Glasgow’s Frazi.er is one of the newest names to join a long list of top quality Scottish club talents, finding himself alongside the likes of Slam, Kevin McKay, Calvin Harris, and Jasper James.
His music has landed on labels such as Pan-Pot’s Second State, Carl Cox’ Intec, and Dense & Pika’s Kneaded Pains, and he’s now entering the label game with an imprint of his own.
We spoke to him recently where he got to talking about the new label, how he’s been dealing with the different periods of lockdown, and his goals for the 2022 year. Get the full discussion with Frazi.er below.
Hey Frazi.er, we hope you’re good, how are things up in Glasgow at the moment?
I’m good thanks, as I recently managed to escape for some downtime in Thailand. After a stressful year and with Scotland going back into lockdown I needed to switch off and reset my mind a little.
You’re about to launch your new label, can you tell us more about this and when we can expect to hear the first release?
Yes, I’m really excited for this and it’s been delayed a lot longer than initially planned. Parallel Visions will be the name of this project, with the concept of connecting the artist and raver using raw sounds. This label will be focused on vinyl releases too, but until the press plants can get back on schedule, we might not see a vinyl release until PLV003. The first EP will be out around March with 3 originals from myself and a remix from Hadone.
Why do you think many artists are gravitating toward starting their own labels, as it’s a lot of work?
I think it’s purely for the artistic freedom. Often you are tunnel visioned into creating a specific sound for a label, and this can affect your creativity. I’m looking forward to releasing music which might be more for an acquired taste, but not forced into making big room bangers. It’s also exciting to get some of your favourite acts on remix duties.
Is there a label you hope to release with especially this year?
My dream label is Dax J’s imprint, Monnom Black. I think most techno artists could agree it’s the top label for our generation of techno as well. I will continue to finish demos for Dax in the hope of getting on a World Of Monnom Black VA.
2021 was another difficult year for the music industry, how did you stay positive despite the multiple periods of lockdown and club closures?
The only that kept me sane and positive was working on my big Scottish show cases. There is 3 months of planning for the light show and design alone, which makes it exciting and keeps you busy. Once I finally got the green light for my Galvanizer warehouse parties after various re-scheduling, this was insanely rewarding, and then full focus was on The Hydro which was very exciting.
And have you set yourself any goals for 2022?
I’ve set goals for international countries/tours that have been in discussion that I’d like to complete. Also at least 4 solid releases, and some big shows and festivals that I’d like to try and get over the line. I do always work on two year plans, but things can move quick or with COVID delayed a year or two.
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, can you give us one artist you’ll be watching this year?
Hmm there’s quite a few, but I love everything Fractions are making. They have a unique and pure, rave sound. The synths and arrangement they use are incredible and can’t wait to hear their new releases.