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MTV interview - Aberdeen Becomes a Threat: Lockah’s Tasty Bass


Guest Tam o' Shantie

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DMB is clearly a gigantic fud.

"You have no passion for music because you have to work a day job then do this stuff in your spare time with your own money when you could be out making money by rocking in a cover band in a dingy pub in London called The King's Arse."

Awesome logic you total zoomer.

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Hi fives and mad props all round guys! I think the my point has been mis interpreted and maybe not made clear on my behalf. I wasn't going for a London vs the Deen vibe. What I was trying to point out is that music (in some cases) has been hi-jacked by people trying to make a name for themselves regardless of decent musical output or attitude. I'm not a fan of anything on the tuff wax label but I (nor anyone else) really cares. I don't 'hate' anyone and I'm certainly not jealous! haha. I'm quite happy to play music and if people turn up and like it then cool, if they don't, no worries. As for the London stuff I was asked to talk about it, so I did.

I just can't hack this image driven 'label head/DJ/producer' crap, who is anyone kidding. I've seen a lot of this pish going on in aberdeen with people getting above their station and talking that big boy talk. Just about everyone on here makes a living through a full-time normal job that has little to do with music. Me included.

And this whole idea of having a boutique label. What? Does tuff wax actually make money, and if so do you pump any of that back into the acts in order to improve and develop? Cause thats a music label. A music label makes money. Its not putting out your mates stuff or producing 200 ltd vinyl's or whatever. I suspect those cover bands your laugh at make more money through music than most people on here do, that people like droid probably have masses more knowledge on the music buisness and music labels than you do ;) and that if you strip away the image, all this is propped up by sub standard tunes and guys that really do think they are all that. Just play music guys.

Either way best of luck, if there's anywhere in the UK that stuff like this will get pretty popular, it Aberdeen.

You sir, are a complete tool, get off your high horse and give credit where its due. Tom has done the local band scene for longer than most on here, he has grafted very hard and now he is doing something different he has found a bit of success. Fucking hats off to him, crawl back under your stone.

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I can half-understand DMBs point, but at the same time I'm completely lost..

I agree with your definition of a record label - making money and pumping money back into bands to develop them - that's fine. BUT, I sincerely don't understand your grievance with smaller labels which are either running at a loss or working to break even. Take Tuff Wax as an example - I'm not at all familair with the financial comings and goings of the label, but there are two ends of the scale:

1 - the label is making mega-bucks, developing artists and generally being a record label as described earlier

2 - they are putting out small batches of good* music to small, loyal audiences and are losing money or are just skating by

While 2 may not fit the previous definition of what a record label is meant to be/do, it's an enterprise built entirely on a love of good music and the desire to help bands spread it. Even if it's only moving artists from a tiny, tiny scale up to a very small scale via a 200x run vinyl release of a 3-track EP it's still about MUSIC, not posing. Option 1, however, is far more likely to come down to working with artists based on projected profitability and marketability, which isn't a bad thing - they need cash flow to function - but it does mean that it's less about a love of good music and more about politics, money, selling out, all that trite rubbish that people complain about.

The gripe you seem to have is with individuals whom you believe have poles up their arses and are running some elitist boys-club local label who only work with bands they're mates with and are shutting promising bands out because they want to appear "exclusive". While that would be dick-ish behaviour I can't think of any local labels around here who act like that, unless you'd care to enlighten me and point out who it is you're referring to then your whole argument just reeks of you being bitter about not being fawned over and rather than improving your work you're blaming small-scale elitism.

/2p.

* Good is a subjective term. Even IF I thought everything Tuff Wax released was gash, it doesn't matter. Tuff Wax release what they subjectively think is good, just like Black Lake are putting out what they think is good.

xx

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Guest Tam o' Shantie

To be honest, sounds like DMB is reacting badly to getting parred by some local musicians, bands and/or promoters and is annoyed that some folk are doing fairly well in their own 'scene' (as in, the electronic alternative 'club' scene of the entire world, not the Aberdeen Music Scene). Funny that he thinks we're snobs, rich, poor, talentless, popular, not serious about music, etc etc all at the same time, most of which contradicts itself.

He reckons that Tuff Wax isn't a label because it doesn't run as a profitable business which pumps back cash into its artists careers (on what? studio time? music videos?) - so basically lumping in the majority if not all Independent labels in with this - let alone DIY/punk type labels. I love that the idea of runs of 200 vinyl or releasing our 'mates' records are scoffed at. Why would we press any more when there is a low demand for vinyl? We do it because we love vinyl. As for working with our mates - I'd suggest that releasing music by people you know is a fairly healthy way to start off when releasing music. We made friends with the Dolfinz guys because we liked their music, not the other way around. And later this year we'll be working with our first American artist who we've never met.

Next up, the idea that myself and Tuff Wax are adored amongst all of Aberdeen and know nothing of the big bad 'music industry' outside our little fishing village. First of all, as alluded to in the article our events are sometimes well attended and sometimes not so busy. A lot of people like the idea more than they really like the music. That's fine. Meanwhile, the artists in our collective are near enough constantly blogged and featured all over the UK, Europe, USA & the rest of the world. One of my remixes from last year has been played nearly 200,000 times on Youtube with no press or PR behind it. I'm about to release my first EP on a renowned American label and in the build up have been featured in some of the biggest music publications on the internet ie. Pitchfork tweeting their Lockah feature to 1.9 million followers. Dolfinz have upcoming releases on labels down South ie Song By Toad and are about to head off on something like their 4th or 5th UK tour since forming less than a year ago. Yoin is over in Barcelona right now to play a series of Sonar showcases for Norwegian label Fine Grain. Grobbie is being booked in the UK and Europe since signing up with an agency a while back. Bones & Money are doing a guest mix for a massively influential music site ahead of their debut 7" in September. Too much stuff to announce really...that's why I only tend to post up major things...if anything, Aberdeen's love for us is generally fairly concentrated amongst a hardcore few.

I'm pretty upset by Droid slagging off my tash though. I guess with things so tense between us, he doesn't to release anything on Tuff Wax anymore as he was pretty butthurt when I didn't send him enough replies to his emails a while back relating to the unsolicited demos he sent me. Real shame as with my new-found MTV superstar status I thought maybe I could introduce him to some of the 'right people' at some of the fancy parties I've been invited to. I think he'd get on really well with some of the Jersey Shore dudes or maybe 'Steve O' from Jackass and from then on the sky would be the limit for his musical career.

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and that if you strip away the image, all this is propped up by sub standard tunes and guys that really do think they are all that.

Either way best of luck, if there's anywhere in the UK that stuff like this will get pretty popular, it Aberdeen.

This is what i don't get about your point of view (i would call it an argument but we both know that's stretching the definition). The music is good. Tam has already given examples of how the artists linked to Tuff Wax are doing well on a GLOBAL scale, not just in Aberdeen. People in the USA, Norway etc couldn't give a flying fuck what we in Aberdeen think about Tuff Wax - they like the music and want it played in their venues. It's not rocket science and it's not evident of a label being propped up by mates. Tuff Wax is doing well, very well in fact, and we are proud of their acheivements.

Anyway, Haterz be makin' them famus etc etc

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Guest Giles Walker

On a slightly different topic, why was my post delayed until it had been approved by a moderator?

Is this forum not for the freeflow of ideas?

As for the facial hair topic, I like the moustache personally, although you do need to take better care of it.

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On a slightly different topic, why was my post delayed until it had been approved by a moderator?

Is this forum not for the freeflow of ideas?

All the posts in the news forum need to be approved I think. I believe it's more so people don't posts rubbish/off-topic stuff as news items and it just carries over into the replies for those threads.

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Guest Giles Walker
All the posts in the news forum need to be approved I think. I believe it's more so people don't posts rubbish/off-topic stuff as news items and it just carries over into the replies for those threads.

Hmmm that actually makes a lot of sense.

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Must have said this a thousand times on this forum; if you are involved in making music in a small city that doesn't ever really get written about or mentioned by mainstream media it is a GOOD thing when someone in that city does get written about. It means that people might start thinking "Oh I like this, I might see what else is going on in this city". How do people not get this, it's pretty basic.

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Guest Giles Walker
A couple of my legit posts in here have been deleted for some reason? Is it because I quoted droid?

Wait, what reason is there for deleting his posts?

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Hmm, there were on-topic points in a couple of my posts that would have stood up notwithstanding droid's insane ranting. Not to worry...

After reading back through the thread, I reinstated a couple a while ago.

Giles, if you are referring to Droid's posts being deleted, it was just because they were taking the thread in an unwanted direction, and as he said himself he was being 'a bit naughty with the wind ups'.

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Those Tuff Wax dudes are wack, they were supposed to give me a free Be Like Pablo 7" and stiffed me.

Seriously though, did I read correctly and someone seemed to suggest that a small, relatively new independent local label should be adopting a business model that can work for a huge long running record label? Surely anyone with a brain would realise that these things can take years to develop, if it ever even gets to that level....

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Those Tuff Wax dudes are wack, they were supposed to give me a free Be Like Pablo 7" and stiffed me.

Seriously though, did I read correctly and someone seemed to suggest that a small, relatively new independent local label should be adopting a business model that can work for a huge long running record label? Surely anyone with a brain would realise that these things can take years to develop, if it ever even gets to that level....

PM me your address and I'll get one in the post to you.:up:

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