I am pleased to welcome you to the BRC Label showcase interview, your participation is greatly appreciated. We thank you for the mix and the time you have invested in preparing for everything that BRC requested. Let's begin the interview with an introduction of the key people of the label.
Well there are 3 people that are involved regarding the label; First let’s introduce myself: Francesco Pico the founder of the label, 2nd Paul Hazendonk who made it possible for Magnitude to continue back in 2017 under the wings of the Manual Music Company and last I want to mention my good friend Roell Sapphire who had a big share in building the label in the early days.
What made you create this label? Why? What is the idea and inspiration behind it?
To be honest, In the first place I thought it was kind of cool :) but I also wanted to build a home for my own music. In 2005 we still pressed vinyl so finding a good label to release specific kinds of tracks was always a challenge. And I had a lot of tracks including some with Roell Sapphire as Stuccato Fusion, It just felt the right thing to do at that moment to manage the releases ourselves.
How long had the idea of a label been on your minds before its official launch? What were the challenges running up to its launch?
Haha it’s a long time ago, so not sure, but because at the time with vinyl, an investment was really required for each release and I always consider everything carefully before I start, I think it took at least a year from the plan to the first release.
What is the inspiration behind the log and artwork?
Well I have a passion for astronomy and the value of how strong a star is, is measured in Magnitudes, And ‘Star’ and ‘Artist’ also have kind of a connection. The logo naturally became a star ;)
What genre of music the label hosts and what do you look for specifically in a track that gives you that sense of belonging in a track to release it on your platform?
I think we must feel that oomph ;) We always describe it as “intelligent, groovy and rolling progressive house” but we don’t have real boundaries as long as we feel It suits in our taste we are happy to get it released
In terms of demos, how do you accept, review and reject from all the thousands you receive? What are the challenges in sifting through the boatload of demos you receive for releases and the communication you maintain with aspirants?
Demo’s come in with Label radar through manual music, this way we are sure we can listen to them all so this is the best way to send in your tracks, but if you do reach out to us, and as an overall advice, please make it personal and clearly show that you really know who you are sending music to and are not just sending bulk mails, labels like it when they are really approached by artists who have done their homework and choose labels that they really think fit in, but, no matter how much we want it, we just can’t promise to reply to everybody.
How many VA and compilations do you release in a year and what kind of tracks you choose? What kind of artists do you select for the VA? Basically what purpose does a VA serve to a label?
We only have one series of V/A releases; our Magnified series. Most of the time these releases showcase 3 new artists to the label, And we really try to make it a real ‘triple A’ release.
Which one has been a highlight release and why?
That’s a really tough question. Being around since 2005 we got a lot of great releases with many amazing artists, some even grew to big status ;). I would immediately think of my album “Perpetual E-Motion”. This was a real special journey and also our first artist album, but that’s maybe a little selfish ;). So I would say Ewan Rill and K Loveski’s ‘Broh Canville’. I already was a big fan of these guys before the release so it was an honor to welcome them on the label and the release also did very well ;)
What do you expect from new talent when you sign them? What makes you reject them from releasing on your label?
A serious and relaxed attitude ;), to make a release successful it is important that not only the label does promotion, an artist who really actively contributes to the release but also to his career is important for the success of the EP, but especially for the artist himself. Unreasonable behavior, making ridiculous demands and being rude are definitely off-putting
From your country, which other label is pushing the same music as you are and how do you think everyone is helping push the local producers?
I can mention one of the Manual Music labels, but because we are a sister label to Manual these days, that wouldn't be fair ;). But you could, for example, think of ‘Just Movement’ or ‘LuPS Records’, they also do great things as a Dutch label. I think we are a nice family in the Netherlands and meet each other regularly, whether for business or at a party. But I notice a lot of collegiality and passion for the same thing in our scene all over the world, so I don't think we all really focus only locally.
What kind of support do you look for from artists and other parties in promoting your music worldwide? What are the challenges in promoting music to corners of the world where you may not be as popular as in your home country.
I’m not sure if we are more popular in our home country, we really operate and reach out globally ;). As support I guess we like it as people play our music ;)