A little later than planned but no less relevant, is the second part of our Ingredients Records feature. Coming in the form of this interview with label boss, Clive, we find out how he got involved in Drum & Bass, what made him want to set up the label and what drives him to move forward in the scene. Read on!
Clive, thanks for talking to us. Can you give our readers a little insight into how you originally got involved in the Drum & Bass scene as well as the inception of Ingredients Records?
Well I am a firm believer that if you dedicate enough time to something you should look to get something back and I guess I felt that I needed to explore the industry after buying records avidly for 8 years. So much so that I quit my career as a chef to go and work at Redeye Records. That was in 2000 and from there I went and worked at Southern Records Distributors (SRD). I was on a London pirate station between 2001-2005 and had met many people during this time. I left London to work for ST Holdings and I guess all this experience and networking led me to starting Ingredients confidently. I'd studied the music for 14 years by now so I found something I felt I could do quite well at and launched the label in 2009.
Do you feel like you've kept in touch with the values the label was originally set up on? How do you see Ingredients evolving as time goes on?
Yes I do, although it's sometimes quite difficult to. The aim was always to find new artists and give them a platform, and some self-belief. But as has been the case throughout the catalogue, I've always released music from established artists too. I guess sometimes it felt like a mission statement rather than a record label but that's the pressure I put myself under and every now & then I just wanted it to be a credible label whoever the record was by. I've put on some really good events in the last 3 years, notably the 1st one at XOYO & recently at Fabric. That shows the progression but I have slowed the release schedule down, there really is no rush to release good music.
The last release came in the form of another appearance from Response. Can you tell us a bit about that? Can we expect to see any more Ingredients bits before the year is out?
Yeah he sent me about 8 or 9 tunes, some were decent & he released his 1st record alongside ST Files in March this year "Nailbomb / Hard Times" which was a great way to launch his career! We kept in touch regularly and pushed for his first solo 12". But literally one day he sent me 6 tracks & I signed them all! "Creep / Resistance" is out in the stores now as well as "Surveillance / One Nation" . They've had some terrific support across the scene and I'm really pleased for him. He's been doing this for over a decade and he's finally in the zone. Also out now is another unknown to most, Dominic Petrie. Some different flavours on this one, a lot deeper and chilled but I felt he needed a platform, he's very talented and it's a 7 track digital EP with a 12" to follow.
Any plans for another album project?
To be honest I am put off by them. There are far to many compilations anyway, but if I was to do one it would be a solo album. Too early to say at the moment but I'm not ruling that out.
Who are your favourite producers at the moment? Are there any new guys coming through who you have your eye on?
I'm liking Pennygiles stuff of late, always been a fan of that style and sometimes he absolutely nails it. Skeptical always writes interesting Drum & Bass for me and I am really into Stealth, he has some killer tunes up his sleeve. But Response is someone I'm glad to be working with, 'One Nation' is bloody great.
You recently branched out into artist management with the formation of Evolution Artists. What made you want to get into that and how did it come about?
Yeah myself & James (Chroma) used to talk a lot and we both wanted to get into artist management in some capacity, and when he heard i was managing Symmetry Recordings for Break, we talked in depth about starting an agency. With a fair few artists already into what I was doing with Ingredients and James' experience in being a promoter for Turbulence in Newcastle, I think that experience alone was enough for people to take us seriously. We've been running it for almost 2 years and we both really enjoy it.
Any final thoughts you'd like to add?
Well I feel lucky to be working in the one part of the industry I love (Drum & Bass) and I encourage anyone to follow their desires and never let anyone put them off.
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