Please introduce yourself...

We're Andy (aka The Vortex) and Kiat. Originally we're from Singapore but Andy is now based in London doing marketing and content for Drum & Bass Arena, and Jonathan is running a design studio doing graphic design work for a wide range of clients from all over, including record covers for Function and Soul:r amongst others.

Why have you set the label up?

With a growing influx of producers hungry to get tunes out, we thought it would be a good time to put out music that we both love and support. A lot of the inspiration was due to the fact that we've met loads of producers over the years from around the world from Iceland to Indonesia who make very interesting music that we feel should be heard. Our forthcoming releases will pretty much say it all.

What's the concept behind the label?

Being Asian, we wanted to conjure up a label that reflects our background and also in the way we run the label. The name Qilin comes from a mythical Chinese creature that appears when sages are born, which is said to be a good omen that brings serenity or prosperity. Musically, if the tune sounds great to both of us, we will definitely go out of our way to get it on Qilin, and make sure the world gets to hear of it! What's important to is for us to establish a relationship with all our artists on a personal level. All boundaries, geographical, linguistic and musical, will be eradicated.

Can you tell us more about your key artists?

Kiat and Morphy bring the heavier, dubby soundclash sounds of the label together. Izzak Stern brings the experimental downtempo side of Qilin in the vein of Prefuse 73 or Flying Lotus, with an experimental flavour that the New York Post says "will leave you cotton-mouthed for more." Other artists like Sinistarr, JPS and Hooves, Clart, Muted, Quantyze, Dakosa, HLZ and BMK are some of the artists that will bring about the whole scope of drum & bass styles. Each having releases on many labels already, these are the names to watch out for in 2010!

Forthcoming releases?

Qilin 02 is a four-track EP called Four Corners, aptly titled thanks to the producers bringing their sounds together from four corners of the globe. From Indonesia to London to Russia to the USA. This release shows the musical yet dancefloor sounds of Qilin transcending all boundaries.

Qilin 03 will be a debut release from an artist we discovered in Singapore who goes by the name of Izzak Stern. This release will bring about our "experimental" taste in music with glitch-hop and the loosely labeled genre that people are calling 'wonky' at the moment. The EP will also feature a leftfield / dubstep remix by Stormfield of Combat Recordings.

Qilin 04, 05, 06 will feature beats from Muted (Reykjavik), BMK (London), HLZ (London) with a very varied style of drum & bass with each release. For us, we're not locked into a certain sound as we believe in sonic open-mindedness, which is what drum & bass originally was all about.
 
Anything else you want to tell us about?

We are constantly on the look out for new producers from all around the globe especially Asia, so feel free to contact us directly on our official website or on all the relevant social networks. Our Qilin Music podcast is also available on iTunes, so subscribe to that check out some forthcoming beats. And if we can conjure enough time and energy, we may well throw some parties too, so watch out!

www.qilinmusic.com
www.soundcloud.com/qilinmusic
www.myspace.com/qilinmusic

 

• Qilin Music
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• The Vortex
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• Kiat

Related Links:

• Podcast 04
• Free Track: Justice & Metro
• New Label Profile: Deep Revelations
• Diamind Records Label Profile
• Japanese Dubstep: Greg G

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