Label Focus: None More Records
From ‘Basement Tapes’ to pressing vinyls, Sam and Harry share why we need more records.
Despite the name of the label, None More Records, its founders Sam and Harry are going like a storm into the New Year, planning to drop some of their big projects yet. The enthusiasm is infectious especially when it comes to the music you’re obsessing about. When in 2012 they started to run club nights to later put the bands on, they’ve realised there’s even a better way to share your kicks with the audience. From there, None More Record was born, a love-child of two friends and eclectic tastes ready to give a chance anything from psychedelic jazz to neo-ambient.
We talked the duo into letting us backstage of the label, drive behind it and their most exciting artists. Take a look.
How did None More Records form?
Harry: We started off way back in 2012 running club nights called ‘Basement Tapes’ at The Alibi in Dalston. We did one Tuesday a month and although we loved DJing there we couldn’t get the place busy before the pubs kicked out around 11. We thought we could try to put some bands on to attract an earlier crowd so we bought all our own mics, stands, mixer…everything, and started running live shows before the club nights started. They were a hit and we loved working with bands more closely so we decided to branch out and start promoting shows at other venues. Once the promoting hit a natural ceiling, we started the label in 2016 to sign some of the bands we’d booked and loved seeing play live.
For those unfamiliar with the music your label puts out, can you tell us more about your artists?
H: In simplistic terms, we put out anything Sam and I both really love. It means the labels releases to date are pretty eclectic. Our first release from Lunch Money Life was psychedelic jazz and our latest release from Joe Harvey-Whyte is ambient neo classical. In between those releases there’s progressive folk, afro-Brazilian jazz, krautrock inflected funk…there’s lots to get your teeth stuck in to.
What challenges have you faced breaking into this industry?
Sam: Well, when we started we didn’t know how to do any of it, so that was a challenge in itself! We’ve learned a lot as we’ve gone on with each release. A big challenge for us is that, as Harry said, our releases are quite eclectic, and in terms of building a reputation or a following, that’s probably not the best way to go about it. But, also we love a wide range of music and want our label to reflect that. It’s important that we love every release as we just do it for the love of it. There’s also the usual challenges of access and links to places and people that can really help your releases, but we’ve met some incredibly supportive and helpful people along the way who have helped us a great deal.
When did you first feel like you were growing momentum as a label?
S: I think we’ve built momentum with each release, which is great. Probably though I think by the time we did our first LP, Jouis’ ‘Mind Bahn’ album which did really well, got some really good radio play on 6Music and the like, written press reviews and stuff, that’s when it felt like we were a real label. Seeing one of our releases in print still feels great.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a record label?
H: If you genuinely love music and helping artists running a label is a beautiful experience. If you’re really serious about it, speak to as many people with label experience as possible. You’d be surprised how many lovely people in the industry are willing to help. If you don’t work in the industry already, promoting shows and DJing is really good way to start meeting like-minded people who you can learn from and you never know, you might bump into a band who is looking for help putting something out…
What do you hate right now?
H: Those Christmas adverts with the bizarre slow acoustic covers of well known hits. Why?!
S: Musicals, forever and always. Specifically the advert for ‘& Juliet’ they keep showing on TV.
What do you love right now?
H: There’s this track ‘Camella’ by Geoffrey Landers that I heard on Flo Dill’s wonderful NTS breakfast show…I’ve had it on repeat an unhealthy amount
S: Weird Walk, a fantastic zine about rambling and weird British folk culture.
How has it been navigating a label during the pandemic?
H: There were some positives and some negatives to be honest. I certainly felt that people were listening to a lot of music. Not only that but they also seemed to gravitate towards independent vendors, not just in terms of music but a lot of other products like food and alcohol too. We were kind of amazed that the vinyl pressing plants largely remained open and to be honest our production wasn’t affected too badly. Negatively though, there was obviously no live shows but also a lot of writers and journalists we’d usually target lost their jobs as circulations dipped. They’re two elements we really rely on to get our releases to cut through so they were a big blow. Brexit has been the real dagger to the heart of independent labels like ours, but that’s another story…
You recently released Joe Harvey Whyte’s new ambient EP. Can you tell us a little bit more about this release?
S: Joe is a phenomenal and much in demand pedal steel player who’s been exploring experimental ambient music made with his instrument over the last few years. We were put in touch with each other by the Flying Mojito Bros’ Jack, bonded over Jerry Garcia’s pedal steel part on Laughing by David Crosby and that was that! Joe sent some stuff he was working on over, we fell in love with it and felt we absolutely had to put it out.
There’s two sides to the record. Side A ‘Flatland’ is a beautiful piece of ambient pedal steel, passed through many effects and combined with field recordings and Himalyan singing bowls. It’s absolutely wonderful. And then on side B, ‘Spaceland’, Joe has worked with the brilliant composer Ell Kendall to create an orchestral version of the piece, giving us a stunning modern classical composition that blew us away when we first heard it. Joe is very interested in deep listening, and so the aim of the EP is to give listeners time and space to remove themselves from the busyness of their lives and to create an experience when listening to the music.
What have been some of your best experiences running a record label?
S: We’ve had so many great experiences but the best few off the top of my head would be when Huey Morgan took us completely by surprise and played a Caravela track on 6Music, DJing at Glastonbury, the Jouis album launch show at Servant Jazz Quarters, Gilles Peterson raving about Project Karnak and lots more I’ve probably forgotten! It’s been a great experience overall to be honest.
What were some of your favourite releases from 2021?
H: I’ve been loving Scrimshire’s latest record ‘Nothing Feels Like Everything’ which came out in October. Also the ‘Dost 1’ EP from Derya Yildirim and Grup Simsek is a lovely hit of modern Turkish psychedelia.
S: So many great records released this year again, some favourites of mine include Natural Information Society & Evan Parker ‘Descension’, Arushi Jain ‘Under The Lilac Sky’, Obay Alsharani ‘Sandbox’, Jim Ghedi ‘In The Furrows Of Common Place’ and Jaubi ‘Nafs at Peace’. Too many to mention them all.
If you’re at liberty to discuss, what can we look forward to coming from None More Records in 2022?
H: Well, we’re gearing up to release an album from dub producer Mali-I in spring 2022. We just dropped the first single ‘Heaven Sent’ on November 26th and there’s lots more to look forward to on that one.
S: After Mali-I there’s a few more irons in the fire but nothing we can announce just yet, so you’ll have to watch this space! The ever winding journey from genre to genre is set to continue though, we can guarantee you that.
