Meet…Twisted Records

Meet…Twisted Records

19 July, 2007 | 7.59AM

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: tribal records

Over the last 10 years TWISTED Records based out of New York City has been responsible for some of house music’s biggest records. Countless dancefloors have been blasted apart by Twisted’s tracks.

Who could forget Sapphirecut’s ‘Free Your Mind’, Danny Tenaglia’s ‘Music Is The Answer’ or Superchumbo’s ‘The Revolution’?

And today Twisted is still releasing some club gems. Beatportal caught up with label founder Rob Di Stefano to discuss Twisted’s rich and exciting musical heritage.

What does Twisted stand for?

“Art before commerce, I suppose. When I was in college, labels like Wax Trax!, 4AD and Nettwerk really impressed me with their level of quality, and how they branded themselves, winning loyal fans for the label as much as for the artists. 

“They made money of course, but not through the exploitation of themselves or their artists. They did it with purpose and integrity. 

“I built Twisted and Tribal on that concept.”

Twisted is very much a trend-setting label in house music, isn’t it?

“We do have integrity. Twisted exists as a ‘house music family’ and I think people connect with that level of realness. 

“We’ve been considered a pioneering outlet in the genre, and many of our artists have achieved their earliest successes with Twisted. 

“So we benefit from having a high-profile alumni and reputation for finding and developing trend-setting artists. 

“Also, our very identifiable logos have also played an important role as they (literally) gave the labels a face.”

Over 10 years, you must have faced some pretty tough challenges

“Tribal was launched in 1991, and Twisted in 1996. It’s been a real rollercoaster from the first day, with all sorts of challenges. 

“Unquestionably, the biggest hurdle is the continuing adaptation to the internet and digital age. 

“The record industry I loved and grew up with is not the industry we work in today. 

“There’s a whole new business model and it’s very fluid, so just keeping up with that new pace of change has proved a challenge itself. 

“And with those changes come tremendous new opportunities like Beatport, which simply did not exist under the old model, so the future is promising.”

You’ve a release from Guy Gerber out today (’The Pilgrim/Shayn’ ) – are you guys diversifying?

“Twisted has always been a diverse label. Though people tend to associate us with a tribal or progressive house or a harder sound, we’ve shown a lot of variety in 10 plus years. 

“If you consider our roster and catalog over the years, some Twisted labelmates have been Eric Kupper, Timewriter, Kevin Yost, Danny Tenaglia, Junior Vasquez, Deep Dish. 

“Twsited’s never been limited to one sound or style.

OK, but Twisted did pioneer tribal house and push that darker house sound. What’s happened to tribal house?

“It hasn’t changed, and that’s my problem with it. 

“Proliferation of home computers and production software has resulted in a glut of average tracks and a stagnant sound. 

“Combine this with the loss of many labels (which acted as a form of quality control) and people are left searching for the next natural direction in music. 

“It’s a tough time, and producers too often rely on something old (a hook, a sample, a style) when making new music. 

“The dancefloor needs to be considered a grounds for experimentation and testing if house music is to remain relevant.”

Tribal house isn’t as popular these days, is it?

“I think it’s less popular, fading in favor to other styles like minimal and dance rock. 

“People have shorter attention spans these days in comparison to even 10 years ago. 

“So styles burn quickly, and music is more disposable. 

“It’s near saturation, limitless finger-tip access to a galaxy of music having replaced the elitist’s game of spending weekends in record stores hunting for coveted limited edition pressings. 

“So the challenge now to get and keep an audience is greater than ever.”

Danny Tenaglia is probably your most famous supporter – how did you and Danny first hook up?

“Danny and I first met in our infancy in the business. 

“It was in 1991; I was about a year into my first job and really just learning about house music - I had a 1980’s industrial/alternative background in music. 

“Danny had just moved from Miami where he had really established himself as a trend-setting DJ, using both house and industrial music (acts like Front 242, for example) in his sets. 

“He returned to New York where he could advance his career as a producer. 

“We joined at this important crossroads in our personal and professional lives. 

“It was one of those ‘right place/right time in life’ scenarios. 

“We got along great as friends, and shared a love of dance music through different camps. 

“So we taught and learned from each other a lot. 

“I’d be a completely different person today had I not worked with him.”

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