We Are Responsible

We Are Responsible

16 July, 2009 | 8.26AM

• Written by: thisisit
• Filed under: Music News : gut feel records, ryan sullivan

Electronic dance music in Africa seems like a wild idea to some, so we caught up with Johannesburg based Ryan Sullivan to chat about his gut feel, why he thinks we are responsible and what the music scene in Africa is really like.

Electronic dance music in Africa seems like a wild idea to some, so we caught up with Johannesburg based Ryan Sullivan to chat about his gut feel, why he thinks we are responsible and what the music scene in Africa is really like.

Ryan is a multi talented DJ and producer with releases on a broad range of labels from Perc Trax to Pure Substance. He has defined much of Johannesburg’s progressive nightlife and regularly performs across the country. With his label, Gut Feel Records, Ryan is placing his local scene on the world map.

1) What is the inspiration behind Gut Feel Records and what is your vision?

Before Gut Feel, I was signed to another local label, the now defunct Glo-Tech Africa. We were a tight family, all working toward the common goal of promoting progressive dance music. After hosting many successful parties, festivals and countrywide tours we started to put out our releases, receiving major support from all over the world and felt like we were finally getting closer to where we wanted to be. At that point the business basically imploded for a number of reasons and I then started working on Gut Feel Records. As the name suggests, decisions are made, music is chosen and artists are selected based on gut feel or instinct, that of my own, the artists and all the people involved.
Our local dance music scene is flooded with hits and trends, so our aim is to bring a fresh, honest flavour of dance music into the market.

2) The label has been around for a while and there seems to be resurgence as of late.

Yeah, we’ve hit many low points, struggling with distribution and the crossover into the digital world. We’ve only been releasing since January 2006 but have been through many teething problems. Some distributors were closing down and others were being weary of what to do next while record pressing plants were folding and that led to us running at a loss for the first three years. Now that the digital side of the industry is rolling smoothly, we have reorganized ourselves and I’m happy with where we are right now.

3) We Are Responsible is the labels thirteenth release and it seems to have been well received. Can we expect more of this from Gut Feel Records in the future?

Oh yes. It’s the second release on the label for 2009, my first since late last year and it’s gathering some real good feedback from all over the world. That certainly puts a smile on my face. We have not put all that much music out due to the problems we’ve faced in the past but things have taken a turn into the right direction now, enabling us to be more active.

4) It’s a heavy title, We Are Responsible. I imagine that there is a story behind that. Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I’m inspired by all sorts, mainly from my experiences. I love sad music, like Moby’s stuff, and tend to compose best when I’m feeling a little down or really touched by something.
About 2 kilometers from where I live there is a squatter camp where thousands of people live. There are many of these informal settlements all over the country and even more throughout the rest of Africa. As you can imagine, conditions are terrible. I travel through the camp on my way to the studio every day and cannot help but feel that we are all responsible. I do believe that we choose our own paths but others can also influence our direction and a positive influence can make all the difference.

5) For many years, people from around the world have had a strange idea of Africa. Do you still find that this is the case?

It’s not all that common anymore, but I do still get asked some silly questions. Many people still seem to think of Africa as one big, poor, bushy country when in fact it’s a continent with many countries. I’ve lived in South Africa my entire life and I’m yet to see past the borders so my view on the rest of Africa won’t be very accurate either. I’ve seen a huge amount of South Africa, it’s large, beautiful and there are loads of caves, mountains and all sorts of interesting sites that are absolutely out of this world. There are also big cities though, just like the rest of the world. I have however come across some artists who seem to think they were the first to introduce electronic music to Africa, quite a laugh.

6) Does South Africa have a healthy dance music scene?

Yes and no. We have clubs all over Johannesburg and Pretoria which are very busy. Cape Town is a much smaller city and is just as busy relative to its size. Durban on the other hand is rather quiet but they still have their good parties. The style of music is what makes all the difference. House music is king here as it appeals to the rich and the poor. Techno, minimal, trance, electro-house, D ’n B, breaks etc are tiny in comparison. There is a nasty sound called “fidget” that seems to have spawned from electro-house and is popular in the mainstream clubs. We manage to keep it all going though, it’s just a little tough as you really need to have a strong following in order to stay in the game. I’d say the scene is healthy but the local economy makes importing talent very difficult. That makes it that much tougher to introduce diverse sounds.

7) What does Gut Feel Records have lined up for the rest of 2009?

Later in the year we’ll be hosting some parties in Johannesburg again, something I have not done in a few years. On the release front we have some new artists to look out for. Most of them have been Dj’ing and performing live across the country for years and have some fresh ideas in the studio. I’m enjoying discovering the different sounds from different sides of the country which we look forward to putting out. Recently Proper-Gander from Kwa-Zulu Natal was introduced with Lament as his debut release, our first for the year. We’ve also started a weekly radio show called Gut Feel Sounds. With all of that together, we’re kept busy.

Ryan Sullivan’s latest release, We Are Responsible, is out now on Gut Feel Records and can be found here:  https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/181168/We%20Are%20Responsible

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