Just Move Records
Label Profile
I caught up with Mig Madiq, co-founder of Just Move Records from South Africa - an independent South African Record label based in Johannesburg. Founded in 2011 by Miguel Poñe (Mig Madiq) and Nuno De Mesquita (Nuno Estevez) known for its chill-out deep house music with soul and feeling. Producers including Thorne Miller, Tonic HD, Dwson and others have appeared on the label.
How did the label come to be - what’s the story of how why you created it?
Hi Richie, thanks for having me on your platform. Basically, the label was born out of fate, both, Nuno and I were born in Johannesburg, South Africa, living right next door to each other from my first day on this earth. We lead very different lives in the early primary years, but living a stones throw from each other, coupled with our parents becoming great friends, our lives intertwined and our friendship developed. My Mom, would give us a lift home from Edenglen High School everyday, this is where discovered and shared our common interest, Music.
Nuno was the music producer turned Sound Engineer. l was the music lover with a keen ear, who later promoted my own events and became a professional DJ on the local ‘underground’ circuit. We had developed our own tastes in music but we spent a lot of time together and Deep House became a mutual love. We once spoke about getting Nuno’s music out to the world and offering the platform to others once we could establish its place. Just Move Records was formed because Nuno and I were basically placed right next to each other in this life, coupled with our mutual desire to showcase a deeper house sound we both believe in.
Why the name, Just Move Records?
It is a play on words. It is an intention to push/move music/records. We initially wanted to release vinyl records but later found multiple barriers and reverted to digital. The name also signifies music that moves you, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
The nature of the music we release, allows it to be enjoyed while on the move, such as on a road trip or while busy with work and of course during social activities such as dancing :)
What were the biggest challenges you had to get to release one?
Finding a reliable distributor, mastering engineer and graphic designer and then paying for it all.
What was the best piece of advice anyone gave you?
Stay in your lane. Spend your energy on your own craft and vision, not on watching others.
What makes the label unique?
Well, when we first started back in 2011/12, it would have been the type of sound the label was pushing. In the last 3-4 years many have jumped onto this sound, so I guess what makes us unique now is the A&R consistency, our ability to find and offer new talent, coupled with unique and memorable release artworks.
What’s your musical policy - what do you look for?
Simply put, Music that moves us. I head up the A&R but I also have a couple of trusted advisors who really help by offering a second opinion and valuable feedback. Our music is based around the deeper sounds of House music that we love and are naturally drawn to.
What producers have you had on the label that sum up the style you want best?
Every producer that has featured on the label has contributed to the Just Move Records style and sound. The focus has really been one of ‘forever music’.
What unique challenges do you face being a South African label (revenue/illegal downloads - anything topical would be great)?
Our main audience is South African, they are usually buying our music in Rands, which is a weak currency and considering all our expenses are in Pounds, Euros or Dollars, this does not always work out well. Secondly, it is very common the world-over for listeners to download music illegally, but when we started it was even more prevalent in South Africa. It is quite normal for SA listeners to believe that by downloading the music on pirate sites and using their mobile data, equates to them buying and supporting the music. A positive spin on this is that there has been a recent shift towards listeners supporting music in the right way, by proudly buying and streaming music on legal and official retail stores.
How do you go through demos, how do you like people to send them, what’s your process?
The best way to send us demos is via a private streamable link, such as Soundcloud or similar. There are many avenues you can contact us, via social media DM or email.
I normally tend to short-list music then I re-visit it later on. Sometimes I have to go back on my decisions and let go of music that I once I thought would work, we are all human and I believe by being more objective at times, we can develop a clearer and truer label vision moving forward.
How long do you plan between signing a track and release?
At our busiest we were scheduling releases 8-12 months in advance, we currently plan them about 4-6 months in advance. Say I get a new demo this week, and we sign the music, you could expect in about 4 months from now. Working in a digital realm, we are flexible and can push releases forward and back as we need.
How do you go about creating the artwork?
This is a sensitive one for us. Over the years we have developed a certain style for artworks, our head-designer (Chris Keys) recently died less than a year ago, he was a great friend and we would meet weekly to discuss upcoming releases and the art direction for each. We have recently hired a new designer who is continuing the work done by CK. That being said, we always give the designers freedom of expression. Most of all, the artwork needs to be memorable, unique and inspiring. As our music is constantly evolving, so is our artwork.
Do you work with artists to help them develop their brand/audience?
Yes, I actively help develop artists brands. I manage multiple artist social media platforms, and update their profiles on stores where I have access. I also work to secure them multi-platform spaces where they can be showcased, such as Music Premieres, Store Features, Interviews and radio airtime.
What’s your view on artist albums?
I believe an artist should focus on releasing singles and EPs until they have grown and captured an engaged audience to offer an album to. An album is a personal body of work that requires an extended reach to have a real impact. I have found that sometimes artists will move on to bigger labels to release their albums, which I guess is a natural progression and a sign of growth.
What’s been the most successful release to date and your personal favourite?
Well, this is tricky, as sometimes the most successful releases get played all over South Africa, but they aren’t really bought a whole lot. Piracy can hurt the monetary return. But in terms of being on people’s lips and hearing it being played out a whole lot. I would say there are a few, but these are the top 3.
Ben Werchohlad - Means Are The End (Thorne Miller Remix)
BenSolo. - The Evidence (Nuno Estevez Remix)
Thorne Miller - All Of You (Nuno Estevez Remix)
I love all the music we release, it is difficult to pinpoint a few, but some of my personal favourites are:
Nuno Estevez - Emotions
Verdagris - Radar
Splancnic - Say Ooh
Eddvin - Shock Therapy
Fka Mash - Clockwork
Rephlex - The Divine Move
What do you do around a release - promotion etc?
I utilise a PR company, I also leverage on personal contacts to get the music out to be premiered and played on Radio. Our current aggregator helps a lot with store placements and features.
Do you have merchandise?
We released a batch of JMR Snapbacks back in 2018. We currently have JMR merchandise available online at Teespring - click here
Do you run events or label nights in support of the label?
Not in the last two years.
Before that we hosted a multitude of events, including Label showcases at ERA in Cape Town, at Truth Nightclub, Poolside and House 22 in Gauteng and a residency at Kitcheners.
We have hosted and co-hosted tons of events, some highlights included Technically House feat. Sven Weisemann and Chris Latter, Hlanganani feat. Mario Basanov, Lotion Pants feat. Edbert, Nomadiq nights feat. Ben Rau. Motif events feat. Bas Amro and Sahin Meyer. The list goes on…
What’s the labels point of view on retail sales vs streaming revenue?
Running a rather small independent record label and dealing in digital music, you don’t make money.
That being said, the total sales should aim to at least cover the input costs for a release and running of the label. Streaming sales are a drop in the ocean, unless you are getting huge numbers, it is a constant income stream though and the possibility of being added to playlists gives the music more legs. I thank God for Bandcamp, digital retail sales are finally starting to offer a return.
What’s the hardest thing you find with getting cut-through for releases?
Converting the artists who “support” a release into actively supporting, charting and mentioning the music.
How often do you have a release?
We have had a bit of a hiatus in the first 6 months of 2020, after our designer and good friend, Christopher Keys died late last year. When we are pushing at full steam, we prefer to release every 3-4 weeks, giving each release some time to breath. Granted the modern-day audience has a short attention span and a quicker release schedule could offer more financial gains, but the artists we work with put a lot of their time and love in their music and we feel each release should get its due space and promotion before moving onto the next.
Do you use a promo list and what do you get out of it?
We have a multitiered approach with regards to promos. We utilise a PR company to send out the bulk of the DJ promos, we also personally send our own direct promos to local industry peers and bloggers around the world. The intention is to empower DJs, offer exclusive music to blogs and to basically get the music out and heard. We use the influential DJ feedback to pitch to stores for features and placements.
Can people apply to get on the list?
Sure, if they run a podcast, host a radio show or actively DJ, they can reach out to us via our Just Move Records Facebook page.
Do you use a PR company or the services for that a distributor sometimes offers?
Yes, we have been using iMusic (Inflyte Music) for PR of late, but have also worked with Dispersion PR and SDMG.
How important to the release is airplay, DJ support, artist self-promotion?
Radio airplay is probably the most important, but it needs to be consistent.
Artist self-promotion is sometimes a lost art and many artists fail at this. Self-promotion can really enhance the success of a release. DJ support has kind of lost its impact, unless some big names get behind it, play it often and chart it on stores.
How much work do you put into social media promotion or paid advertising on social media?
We have been building our social media pages organically over the years, leading to higher engagement rate and I guess a more relevant audience. When we first started we used to just let the music get out there via the traditional promo services, and wait for a return, which would work in the early years, but as the market has become really saturated now and the quality of music has increased exponentially, especially in SA, social media is more relevant than ever. We don’t like to feed the FB money-machine too much thou. We try to find other spaces to advertise, such as blogs and music sites.
What releases have you got lined up for the year ahead?
Forthcoming 2020 JMR releases include:
Like Honey - A collab, by Chris Sen, Thorne Miller & Candace Bellamy
A RMXS EP where we revisit ’Brand New Day' by Thabang Baloyi & 'Club PMWC' by Kayemzat Xi, offering fresh remixes by Nuno Estevez, Thorne Miller and Women Who Kill.
An EP by Verdagris.
A collaboration between Thorne Miller & Splancnic with a remix by Henrik Villard.
Vol.2 and 3 of our Take A Breath compilations, shining light on some new and known names.
and more…
What do you think the big issues ahead are for labels?
I guess staying relevant, as anyone can start an online record label now, its pretty easy.
But at the same time I think quality will always shine through. Anyone can start a label but does it have a high-end output? Is it relevant and consistent? Also, a lot of artists are moving towards releasing independently so as a record label you need to offer something tangible. To simply release the music is not enough.
Where can people follow the label?
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