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After months of hype the 2015 edition of the annual music and technology schmoozathon known as South by Southwest is in the history books. Tons of emerging bands and DJs from all over the world performed, established acts flexed their muscles and hopefully some good connections were made and new music discovered by those who attended the gathering.
Uninterested in the array of mega corporate events which took place in Austin during SXSW 2015 (there were many), we asked first-time attendee Dev79, who co-helms the mighty Seclusiasis and Slit Jockey indie bass labels, to document his DJ gigs (sets at Geisha Room, The Ranch and Plush in Austin and an appearance at Beauty Bar in Dallas) and exploits in Austin from an underground artist/label owner’s point of view. Below he recounts his musical and culinary experiences.
Ayo! I had a great time rolling down to SXSW 2015. It was actually my first time at SXSW and my first time spending significant time in Austin. I tried to jam in doing as much as possible, while still being casual and having fun. Playing gigs, hyping my Seclusiasis and Slit Jockey labels and checking out sick music was the agenda for the week and was surely achieved. I also shot over to Dallas for a day to play with the Trillwave fam at their weekly.
I’m a big food nerd also so I wanted to chow down on lots of tasty stuff on this trip, and I was not disappointed. As I’d heard, the Austin food truck game is super on point, and I ate a plethora of yummy stuff, possibly highlighted but Peruvian Mahi Mahi ceviche (see photo gallery below) that was next level.
I loved running into music scene friends on the street randomly and saw so many homies, including some people I hadn’t seen in 5+ years which warmed my cold heart!
Pretty much every set I saw was killer —everyone was bringing their A-game and smashing it proper. It was inspiring absorbing it all in.
I avoided the majority of the bigger corporate parties so I circumvented the annoyances that many people complain about, and I really had a very positive time overall. I’m looking forward to rocking down in Austin next year!
Shouts to Johnathan Thomas (pictured above DJing) on the bookings, my boy Brendan (pictured above wearing glasses) for driving my ass around all week and shouts to Big Shot for asking me to do this recap!
If you’re an enthusiast of the wax, however, there’s now a new option for getting your music on the turntable – press it yourself.
For around $7,000 Australian, you can get a Desktop Record Cutter, and press all the vinyl you want in the comfort of your own home. According it its developers, the DRC uses “precision engineered technology for ease of use, [for new cutters], whilst allowing custom control, upgrades and modification for the experienced engineer.” That sounds like it’s going to be pretty easy to use, and a possible solution to the headache of dealing with traditional distributors and pressing plants.
For more information, you can check out the DRC’s Kickstarter page, where they’ve already tripled its goal, so this is definitely happening, and may end up being the answer that vinyl-loving musicians and producers have been hoping for.
Audiophiles rejoice! Techno aficionado Roberto is launching a new label that is putting sound quality into the forefront. Fossil Archive will be the DJ’s new home after having released killer singles on Fachwerk, Affin, Artform and Be As One for years,. With his new venture, he’ll be delving into the essence of why so many listeners prefer vinyl.
“I come from a background where most releases were traditionally cut at 45rpm, with one track per side on a 12-inch record,” says Roberto. “The music always sounded great, as it was mastered and cut to its highest potential. Increasingly, these days there seems to be a trend where a lot of labels are squeezing a number of tracks onto each side of a 12-inch record. I want to go against that and make sure the music is presented in the purest way possible by cutting one track per side at 45rpm.”
As awesome as it is to hear tracks on crispy 7-inches, Roberto’s not making the Fossil’s output exclusively about the wax.
“The label will release primarily vinyl, although digital versions will also be available to purchase.”
So, everyone goes home happy. Fossil Archive’s inaugural release, “’Prolecanites Gurleyi” will be out February 23.
