Welt Discos update: Spring in Autumn
I have just launched the latest release on my label Welt Discos, this time by Bari-based producer Frhanks. You can listen to clips of the Spring EP on SC here:
Francesco originally sent me demos in December 2020, after which we had a period of back-and-forth regarding the tracks I did and didn’t like, and what changes might be desirable for the tracks I did. He also went on sending me new things until we ended up with the final selection, which we agreed in May 2021. Now, almost a year and a half later, the vinyl is finally going to be in our hands.
I have various things to say about the emotional experience of putting this - or any - record out in today’s challenging times (and it won’t be the first time I’ve vented on this subject in this newsletter), but before that here’s my take on each track.
A1 Bonus Beat
This was the one that immediately grabbed my attention in the original demos. At the time it was a 13-minute jam consisting of this raw Chicago beat and a series of jazzy improvisations on top. I was instantly drawn to the wildness of it all. It’s not particularly DJ friendly - for example, it starts off beat and flips 90 seconds through - but that for me is an integral part of the appeal. It put me in mind of Ron Hardy, Rodney Bakerr or - as a more contemporary reference point - Jamal Moss. To me it’s an utterly distinctive piece of jacking house that, I hope, will find an audience with the more adventurous DJs out there (paging Traxx!).
To hear it in full, check my guest mix for CC:DISCO (timestamped link).
A2 Spring
This was the last track to be selected and was also cut down from a longer session. In some ways it’s a very basic combination of sounds but, if you give it some time, it works a bit of magic. There’s something about the live playing of the plucked guitar sound running throughout that transmits a meditative feeling, and the ambient pads that appear in the second half lift it further. At times I’ve imagined this finding success on the Romanian minimal scene, but actually I think the setting is the Outro Lado stage at Waking Life at around 8am on Sunday morning.
B1 When Is Time To Go Home?
This track feels quite druggy to me, mixing whimsy with tweaked-outness in a slanted, beguiling way. The sounds and harmonies put me in mind of various IDM references, but they’re placed in a more conventional 4/4 meter. What makes it work for me is the interplay of the different parts as they ping joyfully off each other in the arrangement, while that gorgeous two-note organ line adds a wistful note through the middle.
B2 When Is Time To Go Home? (Instrumental)
Some might say it’s a bit unnecessary to have an instrumental version of a track that has so few vocals to begin with, but I know from my own tastes that it’s always nice to have the option. This also feels like a nice oblique nod to those 90s B-side instrumentals we all love so much.
To hear it in full, check my show on The Lot Radio (timestamped link).
I am very proud to use Welt Discos to put out records that are musically distinctive and not made for instant gratification. These four tracks hit such a range of reference points for me - Chicago/Romania/UK, club/afters/after afters - but remain ear-catchingly uncategorisable. I hope that the DJs who decide to go with these tracks, and find the right time to play them, get that extra hit of satisfaction from knowing they’ve worked for it. I certainly do every time I play one.
You can buy the EP on the Welt Discos bandcamp.
As for the process of putting the record out…
The timeline on this EP has been even more drawn out than previous releases, for various reasons. First, I’m working with a smallish, local distribution - Carpet And Snares in Lisbon - that does not have as regular a release schedule as the big or even medium-sized fish like Juno, One Eye Witness, Subwax etc. When I agreed the tracks with Francesco we had not yet put out WLTD002, let alone 003 and 004, and delays with those three releases were inevitable.
Indeed, even now working with a broker, the wait time from ordering this EP to having the copies in my hands will have been around six months - not bad compared to some plants, but still very slow compared to what it used to be (and twice what we were originally promised when ordering). If there are any signs of improvement in the ongoing systemic problems with vinyl production, thanks to the opening of new plants or otherwise, I am not aware of them. On the contrary, materials shortages and backlogs at the plants seemingly remain intractable parts of the process.
The knock-on effect of this incredibly slow timeline is, for me, both emotional and artistic (never mind the financial aspects). A big part of the satisfaction for me running a label is feeling the engagement of the artists, and enabling them to put music out that they are enthusiastic about. This is challenging when the artist has to wait so long for the release to surface. Usually they have been making other music in the meantime, challenging themselves to progress or go in new directions, and by the time the record comes out they may not really identify with it any more. Of course there has always been an element of managing expectations and delayed gratification with vinyl releases, but there’s a big difference between 3-6 months and a year or more of waiting.
I too have to manage my own expectations and not get too excited too early. With WLTD004 I was already playing the tunes in Summer 2021 and the record only came out in April 2022 - I was still playing the record out, but that initial buzz had already faded somewhat. Francesco’s tunes made their way on to radio shows I did in May and July - in line with the originally planned release date - so now I am re-committing to playing them in my sets this autumn.
What does this mean for future releases? Well, two are already confirmed and there are two more in the pipeline. How long will they take to come out? It’s almost impossible to say. And after these upcoming four I may have to rethink my approach for the label, for my own sanity if nothing else.
In the meantime, as always, I hope you all enjoy the music!
Thanks again to Jorge for the mastering and Márton for the beautiful artwork, and to Carpet colleagues Rui and Liam for the ongoing support.