Future State Records Boss Takes Timeout For A Few Questions!!
Chiffvone: Alex, Thank you for joining me for a chat, where in the world are you based?
Alex: My pleasure, thank you for the opportunity! I am currently based on the west coast of the US, in the city of Portland, Oregon.
Chiffone: Please introduce yourself to our readers?
Alex: Of course! I like to think of myself as a creative minded individual, with a very professional demeanor and easy going personality. Aside from being a young entrepreneur and managing my own business, I also occupy a full time job at the Portland Airport as well. With having to balance both of these things, I feel as though I live a very consuming life at times but somehow I also find a good bit of pride in the commitment. Apart from this, I still always make time for the people in my life as well as for many other hobbies that I have.
I’m very close with my family and friends and on a routine basis I would love to be able to set more time aside to devote to them. Living and growing up in the Pacific Northwest is truly a unique and wonderful environment to be in. Amongst Portland, I love going out to new restaurants, experiencing the music scene and being amongst the uniqueness of this city. I feel that there is always more to explore and it is such a diverse and creative area. I enjoy the outdoors and like to devote time to go hiking, to the beach or driving up to the mountains around this area where I enjoy skiing. I also have a passionate interest in many sports, enjoy meeting new people and love to travel whenever I have the opportunity.
Chiffvone: Quite a busy guy then! So how long have you been involved in this music industry for and what was the first ever album you ever bought?
Alex: I’ve been involved in this industry for about 4-5 years. What started out as a simple interest in a few particular electronic genres eventually developed into a hobby of mixing music and the attempt to produce my own original tunes. Prior to managing a record label, I was fortunate enough on occasion to DJ at a few local nightclubs and various events around the area.
The first album that I bought on my own was either T.I’s, “Urban Legend” or Ludacris’s “Word of Mouf” around a time when I was about 11 years old. I’ve always enjoyed Hip-hop/Rap music and apart from my other musical interests it is still a genre that I listen to on a daily basis.
Chiffvone: Alex you own Future State Records, How long have you had the label and what made you start a music label?
Alex: The idea for this project was created nearly 3 years ago stemming from a simple passion for electronic music and again through previous hobbies of mixing and production work. At the time my interest in music continued to broaden and as I would consistently spend time searching for new productions I began to realize just how much some specific genres of house music were continuing to grow. I have an interest and place for any sort of electronic music but as for Deep and Tech house the sounds and vibes were so much more appealing to me. I eventually decided to phase out these two particular hobbies to focus specifically on creating a label to distribute the genres that I enjoy. I spent time researching different business aspects and closely following others labels until I had felt knowledgeable enough to begin my own project. With the ability to familiarize myself with the various aspects that are involved with a business like this, I eventually felt as though this was something that I could accomplish as well.
Chiffvone: Tell me what plans do you have for the label and are you currently accepting demos?
Alex: My current plan for this label is to simply continue to seek out new artists to promote and distribute. I enjoy the fact that we have an adequate foundation so far and as things move forward I hope to consistently expand and grow. We are always available to accept and consider demos and are very appreciative of everyone that has taken the time to do so in the past. If interested, new artists can contact us at any time through email or various social media platforms.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/users/81820485″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]Chiffvone: You are based in America, what is the rave scene like and what is your favorite club to go to?
Alex: Well.. America is unique in its size. From a broad standpoint cities like Chicago and Miami have had renowned electronic music scenes for some time but are unfortunately still 3000+ km away. Cities on the west coast which are closer to my location have certainly been thriving just as well though with many wonderful artists and a wide range of music. Los Angeles has many great labels and artists while San Francisco has a notably stellar nightlife.
Closer to myself in the northwest, Seattle is home to a great house music scene and has a number of amazing venues around town such as Q Nightclub and Monkey Loft. Portland although much smaller has an exceptional music scene and continues to bring in relevant international artists. 45 East and Holocene both located in Portland are two undoubtable staples in this community regarding electronic music. They may not always be associated with deep house shows but are two prime examples of consistency in hosting some of the most popular DJ’s.
Sadly, house music and nightlife is not as strong in the US culture like it is throughout Europe. We certainly don’t have as many established house and techno clubs but fortunately as the scene is rapidly expanding this puts Future State in a great place to grow and find new listeners.
Chiffvone: Are there any other labels you are currently digging?
Alex: There are a number of labels that I enjoy and keep up to date with. It may be too many to list but there are definitely some in particular that I not only enjoy but also additionally attribute as in influence in starting my own. Some of them within a span of 3 years ago to now that I still consistently follow and enjoy based on there excellent productions. A few names that quickly come to mind would include labels such as Simma Black, OFF Recordings, Food Music, and Kittball.
Chiffvone: Some familiar labels there, If any of our readers want to send in demos, what is it you are looking for musically?
Alex: In-regards to what we are currently seeking, we would like to pursue Deep and Tech House music with a bit of a UK vibe and influence. There are a lot of sounds and styles that seem to be synonymous with this and it is simply a type of music that we particularly enjoy the most.
On the other hand though, we are always fairly broad in our preferences. As in our past releases, we have differentiated a bit but for the most part we would like to mostly stay toward a few specific Deep House styles. Overall and from a broad perspective, it really comes down to what catches and grabs our attention enough. From a production standpoint the main goal is to be able to find something that is adequately put together, mixed well and has a clean and crisp sound that will easily appeal to people.
Chiffvone: Alex, thank you for answering our questions, some great answers!!
Alex: Well thank you again for the support Mind Music!
You can check out Future State Records on Soundcloud and Facebook!!
