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Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/919133
Congratulations on Glasgow Underground's 20th anniversary. You're celebrating with a new compilation album release. What pressures, if any, did you feel when curating the track list? It was a little bit tricky until I decided that I wanted to showcase music from the past that was still relevant today. That meant that some tracks, while being well respected in their own time, just wouldn't make it. A lot of our early releases are on a similar tip to what artists like Black Loops or labels Toy Tonics are doing now and so I wanted to say to DJs that play those records that – if they were looking for something out of the ordinary – they could dive into Glasgow Underground's back catalogue. Features include yourself, Hammer, JD Twitch, and Jasper James to name a few. What is it about those producers selected that stand out for you? I think all the artists I selected are 100% focused on doing their own thing, creating a sound that is their own and clearly different from the dance music world around them. I think this is generally true of artists from Glasgow. I might not like what people are doing but I hardly ever listen to a producer or an act from Glasgow and think, 'Oh, that's just a rip-off of X or they are just trying to be Y'. The importance in being original is so acute up there that even when people in Glasgow think they are obviously ripping someone off, they rarely are! Speaking of quality artists, you are also credited for producing and mixing Mylo's album, which went on to be platinum selling. What was your reaction on hearing the news? To be honest, we kind of limped over the line of 300K sales right at the end of the campaign. It was something that we had set out to do but it took so long (2 years) and we had been looking forward to it for so long that it was somewhat of an anti- climax. A bit like trying to enjoy a night out you've been planning of months; it never seems as amazing as you want it to be. What was more exciting was when we scored our first top 5 hit. I knew that the Mylo vs. Miami Sound Machine 'Dr. Pressure' record was the most commercial thing we had released and I was convinced it would be a hit. Before we released it, Glasgow Underground's distributor had rather sneakily done me out of £40,000 and I was flat broke DJing in a commercial club in Glasgow. 'Dr. Pressure' was the only Mylo tune that had the whole place jumping and so it felt like the only one that would get played across all the commercial radio stations. Radio 1 weren't convinced though and only B-listed the record. It was pretty much our last roll of the dice singles wise from the album and we were only at 200k sales. It was pretty disappointing news. They had been our key supporters to date. In the end it didn't matter, after it was released, the record was selling like mad we were vying with Coldplay all week for the #3 spot. I got the news we had beaten them to #3 just as I was leaving Bestival having seen Mylo headline the night before. What an incredible feeling that was! To have signed him, produced his album and directed the whole campaign and finish with a top 5 record that would push the album platinum, go on to the next Now album and a gazillion other compilations was an amazing result. We also love that you originally set the label up to release music from yourselves, fellow friends and Glaswegian DJ's. What made you put this idea in action? My first label was called Muzique Tropique. I set that up in 1994 and for the next two years I just released music that I made with my then studio partner Andy Carrick. After the first release I got a distribution deal with Vital/ PIAS which was a pretty big deal. They were one of the biggest indie distributors at the time and – although I didn't know it – I was being given a big leg up! At the end of 1996 my label manager said that my Muzique Tropique label was becoming boring and I needed to sign some other artists. By this time there were a few of us in Glasgow all making tunes. I wish I could say I had some visionary strategy but no, I just looked around me and asked who was there! A key artist I wanted on board was DJ Q. I loved his Chicago style house grooves. He said he would make a record for me but not for Muzique Tropique (all the music I made was too deep for him). So I asked him if I created a new label would he be in and he said yes. I had used the name Glasgow Underground on a 1995 EP I had made for Junior Boys Own and I thought it made a great label name and so that was that. No doubt you have plenty high points when it comes to your career but what moments stand out? I think while the work I did with Mylo is up there for sure, I get much more pleasure from running Glasgow Underground just now. For me, the whole reason to be in the music business is because it music makes people happy and, to me, that's what life's about. So the pleasure I get from seeing people lose their shit on the dancefloor to a set I am playing or a track I have made, or signed or in some way wouldn't have existed without my involvement is second to none professionally. Second to that is seeing the same thing happen for artists who I have helped develop. 2017 / ISSUE 105 On the eve of the label's 20th anniversary, we chatted to Glasgow Underground founder Kevin Mckay. For over 20 years the label has seen releases from everyone, from Romanthony , DJ Q, Dixon and Motor City Drum Ensemble. Now the man behind all of this gives us the run down on how he's made Glasgow Underground a success for twenty years. INTERVIEW: KEVIN MCKAY follow @kevinmckay HOUSE " FOR ME, THE WHOLE REASON TO BE IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS BECAUSE IT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY AND, TO ME, THAT'S WHAT LIFE'S ABOUT. " 27 Cristina Trujillo | Guestlist