News

Voodoo Music sleeve

Raiden is starting a new label called Voodoo Music. Recently Raiden has been exploring his love for tribal and percussive based drum & bass and after a recent trip to South America the concept for Voodoo Music was born. We spoke to him to find out more.

Why are you setting this new label up?
I really needed an outlet for more organic sounding music as this is something I've always been interested in but never had a chance to express. I really wanted another identity away from the tougher sound that I'm know for, so this label gives me a chance to explore something different without disrupting the vibe of OffKey which is ticking over nicely.

Offkey and Voodoo will exist in harmony with one another, Offkey is the cold steel of the metropolis where as Voodoo is the more warm tropical climate. I'm really excited to have two opposing identities and seeing where that takes me.

Why have you called it Voodoo Music?
Many of the influences of the label such as the exotica genre have a strong obsession with voodoo. Each time I think of that name it conjures up images of my experiences in South America. It just feels that this name captures the essence of the music and where it's heading. Initially I wanted to call the label Voodoo Dub, I wish I did now but what's done is done.

Who is involved with running it?
I do the day to day running of the label, music business and the creative direction. There's also Oscar (OrtoKore) from Caracas, Venezuela. He helped create the initial spark that planted the seeds of the label and ethos by convincing me this is what I needed.

He's a top musician with a huge knowledge of Latin percussion so he's been teaching me traditional rhythms and theory as well as teaching me all about South American music culture. He's also a part of the design team that created the artwork and website. Having him onboard makes sure that everything is authentic.

What's the ethos behind the label?
We want to make a very organic tribal sound based on rich organic textures and traditional Latin rhythms with a dub production. The ethos of the label is emulating the exotica movement of the 1950s from composers such as Les Baxter and Martin Denny and dub artists such as King Tubby as well as a reflection of my experiences in South and Central America.

We also want to capture a Ray Harryhausen vibe as both me and Morphy are big fans of his films. Currently in electronic music there is a strong trend to sci-fi futurist aesthetics, which I love, so we would like to bring something more retrospective and human sounding to the table.

Who's contributing tracks and who will you be collaborating with?
The main core of the label is myself and Morphy, he is one of my favourite artists. After hearing his tracks I tracked him down and discovered we had a lot in common. He's an integral member of the label. I also have my collaborations with Khanage who is also beginning to establish himself as a solo artist.

We're in no rush to sign artists on the basis of their name but artists who will fit the vibe of Voodoo. So, as the label develops, I think artists will reveal themselves. I think with a label like this you have to think long term and let it grow naturally to build strong foundations. I'm currently working on collabs with Rockwell, Genotype, Morphy, Spirit and Outrage, I'm sure some of these will come on Voodoo.

Tell us about the first and second releases...
The debut release is from myself entitled Baptism Of Fire / Danzon. Baptism Of Fire is a brooding track that thrives on holding a sense of cold tension. Danzon is inspired by a Cuban dance style of the same name, this track perfectly captures the vibe of Voodoo and signals what to expect in the future.

The second 12" is Amnesia Haze / 8798 by Khanage and I. Amnesia Haze has subtle Detroit influences but with an organic twist. 8798 has a strong tribal dub flavour. After these releases we'll be going on an all-out tribal assault so these first two releases merely hint at the sound of what we're currently working on. Expect these releases in March and April.

Anything else you want to tell us about?
Me and Morphy are planning an LP on Voodoo, we've already made several tracks across many tempos and styles. I believe this will be our most prolific work to date and already it's appealing to people beyond drum & bass as well as within. I'm very excited about this project!