In a short space of time Chapter 24 Records has become a role model for emerging imprints in the house and techno scene. Each step from the budding label is taken with the upmost care and their thoughtful process is rightly proving ever more fruitful. The outfit demonstrates a genuine expertise in navigating the wild west that is the label world, excelling in context, crew and, of course, the selection of sounds. This week, we posed an ensemble of intruding questions to the CH24 creators (Marcus Blacker, Sam Pauli and Paul Nolan ) in an effort to uncover the stories behind the sounds. It’s all below, along with an exclusive 60 minutes courtesy of co-founder and label artist Mr. Nolan.
Thanks for taking the time to chat guys! For our readers, can you introduce yourselves and your roles at Chapter 24?
Sam: Thanks for having us! We are a team of three at the heart of Chapter 24, though of course it goes far wider than that through to the fantastic people who handle our promo, distribution, mastering, graphic design and, of course, the artists. Marcus and I are the label managers…
Marcus: …which basically means A&R and the everyday running of things behind the scenes, ranging from social media and marketing, business and legal, publishing, to events and bookings! And the all important job of art director, working with our in-house artist Simon Væth on our release artwork.
Sam: Paul and I are also artists on the label, of course.
Paul: And as well contributing across label management jobs on things like publishing, events and so on I lead on artist development, sync, and a range of additional activities such as developing our merch and starting to build up our profile over in LA. Being able to spread ourselves across these different areas makes for a great team!
Talk us through the moment you decided to launch the label.
Marcus: Sam and I have known each other since uni and have been hitting the clubs in London and further afield since 2004. I guess you could say we were indie boys and we really got into things during the electro/breakbeat days of Fabric…but house and techno is what really stuck for us, as all that other stuff fell away a little.
Sam: As well as clubbing with Marcus for many years, I’d had chats with Paul about starting a label, as part of the work I had been doing with him. We actually met on an RA message board and I brought him in to teach me how to make tracks, which worked really well as Paul is such a great talent as a music educator, an engineer and on the artist development side as well.
But actually, the crazy thing was, the idea came to me on my honeymoon in April 2014. Sat in Costa Rica with my wife Zoe, when you could say my mind should have been on other things, it just hit me I needed to start a label. So I wrote Marcus an email!
Paul: After Sam sent that fateful email to Marcus, that’s kind of where I fit in. The three of us got together for a few beers and a discussion about our ideas, and what a great record label should look, sound, and behave like. I was supposed to be there in a consultancy capacity so Sam and Marcus could benefit from my experience and perspective in the industry. But then it kind of struck the three of us that we could work on this together, and the feeling around the table was that we’d started something as a team.
I’ve not been able to shake the pair of them off since! Haha!
Sam: Yeah, right.
What sort of work went into the project before you first went live with the launch?
Paul: A lot of work! From my previous experience with labels I had worked with, I knew that making a good first impression for any new label is key, and that we had to have all our ducks in a row so we could really hit a good momentum with our early releases.
Sam: As well as sourcing our first EPs and working on them ourselves, we spent several months developing the label concept. We wanted the Chapter 24 project to have a deeper meaning that allows people to explore a range of different themes and lose themselves in our world. It was also important for us to have great artwork and a unique visual identity.
Marcus: We knew we wanted an in-house artist, so I did a lot of research online. It definitely paid off! It was really helpful in terms of getting the branding right. There’s so much we want to reveal as part of the development of Chapter 24. Many stories to tell!
What do you look for in an artist and their productions when making a decision to sign a release?
Marcus: We look for house and techno that is deep, melodic, emotive and makes you think as well as makes you move…basically, music that tells stories and takes you places. Organic sounds are nice and real musicianship is important.
Paul: Someone who is prepared to work hard and wants to grow with the label; someone we believe in.
Sam: Of course, we also look to sign bigger, more established artists who we love and will take the label to a wider audience. It’s all about finding a balance. But if the music doesn’t create that special feeling, we have to move on!
Is there a particular philosophy behind the label?
Sam: Definitely. The name Chapter 24 is from a Pink Floyd track Syd Barrett wrote, but that is only the jumping off point. The chapter beingreferenced is in the I Ching or, as it’s known, the Book of Changes. We loved it because it talks of the turning point, and for us this is about going back to music that you can believe in, music with heart and soul.
Paul: I’ve always had this love of storytelling in electronic music. For me, it’s something of a lost art form, it falls by the wayside in the modern scene in the rush for Facebook likes and the instant gratification of a big, yet ultimately throwaway, club record. To discover that Sam and Marcus felt the same way, and that we all wanted to imbue the music, art and events with a narrative, that spoke to timeless spiritual, humane, almost mystical concepts, was a significant development in my life in music.
Marcus: We’re really into exploring deeper and hidden meanings, the interconnectedness between things…we try to litter clues across our artwork, release titles and other material.
How has the Chapter 24 crew developed since the label’s inception?
Marcus: We’ve all learned a lot, not least the amount of hard work that goes into running a record label! Paul has been based in LA for the past few months, but we’ve all managed to keep in touch via regular Skype calls.
Paul: We’ve really tried to put an emphasis on meeting up with the crew in person. Simon [Væth] came over from Copenhagen in September for a combined party and exhibition of his work and stayed with Marcus.
Sam: We also catch up regularly over a beer with artists based in London (QUARTZ, KatrinKa, Twelve Minds) and it was great to meet up with many of our other artists (Miss Melera, Olivier Weiter, Malbetrieb, Sezer Uysal) at ADE last year.
What are the three most important things you’ve learned as label heads?
Paul: One of the most important pieces of advice I gave Marcus and Sam when we started out, based on my own experience, is that the music industry is first and foremost about building relationships.
Marcus: Evenings, weekends and holidays become harder to keep hold of as there are so many plates to keep spinning. But we wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t love it! Sam and I have gone part-time in our day jobs recently to give the label (even) more attention.
Sam: Checking label stats on social media can become an addiction. Someone check me in to rehab!
What do you hope defines the next five years of Chapter 24?
Marcus: Speaking as label heads, to be able to do it full time and still earn a living.
Paul: To see our artists develop, receive the exposure and acclaim they richly deserve, and be booked to play around the world.
Sam: Building a broad, dedicated international community of friends, fans and followers who are committed to, believe in and truly feel part of the Chapter 24 family.
Marcus: Label showcases at Sonar, ADE and The BPM Festival would also be very nice!
What can we expect from the label in 2016?
Sam: Our first vinyl release next month (barring any delays!).
Paul: More fantastic music from both unknown and more established artists, as well as from the Chapter 24 friends and family
Marcus: More Gather Round parties (the next one is on 5 March at The Pickle Factory in London, with Hamburg’s Miyagi)… and also a label showcase at a great UK festival. Watch this space!
Something tells us WWD might just bump into you guys at that great UK festival. Indeed, watch this space!
Chapter 24 Records latest release ‘Magenta’ by Miss Melera is out now
Buy it now – https://pro.beatport.com/release/magenta/1674835