German DJ, producer and label boss Einmusik has become an essential foundation for Berlin’s deep and progressive house scene. His own music has landed on imprints like Kittball, Diynamic Music and Great Stuff Recordings, as well as his own Einmuska Recordings.
The label are preparing for release number 121, a remix release of their ten year album that celebrated a decade since the birth of Einmusika. The EP includes sounds from Pysh, Tim Engelhardt, Betoko, Piek, Eelke Kleijn and Marco Resmann among others.
We have Einmusik and Einmusika Recordings in for this months label mates, discussing the ten year release, how things were in the beginning and where the label is heading in the near future.
Einmusika Recordings first launched in 2008, tell us about the hustle of putting out your first releases?
I already had some years before the idea to build up my own label and in 2008 my studio neighbour was working at Believe, my first distributor for Einmusika Rec. So, finally, I was prepared and had a good helping hand.
And what is your typical day to day regarding the label, do you manage it yourself or is there a team behind the curtain?
In the first couple of years I did everything by myself. In the end I didn’t have any time to make music in my studio. So, I had to set up a team. Today I’m happy to have Jane as my label manager, Philipp and Sam as my assistants for all the work on a daily basis, great external graphic artists, and some external promotional agencies for longplayers and bigger projects. In some touring weeks I’m just for one or two days a week at the office, so I defenitely need this team behind.
What is the hardest role managing a label that people might not know about?
When your label is still unknown it is sometimes hard to convince other artists to release with you. But this is finally the only way to widen the label recognition and improve the label profile. In my case I always could bring in my own work, like an additional remix for a release. This often worked as a sales pitch, but included a lot more work for me.
You have put out some physical releases, how have you found the transition to the digital age?
When I started to release music in the end of 90s I found a lot of workflows really annoying, too slow and kinda old school. In the first years Einmusika was digital only and for me this meant a big step into independence. Finally I adjusted the addition of physical records to the rhythm of my digital releases. So, I’m fine with todays standards and you need to improve workflow from time to time anyway.
And we live in a time when there are thousands of new tracks coming out everyday, what has been the key to keeping Einmusika above water in a sea of mediocre music?
Einmusika is clearly neighboured to my sound and because we’ve grown up really naturally soundwise, we don’t need to jump on all seasonal sound trains. We are having our own standards and vision of sound, and this is the key for success on a long term distance.
What record on your label are you most proud to have put out?
I’m always proud to see first reactions on releases, especially the ones on longplayers. Additionally it’s great to have a physical product with nice graphic artwork in your hands. These are strong and emotional moments in label work.
And who can we expect music from on Einmusika Recordings in the near future?
Our focus for this year are the two 10 Years Einmusika releases, both equipped with big remixers who especially never released on Einmusika before. The results are mind blowing and have a dynamic range we never expected. Always great to see how far real musicians can develop further a musical theme of someone else.
Lastly, where do you see the label in a few years time?
We are again in a time of a big change in music industry, mp3 seems to be dead, vinyl is growing again, and basically all people are streaming music on their phones. I’m pretty sure we find a good way through this new jungle and still be able to offer young artists a platform for their new vision of sound. This is my major plan for the next years.
Einmusika Recording’s 10 Years Remixes is out May 25th. Pre-order on Beatport here.