Photo by Marianne Dumas
ESP Institute is the label that brought the Bali-based musician The Hands to the world. But label owner Andrew Hogge (who DJs as Lovefingers) says DJ Harvey had a big… umm… hand in bringing The Hands overseas.The Hands (real name: "Dully") is exactly the kind of thing you expect to find on the incredibly eclectic label. ESP Institute is the kind of "anything goes" label that avoids all the hype and flash to release the kinds of taste-making records that find their way into sets by some of the world's most-respected DJs—DJs like DJ Harvey, Andrew Weatherall, and Todd Terje.We spoke with Hogge about what excited him most about The Hands, and how to keep a dance label eclectic in a scene where everything is starting to sound the same.VICE: So The Hands self-titled release came out on ESP Institute. How did you first hear of them?
Andrew Hogge: I was over at DJ Harvey's for tea and he had just returned from Bali. He mentioned that he met The Hands on his recent trip and he then went into an enthusiastic report of their surf trip together and how he was so intrigued by his Australian/ Balinese heritage and his cosmically stoic demeanor. It sounded like the dude was a genius from the get-go. Harv told me The Hands made really wild music—and if there is anything Harv knows it's wild music. Something about it was so raw and feral, so you could consider me sold from the go.The track 'Coconuts,' sounds like a white-knuckled journey down the German Autobahn. It's strange and full of a wonderfully stark atmosphere. Is this the kind of stuff that made you want to sign The Hands?
Yeah, you could say that. 'Coconuts,' starts out and you think you know what it's all about, but then the vocals come in and it totally throws you off. At first, I was uncomfortable with it, but then I found it genius as it takes something otherwise serious and twists it toward the absurd. 'Deep Tubes,' is the same. It's blatant and in your face.'Deep Tubes' reminds me of Suicide. I was getting some serious New York vibes.
Absolutely! I love everything Alan Vega and Martin Rev did with Suicide and solo acts too. I love all the bands that carried that idea like Spaceman 3, Jesus & the Mary Chain, The Telescopes, et-cetera. I definitely hear a lot of that in The Hands, as well as things like Burzum. It's right up my strasse.We had The Hands play at our launch event in Bali and the crowd seemed particularly spellbound with his live show. Do you plan on taking him out on tour anytime soon?
There has been talk about this for sure. There is a great audience in LA and NYC for him, a lot of like-minded people that make electronic music but share his dark and fuzzy aesthetic. Hopefully if we can get a follow-up EP rolling before summer we can work out a live show in LA and he can make it in time for some surf with our crew here!ESP's discography features a broad offering of artists and sounds. Is this part of a master plan or just a reflection of your record collection?
I really have no rules for the label. I think the catalogue carries a consistent vibe and definitely tells a story aesthetically, so I guess you could say that there is a master plan in the works. But in the end, I am only interested in collaborating with people who make interesting art, not necessarily beautiful or provocative, but sincere art. I look for a bit of genius in the artists I work with and the material they produce. There is usually a lot of sculpting to get things to their final stage, but there is also the less common instance where the genius does not need any tampering with and the art is undeniably perfect as-is.It's tricky for a dance label to not sound 'vanilla' today, but you seem to be doing a great job of keeping ESP's personality alive. Is this from taking a bigger chance than other labels are willing to take with an artist?
The glue that holds the ESP catalogue together may not be obvious to everyone, but as long as I see it and believe in that common thread, then it fits my definition of success. I'm happy to work with more 'risky' artists, but I don't really see things in that way. The more someone explores what they're capable of, the more interesting it is for us as a label to be part of the journey.
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Andrew Hogge: I was over at DJ Harvey's for tea and he had just returned from Bali. He mentioned that he met The Hands on his recent trip and he then went into an enthusiastic report of their surf trip together and how he was so intrigued by his Australian/ Balinese heritage and his cosmically stoic demeanor. It sounded like the dude was a genius from the get-go. Harv told me The Hands made really wild music—and if there is anything Harv knows it's wild music. Something about it was so raw and feral, so you could consider me sold from the go.The track 'Coconuts,' sounds like a white-knuckled journey down the German Autobahn. It's strange and full of a wonderfully stark atmosphere. Is this the kind of stuff that made you want to sign The Hands?
Yeah, you could say that. 'Coconuts,' starts out and you think you know what it's all about, but then the vocals come in and it totally throws you off. At first, I was uncomfortable with it, but then I found it genius as it takes something otherwise serious and twists it toward the absurd. 'Deep Tubes,' is the same. It's blatant and in your face.'Deep Tubes' reminds me of Suicide. I was getting some serious New York vibes.
Absolutely! I love everything Alan Vega and Martin Rev did with Suicide and solo acts too. I love all the bands that carried that idea like Spaceman 3, Jesus & the Mary Chain, The Telescopes, et-cetera. I definitely hear a lot of that in The Hands, as well as things like Burzum. It's right up my strasse.We had The Hands play at our launch event in Bali and the crowd seemed particularly spellbound with his live show. Do you plan on taking him out on tour anytime soon?
There has been talk about this for sure. There is a great audience in LA and NYC for him, a lot of like-minded people that make electronic music but share his dark and fuzzy aesthetic. Hopefully if we can get a follow-up EP rolling before summer we can work out a live show in LA and he can make it in time for some surf with our crew here!ESP's discography features a broad offering of artists and sounds. Is this part of a master plan or just a reflection of your record collection?
I really have no rules for the label. I think the catalogue carries a consistent vibe and definitely tells a story aesthetically, so I guess you could say that there is a master plan in the works. But in the end, I am only interested in collaborating with people who make interesting art, not necessarily beautiful or provocative, but sincere art. I look for a bit of genius in the artists I work with and the material they produce. There is usually a lot of sculpting to get things to their final stage, but there is also the less common instance where the genius does not need any tampering with and the art is undeniably perfect as-is.It's tricky for a dance label to not sound 'vanilla' today, but you seem to be doing a great job of keeping ESP's personality alive. Is this from taking a bigger chance than other labels are willing to take with an artist?
The glue that holds the ESP catalogue together may not be obvious to everyone, but as long as I see it and believe in that common thread, then it fits my definition of success. I'm happy to work with more 'risky' artists, but I don't really see things in that way. The more someone explores what they're capable of, the more interesting it is for us as a label to be part of the journey.