that we are not chasing one style or genre.

“If you look at the releases we have, there is every style represented.

“We are not overloading on electro but at the same time we definitely respect that it is dominating the market right now.

“We feel that we need to add something tangible to a release other than just a fly on MySpace or a post on a message board.

“That’s why we make commercials/trailer videos for our releases like this:

“Another thing that makes us stand out is our commitment to our visual standards.

“We make custom artwork for every release even though the picture is so tiny on Beatport.

“We are truly a label for the people by the people.”

Do you think there are many undiscovered ‘super producers’ out there?

“We found a trance artist through Beatport when you ran a Sarah McLaughlin remix contest for ‘First Noel’ - his name is Robert Vadney (pictured above).

“He produced a monster remix that did not win. We got into talks with him and found out that he is a true sleeping giant in music but has been passed over because he is not a big name.

“But I can tell you that his album is on par with any album produced by trance giants like Tiësto, Armin Van Buuren, Above & Beyond, and Paul Van Dyk.

“We also have a major project we are about to release from a little known guy in the States, his name is Peakafeller.

“This guy is your next super producer as well.”

How important is the digital revoltion to your label?

“Digital is without a doubt the most important media format today, and when you pair that with a phenomenon like Beatport, you are talking about changing the very way major record companies/the industry sells music.

“What has happened from my point of view is that we are now in the days of the single and when companies can release one, two or three songs at once it raises the level of competition.

“Plus low to no overheads is not bad either.”

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• Check out Direct Drive Digital on Beatport