Imprints brings you weekly profiles of the most exciting independent record labels the world over.Name: Future Classic
Vibe: You'd have to be a real scrooge not to smile at some of these records.
Founded: 2004
Location: Sydney, Australia
Claim to fame: Electronic music acts coming to Australia basically check in with them at the airport.
Upcoming releases: Flume & Chet Faker's Drop The Game EP, Panama's Aways EP, Baio's Mira EP, and Flight Facilities' Stand Still
By the numbers: The label has put out nearly 100 releases and turns ten years old in 2014.
Artists-to-watch: Seekae, Charles Murdoch, Touch Sensitive, Hayden James
What's The Deal:
Do you live and breathe electronic music? Have you ever been to Australia? Well, then there's a 95% chance that you have at some pointed rubbed shoulders with Future Classic, whether you know it or not. Home base for local acts Flume, Flight Facilities, and Seekae, the label also serves as an Oceanic outpost for touring artists like Shlohmo, Toro Y Moi, and Todd Terje when they want to rock a party down under.Over the past decade, the label has gathered a group of artists that, for the most part, embody the sun-filled and easy going nature we associate with Australian exports. But releasing records isn't the only operation going on at Future Classic. In addition to organizing tours, the label has been very active in supporting festivals, parties, and club nights in Sydney as well—curating a stage at the internationally touring St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, hosting parties at the Sydney Festival, and organizing club nights at Adult Disco with Todd Terje, Tensnake, Holy Ghost!, and the likes. Next year the label will release Seekae's third album, Another, with catalogue number FLC100. In addition to this milestone we can expect an EP from Baio, a deluxe version of Flume's mixtape (with rap features!) and more in the near future… classic! We got in touch with label founders Nathan McLay and Chad Gillard to see if we could dredge up some gossip.
THUMP: Explain the name.
Nathan McLay: I guess the name Future Classic touches on the idea that we feel that the music we're working with is of a certain quality and will stand the test of time. Or that we like both old and new stuff. Plus the two words just sound good together! When we first started the most common thing that came up when you googled "Future Classic" was vintage car websites. It's a little different now.What's the dance scene like in your town?
Sydney is buzzing at the moment. It feels more exciting right now than it was, say, two years ago; lots of good new music is coming from Sydney artists and lots of good events are happening at all levels. From big-time high-production festivals through to more DIY off-the-radar warehouse or temporary space shindigs, it feels like the Sydney scene that we exist in is pretty vibrant at the moment.What's your favorite label that isn't your own?
That's a hard one—we're pretty happy with our own label at the moment [laughs]. Young Turks is right up there; some of their recent acts like Sampha, FKA Twigs, and Koreless are all pretty interesting. We caught up with some of the guys at Warp Records earlier in the year and that was a pretty inspiring office to stop by. We're definitely attracted to labels and collectives that have great output and seem to conduct themselves in a really uncompromising manner.Matt McDonald is a filmmaker, writer, and movement based out of Chicago - @BASEDGODard
Vibe: You'd have to be a real scrooge not to smile at some of these records.
Founded: 2004
Location: Sydney, Australia
Claim to fame: Electronic music acts coming to Australia basically check in with them at the airport.
Upcoming releases: Flume & Chet Faker's Drop The Game EP, Panama's Aways EP, Baio's Mira EP, and Flight Facilities' Stand Still
By the numbers: The label has put out nearly 100 releases and turns ten years old in 2014.
Artists-to-watch: Seekae, Charles Murdoch, Touch Sensitive, Hayden James
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Do you live and breathe electronic music? Have you ever been to Australia? Well, then there's a 95% chance that you have at some pointed rubbed shoulders with Future Classic, whether you know it or not. Home base for local acts Flume, Flight Facilities, and Seekae, the label also serves as an Oceanic outpost for touring artists like Shlohmo, Toro Y Moi, and Todd Terje when they want to rock a party down under.Over the past decade, the label has gathered a group of artists that, for the most part, embody the sun-filled and easy going nature we associate with Australian exports. But releasing records isn't the only operation going on at Future Classic. In addition to organizing tours, the label has been very active in supporting festivals, parties, and club nights in Sydney as well—curating a stage at the internationally touring St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, hosting parties at the Sydney Festival, and organizing club nights at Adult Disco with Todd Terje, Tensnake, Holy Ghost!, and the likes. Next year the label will release Seekae's third album, Another, with catalogue number FLC100. In addition to this milestone we can expect an EP from Baio, a deluxe version of Flume's mixtape (with rap features!) and more in the near future… classic! We got in touch with label founders Nathan McLay and Chad Gillard to see if we could dredge up some gossip.
Nathan McLay: I guess the name Future Classic touches on the idea that we feel that the music we're working with is of a certain quality and will stand the test of time. Or that we like both old and new stuff. Plus the two words just sound good together! When we first started the most common thing that came up when you googled "Future Classic" was vintage car websites. It's a little different now.What's the dance scene like in your town?
Sydney is buzzing at the moment. It feels more exciting right now than it was, say, two years ago; lots of good new music is coming from Sydney artists and lots of good events are happening at all levels. From big-time high-production festivals through to more DIY off-the-radar warehouse or temporary space shindigs, it feels like the Sydney scene that we exist in is pretty vibrant at the moment.What's your favorite label that isn't your own?
That's a hard one—we're pretty happy with our own label at the moment [laughs]. Young Turks is right up there; some of their recent acts like Sampha, FKA Twigs, and Koreless are all pretty interesting. We caught up with some of the guys at Warp Records earlier in the year and that was a pretty inspiring office to stop by. We're definitely attracted to labels and collectives that have great output and seem to conduct themselves in a really uncompromising manner.Matt McDonald is a filmmaker, writer, and movement based out of Chicago - @BASEDGODard