DJ Ollie is starting up his Direct Recordings label in October with a release from Poland's Ravager. Direct put out eleven 12"s from the likes of Majistrate, Ego Trippin' and Morphy between 2001 to 2007 but for the last three years it has been dormant. Ollie explains why he's bringing it back...

Why did you stop releasing tracks on Direct?

It was purely a matter of time and money. Juggling the day job with quite a busy DJ schedule was taking up a lot of time and in late 2007 I bought a house which cleared out any spare cash I had for pressing vinyl and everything else that goes with running a label.

I never intended to kill the label off, I just had to put it on hold for a while. I'm now relaunching it as a digital label which I'm really excited about. I'm amazed how much has changed since the last release, I can run almost everything on the move from my iPhone now!

Why are you relaunching it now?

It's pretty much a result of me switching from playing vinyl to playing CDs. I admit to being a bit stubborn when it came to 'going digital', I made my living for a long time selling records so ditching vinyl seemed kind of wrong to me.

It was actually DJ Phantasy that opened my eyes to the benefits of playing CDs, he also mentioned that his label was only dealing in downloads now, something I'd never really considered an option before.

Since making the switch I've not looked back, everything I get sent I can play instantly. When I do buy tunes I don't have to make a day of trekking to record shops or waiting for the postman to deliver oversized record mailers, and best of all I get more music for my money.

Tell us more about your next release...

The next release is by a guy called Ravager from Poland. I get sent a lot of tunes, 99% of which aren't that good. Ravager sent me six tunes all of which were good enough to play in my sets! I signed Get Satisfied and Murdah Dub pretty much on the spot. I liked these tunes in particular because they're big enough to smash clubs yet still sound good when I listen to them in my car.

 

Ravager - Murdah Dub by Direct Recordings

 

Ravager - Get Satisfied by Direct Recordings

 

Any other releases in the pipeline you can tell us about?

Nothing as yet, I'm in no rush to sign something for the sake of filling out release schedules. When the right tune comes along is when I'm going to put out the next release. I'm aware there are a lot of really poor digital labels out there so I'm really conscious that I need to invest time in promoting any releases as hard as I can, keeping the quality of the music high, investing in good artwork and developing the website to make it as easy a possible for people to buy the product.

Any plans for another DJ Ollie release anytime soon?

I have a lot of tunes unfinished. A few bits are almost there and have been tested out in clubs but once again it's just a case of there not being enough hours in the day. If I get them finished they may come out, if I don't then it's no big deal. Ultimately I am a DJ, I get more enjoyment playing other people's tunes. I'm lucky enough to be one of the few DJs playing at big raves that isn't known for production so there is no pressure on me to make tunes.

What are you currently working on in the studio?

The only serious amount of time I spend in the studio these days is putting together the Innovation Podcast. It's attracting lots of listeners and is getting more popular with each episode. Make sure you subscribe on iTunes!

Anything else you want to tell us about?

Label wise just make sure you buy Ravager - Get Satisfied / Murdah Dub on 4th October. It's gonna be available from iTunes and all other good download stores. Stay up to date by following us on Twitter. Any artists wanting to send me demos can upload them here.

Catch me playing out and about in the coming months for a host of promoters including Innovation, Random Concept and Warning. Any promoters that want to book me can do via www.innovationartistmanagement.com

 

DJ Ollie - Funky Milton (Original Unreleased Mix) by Direct Recordings

• DJ Ollie

Related Links:

• Introducing: Ravager
• Plex On Darkvibe Recordings
• Digital Sanctuary Label Profile
• Introducing: Livewire
• Label Profile: HumDruma Recordingz

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