Record labels have a unique view of the retrowave landscape, and we set out to learn more about their story, niche, releases, and perspective on the scene. Many people running labels are musicians themselves or have been in the music business in one form or another for many years, sometimes decades.
It is with much gratitude we bring readers of the electroscape the Record Label Series. Each label gave precious time to share their story and perspective with us. Many of the people running labels are working day jobs and operating the label during evenings and on weekends. We are incredibly grateful for the time they gave to us so we can share their story with our readers.
Read our entire Record Label Series here.
We connected with several labels to launch our series. We asked all labels to tell us their story, view of how the retrowave scene has changed, and what they expect or hope the future of the scene to look like. We asked the labels what advice they have for artists who might want to land on a label, how they discover artists, and factors at play when deciding to bring an artist on board. Their responses were fascinating, intriguing, and entertaining.
This story features Outland Recordings.
We were lucky enough to connect with Stu and Brett who founded Outland Recordings. The label grew out of Outland Synthwave Events which was established in London, 2017, a live synthwave event that promotes artists and brings the music to fans.
The label was a natural progression and a more sustainable way to promote the music and the scene. The duo has a plethora of experience in media, entertainment, and music industries, which all feed into their vision for the label.
Outland told us the name ‘Outland’ is about setting no limits on what they can achieve with it. It references “…a place, out there, beyond the common-place. A place of possibilities, outside of space and time. A place where the past and the future meet, where dreams and reality intertwine and where all things may be possible. Outland is your companion on the neon highways, the bridge to the otherworld, the key that plugs you into the Grid.”
The Past and Future of Retrowave
There has been much growth in the retrowave scene in the recent past. The scene is seeing legendary and new synthwave artists alike releasing albums, experiencing exponential growth in social media chatter, and synthwave streaming radio is blossoming as are live synthwave events around the world. The fact NewRetroWave reached over one million subscribers on YouTube is a testament to this growth.
Outland told us the retrowave scene is beginning to bleed into other genres and, perhaps, the genre itself is evolving and branching out. Outland said it’s “…a good and natural thing, and will in time, create a larger audience” and they “… aim to nurture and support this organic growth.”
“The question keeps getting asked on whether synthwave is mainstream yet and of course it’s not. There may be elements used in current pop songs but ultimately, we’d like to see an artist that has truly evolved within the genre, become big outside of it. It would benefit us all, the bloggers, promoters, labels, artists, podcasters, and streaming radio.”
It is always hard to get a clear look into the crystal ball, and even more so during a global pandemic when the future is even more uncertain than usual. Outland couldn’t help but acknowledge the current state of the world when forecasting the future of retrowave. They told us in many respects “synthwave, by its very nature is perfectly positioned… Think about it, the music and its accompanying visual elements are all created on a computer, with electronic digital and/or analogue synths and then uploaded on the inter-web. People are still able to funnel their creativity, despite current events…There’s more music than ever being churned out and we don’t see that changing.” They also noted we should expect “…more of this ‘genre’ finding its way into mainstream gaming…”, a domain that is also experience much growth.
Live events may need a make-over, however, and Outland is brainstorming some creative solutions to make it happen.
A Closer Look at Outland Releases
Outland has a growing collection of bold releases on multiple formats, including vinyl, compact disc, cassette, and digital.
Returning Home by New Arcades
New Arcades’ debut Returning Home was one of Outland’s first releases. Outland said, “we wanted the album to contain all the best elements of synthwave: a good mix of upbeat vocal retrowave combined with some more aggressive takes, as well as the more instrumental side. We think it’s the most well-rounded synthwave album we’ve ever heard in the genre and it’s right up there with Gunship’s self-titled debut and FM-84’s Atlas.” Returning Home is an unquestionably dynamic display of vocal synthwave with dramatic and mysterious instrumental tracks sprinkled throughout, such as “Solace.”
Megawave by Dana Jean Pheonix & Powernerd
Dana Jean Pheonix’s and Powernerd’s Megawave is an instant classic! Outland said the album displays “…unique elements of space disco, modern pop and even straight-up funk, all wrapped up in a pink synthwave bow.” When you combine the hair-raising vocals of Dana Jean Pheonix with the “…scientifically flawless production of Powernerd… it’s a winning combination.” These artists delivered a colorful, genre busting release that will stand the test of time.
Retro Drive Soundtrack by Outland Recordings
Outland released a compilation packed with synthwave and outrun style tracks called Retro Drive Soundtrack. The compilation is bursting at the seams with tracks from well-known artists, such as Neon Nox, Futurecop!, Stiliz, Fantom ’87, and more. The compilation is a must own for long-time fans of the scene and newcomers alike. “Muscle Car” by 80s Stallone is a moody tune from the future.
The Excitement and the Grind
Outland is at its core about working with artists through the entire cycle of an album from its creative direction, release, and promotion, all of which are “…essential to grow and sustain a successful brand.” Outland told us there’s a glut of synthwave out there. They feel their strength is a keen sense of what people like and what they can sell to fans within and sometimes more importantly, outside the scene. “The most fulfilling aspects of all of this has been when the artist understands this process and that it’s a wonderful collaboration, because then magic happens.”
At the end of the road, “seeing a finished ‘work of art’, that’s had so much blood, sweat and tears go into it, finally arrive in people’s hands, and they go, “Wow, this is great! Thank you!” That’s a kicker.”
While getting a new label off the ground has its thrills, there are many challenges. Outland told us they have to consider how to invest in each artist. “Investing in a vinyl release is a huge outlay and a risky one at that. Sometimes we prefer running with just CD and Cassette but usually each of our artist releases will invariably end up on vinyl as well.” The label is exploring distributors to reduce the risk.
Another challenge labels face is building richer collaboration between the label and Spotify playlisters. “There’s still such a massive disconnect there and we feel there’s missed opportunities for them. Spotify playlisting is the new radio and back in the day, radio had good open relationships with labels. We’d like to see closer ties with synthwave curators and labels, even if it means wining and dining them old school style!”
Breaking Into the Scene
When asked what role labels play in shaping the scene, Outland said they offer a view of the genre and its direction, and can offer insights to the creative process. The label plays a role in helping artists get their work out there in many respects, including “…a growing Outland mailing list, Bandcamp presence, press contacts and movers and shakers who remain tight friends within the genre, all so that the artists can then spread their wings a little more.” Outland went on to say staying true to their roots is important to hold onto the “…magic that made synthwave great in the first place.”
Outland has a special place in their hearts for promoting artists through the live retrowave scene. “When we look at artists we’d like to think they are able to perform their music live in some way. This goes back to why we started Outland. This works to the artist’s benefit as they get first dibs on events we run and we are able to offer them bookings management for other shows. It boils down to striving to offer the same support a traditional or major label would support their roster artists …” Playing live is only one piece of the story. Outland said, “We’re always keen to take on new discovery artists, but we do have some criteria that includes good songwriting and production levels and can follow direction if and where necessary.”
We asked Outland what advice they might have for artists looking to land on a label. Outland told us it is important to listen to the music currently out there and think about why “…some of the most popular and iconic tracks and artists are so popular. There’s a reason so many people like certain artists and certain sounds. Understand this and then make it your own. There’s a reason that the Drive soundtrack, for example, captured so many hearts and minds.”
Outland also said there are many artists who simply do not require label support. One example is L’Avenue “…who is turning heads in the scene and we only wish we could help release him, but he has all bases covered!” They went on to say “for those that require help, especially around release strategy, promotion reach, and investment, our suggestion is always to try self-release a single or EP first, then submit releases to a label for consideration.”
Outland said although artists can release music independently, labels do more than just release albums. They build relationships, provide direction, and develop promotion and release strategies.
One last piece of advice Outland offered was to be sure to read recording agreements carefully, saying “they are lengthy and proper for a reason and the clauses are there to protect both the artist and the label from wild expectations that could creep in later.”
Looking Ahead
Outland is young but “…it’s strong and healthy and built on a solid foundation.” Outland is excited by upcoming releases by Polychrome and Taurus 1984. They are excited by the August 2020 release of Blush by Lost Outrider. Outland said of Blush, “The guys have managed to produce an album which fuses a plethora of musical elements from Japanese Rock to Modern Electro and Emo Rap to UK Garage, all with a Synthwave overtone.” See our story about Blush here.
Outland’s catalog is built around two sides of the synthwave coin. Stu leans toward the vocal side of the genre and their roster is heavy on the vocal synth side at the moment, which grew naturally from the artists in their orbit and with who they had a good relationship with from the live synthwave scene. Brett is a bit more of a “synthwave purist,” leaning more toward the instrumental outrun style the scene grew out of. Outland said they are “…a young indie label but have big plans to showcase both vocal and classic synthwave. Brett’s brilliant idea of curating an instrumental classic synthwave soundtrack for a mobile game is testament to this,” said Stu.
The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in 2020 live events, of which Outland had big plans for. The good news for synthwave fans is “…next year awaits and we have some big plans for live events both in the UK and across the world, to support our roster artists and to provide some top-notch entertainment to the whole synthwave scene in general.” Stay tuned!