Lazy Days Recordings

Label Interview with Fred Everything

 

Sophistication isn’t a thing I think of with many record labels. There’s a few that fit within that category for me; Atjazz, Compost Black Label, Oh! Records Stockholm, Be Adult Music, Freerange and Lazy Days Recordings spring to mind. Labels you feel educate as well as entertain. Record labels who you feel you should be listening to. As Fred Everything's label celebrates it's 15th birthday with a 3 part series of releases I caught up with him to find out more...

 

How did the label come to be - what’s the story of how and why you created it?

I was about 10 years in a career that was going well and was looking for the next step.

It was a friend of mine in Istanbul who suggested it. A few months later, I saw a beach bar in Grenada called Lazy Days and thought this would make a great name for my label. I wanted to have a platform for my own projects and collaborations as well as to release music from like minded friends and musicians.

 

Why the name, Lazy Days?

The inspiration came from that trip. But the ultimate feeling of Lazy Days is to take the time to do things at your own pace. Anyone who knows me know that I’m a hard working person. I work all the time but I’m not into a factory type way of making music or releasing records.

 

What were the biggest challenges you had to get to release one?

None really. It was fairly easy at first. My partner in the label at the time was already pressing for his own labels and other people in town. We already had the project I did with Australian collective 20for7 “Friday” that had a crossover remix by Trentemoller. The challenges came after. Trying to find music to follow up and especially the drastic fall of record sales around that time with distributors closing one by one.

 

And the biggest challenge being a label reaching such a milestone?

Simply to keep things going. It takes a lot of my time as I’m trying to do things the right way and often gets in the way of my creative work as a producer. But like with everything else, I can’t seem to give up.

 

What makes the label unique?

It’s unique because it’s my vision. The most important thing to do is to offer the best honest work as possible.

 

What’s your musical policy - what do you look for?

There’s no policy other than I need to love it at first listen and see as part of the story line of what I’ve been trying to express since the beginning.

 

What producers have you had on the label that sum up the style you want best?

Too many to mention but one of the most consistent and prolific artist on the label has to be Shur-i-kan. I’m very grateful to have him onboard. His music really fits the label and I always play it out!

 

How do you go through demos, how do you like people to send them, what’s your process?

I used to listen to almost everything I was sent but I stopped because it was really time consuming and until last year, I had never signed an unsolicited demo. Most of the signings on the label comes organically through friends and extended family.

 

How long do you plan between signing a track and release?

It depends. For example, If the schedule is wide open and I find something I like, I could have a very quick turnaround of 2 months or less. But other times, I get involved in the process, helping artists finding the right vocalist, mixing their tracks and even sometimes getting involved in editing. I believe in developing projects as much as possible to get the best results.

 

How do you go about creating the artwork?

I mostly work with Robert Vidaure (aka Nerdski) for many years now. There are a few projects that require someone else for a different flavor. Robert and I have been working together so long that he understands my vision and is also open to my crazy ideas and revisions. We usually agree on a theme and I might make a mood board and we take it from there. There have been many delayed releases due to my own obsession of making things everything is just right.

 

Do you work with artists to help them develop their brand/audience?

Brand and audience are not words I use often, so no. I give advices but I’m not here to make anyone a star. I wouldn’t know how to anyways. All I can provide is a platform to push people’s music with love and care and hope for the best.

 

What’s been the most successful release to date and your personal favourite?

For sure it’s our first release Friday, thanks to the Trentemoller Remix. It would be hard to find a personal favorite but recently, I did enjoy working on the Paul Rudder project with Segilola “Glue”. It was a long process of finding her and getting the vocal in the middle off the pandemic but the results were very rewarding.

 

What do you do around a release - promotion etc?

I have a small list of tasks to do. Once the release is uploaded to the distributor, I provide them with marketing drivers, then I set up the promo campaign. I look for possible opportunities such as Premieres or Press then I slowly start the campaigns and previews/promo videos on social medias. I usually upload on Bandcamp also a week prior as pre-sale. The week of release is crucial with updating all the sites as well as talking to key digital stores partners and providing them with charts from the artist(s) and myself.

 

Do you have merchandise?

No. We did a few small runs of t-shirts and pins before but it’s difficult to justify the investment and also how to organize a shop, etc…And maybe I’m wrong but I’m always thinking : “Who would buy our t-shirts?”. I’m a fan of merch myself so maybe I should revise this!

 

Do you (did you privor to Covid) run events or label nights in support of the label?

Yes. Lazy Days started off a night I was doing in Montreal prior to moving to San Francisco. I re-launched it last year at the same place (Salon Daome) which is now in a different venue. I also did a few events in San Francisco, Miami (WMC), Hawaii and I curated a few label nights at Fabric in London, including for our 5 year anniversary.

 

What’s the hardest thing you find with getting releases heard and seen?

The ever expanding volume of music that comes out every week.

 

How often do you have a release?

As often as once a month but sometimes, there could be 2-3 months in between releases.

I never force myself to release music just to be on schedule. This is not the motto of Lazy Days.

 

Have you ever said no to a track that’s gone on to be huge?

No but the other way around maybe. Friday, our first release, was turned down by many respected labels. It wouldn’t be a problem for me to say no to something and then find out it was successful, simply because this is not the reason I run a label. I’m interested in painting a certain picture and somehow expressing my view of the world.

 

If you could have signed any track, ever, what would it have been?

Tough question but earlier this year, Jimpster gave me his then unreleased remix of Teologen “Love Begins”. This is the kind of track I would love to have on Lazy Days!

 

Do you use a promo list and what do you get out of it?

I run a small promo campaign with my own list via Inflyte. It’s mostly a courtesy thing at this point for DJs and also artists I work with. I do get a few radio plays from it and once in a while a Premiere, but almost non of that translate into sales.

 

Can people apply to get on the list?

I’m looking at reducing instead of expanding at the moment.

 

Do you use a PR company or the services for that a distributor sometimes offers?

No. I like PR companies as I receive a lot of great music from them, but I can’t justify their often crazy price tag. The only exception would be for albums or bigger projects when I can justify.

 

How important to the release is airplay, DJ support, artist self-promotion?

Everything counts. Everyone should put in the work. With all the hard work involved in a release from all parties, it would be nice if people could see and hear the project. But ultimately, I’m not into mass promotion. I would love for people to just find us!

 

How much work do you put into social media promotion or paid advertising on social media?

I have rarely paid for advertising on social media. I put it out there, at reasonable interval and that’s about as much as I do. I have 3 Instagram accounts, 4 Facebook accounts + Soundcloud, Twitter…that’s a lot to update!

 

What releases have you got lined up for the 15 years anniversary?

I compiled 3 compilations of 15 tracks each, covering periods of 5 years : 2005-2010, 2010-2015, 2015-2020.

 

Anything else special lined up?

Yes, I have a special collaboration with Robert Owens coming out in December (Vinyl November) that features a great Atjazz Remix. I also have an I:Cube Remix coming out for my track Barbarella from my last album as well as a Prins Thomas version of an old 2003 B-Side from 20:20 Vision, Here (Now), that I also reworked. There should also be more music from other artists on the roster coming out next year.

 

What do you think the big issues ahead are for labels?

I’m not sure that prioritizing streaming services is the way to go but it seems to be where everyone is heading. There’s always the chance that this pandemic drags for way too long and a lot of DJs decide to hang their headphones, reducing the market. The name of the game is adapting.

 

Where can people follow the label?

 

More like this

Lazy Days Recordings

Label Interview with Fred Everything

 

Sophistication isn’t a thing I think of with many record labels. There’s a few that fit within that category for me; Atjazz, Compost Black Label, Oh! Records Stockholm, Be Adult Music, Freerange and Lazy Days Recordings spring to mind. Labels you feel educate as well as entertain. Record labels who you feel you should be listening to. As Fred Everything's label celebrates it's 15th birthday with a 3 part series of releases I caught up with him to find out more...

 

How did the label come to be - what’s the story of how and why you created it?

I was about 10 years in a career that was going well and was looking for the next step.It was a friend of mine in Istanbul who suggested it. A few months later, I saw a beach bar in Grenada called Lazy Days and thought this would make a great name for my label. I wanted to have a platform for my own projects and collaborations as well as to release music from like minded friends and musicians.

 

Why the name, Lazy Days?

The inspiration came from that trip. But the ultimate feeling of Lazy Days is to take the time to do things at your own pace. Anyone who knows me know that I’m a hard working person. I work all the time but I’m not into a factory type way of making music or releasing records.

 

What were the biggest challenges you had to get to release one?

None really. It was fairly easy at first. My partner in the label at the time was already pressing for his own labels and other people in town. We already had the project I did with Australian collective 20for7 “Friday” that had a crossover remix by Trentemoller. The challenges came after. Trying to find music to follow up and especially the drastic fall of record sales around that time with distributors closing one by one.

 

And the biggest challenge being a label reaching such a milestone?

Simply to keep things going. It takes a lot of my time as I’m trying to do things the right way and often gets in the way of my creative work as a producer. But like with everything else, I can’t seem to give up.

 

What makes the label unique?

It’s unique because it’s my vision. The most important thing to do is to offer the best honest work as possible.

 

What’s your musical policy - what do you look for?

There’s no policy other than I need to love it at first listen and see as part of the story line of what I’ve been trying to express since the beginning.

 

What producers have you had on the label that sum up the style you want best?

Too many to mention but one of the most consistent and prolific artist on the label has to be Shur-i-kan. I’m very grateful to have him onboard. His music really fits the label and I always play it out!

 

How do you go through demos, how do you like people to send them, what’s your process?

I used to listen to almost everything I was sent but I stopped because it was really time consuming and until last year, I had never signed an unsolicited demo. Most of the signings on the label comes organically through friends and extended family.

 

How long do you plan between signing a track and release?

It depends. For example, If the schedule is wide open and I find something I like, I could have a very quick turnaround of 2 months or less. But other times, I get involved in the process, helping artists finding the right vocalist, mixing their tracks and even sometimes getting involved in editing. I believe in developing projects as much as possible to get the best results.

 

How do you go about creating the artwork?

I mostly work with Robert Vidaure (aka Nerdski) for many years now. There are a few projects that require someone else for a different flavor. Robert and I have been working together so long that he understands my vision and is also open to my crazy ideas and revisions. We usually agree on a theme and I might make a mood board and we take it from there. There have been many delayed releases due to my own obsession of making things everything is just right.

 

Do you work with artists to help them develop their brand/audience?

Brand and audience are not words I use often, so no. I give advices but I’m not here to make anyone a star. I wouldn’t know how to anyways. All I can provide is a platform to push people’s music with love and care and hope for the best.

 

What’s been the most successful release to date and your personal favourite?

For sure it’s our first release Friday, thanks to the Trentemoller Remix. It would be hard to find a personal favorite but recently, I did enjoy working on the Paul Rudder project with Segilola “Glue”. It was a long process of finding her and getting the vocal in the middle off the pandemic but the results were very rewarding.

 

What do you do around a release - promotion etc?

I have a small list of tasks to do. Once the release is uploaded to the distributor, I provide them with marketing drivers, then I set up the promo campaign. I look for possible opportunities such as Premieres or Press then I slowly start the campaigns and previews/promo videos on social medias. I usually upload on Bandcamp also a week prior as pre-sale. The week of release is crucial with updating all the sites as well as talking to key digital stores partners and providing them with charts from the artist(s) and myself.

 

Do you have merchandise?

No. We did a few small runs of t-shirts and pins before but it’s difficult to justify the investment and also how to organize a shop, etc…And maybe I’m wrong but I’m always thinking : “Who would buy our t-shirts?”. I’m a fan of merch myself so maybe I should revise this!

 

Do you (did you privor to Covid) run events or label nights in support of the label?

Yes. Lazy Days started off a night I was doing in Montreal prior to moving to San Francisco. I re-launched it last year at the same place (Salon Daome) which is now in a different venue. I also did a few events in San Francisco, Miami (WMC), Hawaii and I curated a few label nights at Fabric in London, including for our 5 year anniversary.

 

What’s the hardest thing you find with getting releases heard and seen?

The ever expanding volume of music that comes out every week.

 

How often do you have a release?

As often as once a month but sometimes, there could be 2-3 months in between releases.

I never force myself to release music just to be on schedule. This is not the motto of Lazy Days.

 

Have you ever said no to a track that’s gone on to be huge?

No but the other way around maybe. Friday, our first release, was turned down by many respected labels. It wouldn’t be a problem for me to say no to something and then find out it was successful, simply because this is not the reason I run a label. I’m interested in painting a certain picture and somehow expressing my view of the world.

 

If you could have signed any track, ever, what would it have been?

Tough question but earlier this year, Jimpster gave me his then unreleased remix of Teologen “Love Begins”. This is the kind of track I would love to have on Lazy Days!

 

Do you use a promo list and what do you get out of it?

I run a small promo campaign with my own list via Inflyte. It’s mostly a courtesy thing at this point for DJs and also artists I work with. I do get a few radio plays from it and once in a while a Premiere, but almost non of that translate into sales.

 

Can people apply to get on the list?

I’m looking at reducing instead of expanding at the moment.

 

Do you use a PR company or the services for that a distributor sometimes offers?

No. I like PR companies as I receive a lot of great music from them, but I can’t justify their often crazy price tag. The only exception would be for albums or bigger projects when I can justify.

 

How important to the release is airplay, DJ support, artist self-promotion?

Everything counts. Everyone should put in the work. With all the hard work involved in a release from all parties, it would be nice if people could see and hear the project. But ultimately, I’m not into mass promotion. I would love for people to just find us!

 

How much work do you put into social media promotion or paid advertising on social media?

I have rarely paid for advertising on social media. I put it out there, at reasonable interval and that’s about as much as I do. I have 3 Instagram accounts, 4 Facebook accounts + Soundcloud, Twitter…that’s a lot to update!

 

What releases have you got lined up for the 15 years anniversary?

I compiled 3 compilations of 15 tracks each, covering periods of 5 years : 2005-2010, 2010-2015, 2015-2020.

 

Anything else special lined up?

Yes, I have a special collaboration with Robert Owens coming out in December (Vinyl November) that features a great Atjazz Remix. I also have an I:Cube Remix coming out for my track Barbarella from my last album as well as a Prins Thomas version of an old 2003 B-Side from 20:20 Vision, Here (Now), that I also reworked. There should also be more music from other artists on the roster coming out next year.

 

What do you think the big issues ahead are for labels?

I’m not sure that prioritizing streaming services is the way to go but it seems to be where everyone is heading. There’s always the chance that this pandemic drags for way too long and a lot of DJs decide to hang their headphones, reducing the market. The name of the game is adapting.

 

Where can people follow the label?

 

More like this