By Stephen Jewell, NZ Musician, Vol. 10, No. 5, October/November 2002
According to my dictionary, a fable is a short, morality tale involving either supernatural elements or anthropomorphised creatures. But James 'Pylonz' Meharry, who heads the distinctively-spelt fABEL Music, is currently reluctant to be drawn on why the Christchurch-based drum'n'bass collective have adopted the name, "I like the mini-myth," he says.
"Let's go with that. I don't wish to expose too much of what I think it means. People won't use their imagination if we give them all the answers."
Meharry has previously revealed that fABEL is inspired by "Storytelling, messages and mapping. Mapping is really relevant. Singing a song is similar to telling where you've come from, like drawing a map."
In fact, if you wanted to map the epicentres of New Zealand drum'n'bass, Christchurch would be a good place to start as the Garden City, at one point or another, has been home not only to fABEL but Shapeshifter, Bulletproof's DJ Pots and Presha from Subtronix as well as breakbeat-influenced hybrid acts like Salmonella Dub, OG and The Nomad.
"It's hard to put a finger on it," admits Meharry when I ask why drum'n'bass and related genres like dub have eclipsed the usually dominant house in the South Island. "People seem to have a different take on the industry paradigm here. We share the same mechanisms - inner city life, urban poisons and commercial ideals - but we are very aware of what is going on. I have never felt that it affects the majority of people who grow up here. Those that migrate take on the Babylon while those that stay are happy anyway. Not blasé, but unaffected."
fABEL's first salvo was last year's 'Deep Needs' compilation which showcased the work of label stalwarts Pylonz, Rook, Teknik, The Mastery and Kaps.
"'Deep Needs' was a very successful first release for us," says Meharry, who first rose to prominence after remixing the likes of Salmonella Dub and Pitch Black. "The response to the tour we did was huge and the release has grown in popularity ever since. 'Deep Needs' makes a solid stand for what we feel is our style of drum'n'bass."
"'Deep Needs 1' was successful also from the point of view that we learned a tremendous amount about all aspects of the music," adds Mike 'DJ Kaps' Petrie. "Not only during its conception but also when it was released into stores."
fABEL have since released not only the 'Pacific Heights' EP (a side project by Shapeshifter's Devin Abrams), but have followed up 'Deep Needs' with the snappily-titled 'In2Deep', which ambitiously purports to be "... the first comprehensive drum'n'bass compilation of its kind."
Admittedly, fABEL have upped the ante by interspersing tracks from Aotearoa drum'n'bass big guns Concord Dawn, Shapeshifter and Bulletproof amongst tunes by the label's usual suspects and newcomers The Upbeats, Sambora and Motive. This album also attracted the support of Creative NZ.
"Music has always had the ability to stimulate memories and my idea is that in five or 10 years, we will look back and identify with the (fABEL) catalogue because we lived with it while it grew," reasons Meharry. "In the future, NZ will identify with 'Deep Needs' more because it will have mapped our sound and its development. The first few releases of any label should set the scene, style and sound, creating the definition of it is to become. So this is the roots."
And it's not just the kicking tunes that make 'Deep Needs' and 'In2Deep' stand out but also both album's distinctive packaging. They share an embossed diamond pattern and a simple two-colour print job.
"I take pride in developing the identity, which at these early stages is simply branding," explains Meharry. "Look for less logo and more illustration and graphics in the future as 'Deep Needs' matures its identity and pins down the concepts underlying the projects concerned."
And like Concord Dawn and Bulletproof before them, fABEL are also hoping to take their impressive sounds off shore.
"Concord Dawn and Bulletproof have both looked to the international, particularly the UK, market as the standard to be marked against and have achieved it," declares Meharry. "fABEL is active in obtaining similar outcomes for its labels and artists, and while not an easy target for a young label, global distribution is a definite goal. But it's probably more realistically achievable when the catalogue solidifies more. Easy does it for now."
No comments:
Post a Comment