Hungry Koala Records is a “Home Of The Underground” Australian / European Record Label that specializes mainly in Minimal and releases deep House, techno & Psytrance.
We had the chance to hook up with one of the founders of the label “Naylo” for a chit chat about their plans, vision and the way they run the label, have a read and enjoy !
STU: Hi Naylo , thanks for giving us a moment to chat with you , How’s been so far 2014 for Hungry Koala Records ?
No probs man thanks for having us! 2014’s been a crazy year for us. Being our first full year we’ve far exceeded our goals and expectations set at the start of the year. We’ve had over 20 tracks in the Beatport Top100 Chart and built up a world class artist roster / Koala Family!
STU: Tell us how HKR was born ?
I was partners in another Record Label which released mostly Melbourne Bounce/Electro House. I’ve always really loved Underground Club Music so i wanted a label to focus on releasing mostly “underground” music. I started it with Australian Dj/Producer Reecey Boi and another artist in Europe ‘Whisperer’ so that’s given us a great network and support across Australia and Europe. Australia really hasn’t had a label focusing on this side of music so its been good to provide a constant flow of releases.
STU: What is the style of the label ?
Our main genre is Minimal. Its very much a new style of Minimal with a dark Melbourne Bounce/Progressive influence from the Australian and Europe artists. Its very offbeat bassline orientated in general. We also release Psy-Trance, Deep House, Techno.
STU: When listening to demos , how do you decide if it fits to the HKR sound, what criteria do you use ?
Well these are the styles i Dj and Produce so basically i listen to the Demo then i ask myself
A) Would i play this in a set?
B) Would i buy this if it was on another label?
I just really love hearing good non-commercial music so if i answer yes to 1 or both of those questions i sign it haha Everything i sign i support in my Dj sets and Podcasts etc
STU: What kind of demos grab your attention easier and why ?
Tight kick and bassline with a good groove/percussion. Works really well in the club, especially with a progressive melody and deep dark breakdown.
Works really well anywhere which is the beauty of House Music!
STU: Are you constantly scouting for new talent ? if yes where and how ?
Between all of us at the label we’re always linking each other new artists we come across.
For us Soundcloud plays a big part in it.
STU: What is a normal day on HKR camp ?
Most days are spent scheduling and working on the releases. Chatting to the artist, designer etc. making sure the releases are running smoothly and efficiently.
Basically a lot of time sitting on the computer with 15 tabs open, haha As an artist prior to running a Record Label i hated getting fucked around by labels delaying releases and all that crap, so my goal with HKR was to do all those little things right. So i try to make sure all the releases come out asap and scheduled so each release gets the appropriate promotion.
STU: What is the level of communication with your artists ?
I feel that’s really important. I do my best to chat regularly to all the artists, i really want to create a comfortable family vibe. We do some events also in Melbourne so we get as many Artists as we can together whenever possible.
STU: How many people is involved in the label and what specific task their perform ?
There’s the 3 of us that do the demos and A & R then our Graphic Designer Maulucci Design.
STU: What are your top 3 favorite tracks at the moment ?
Sammy La Marca – Caribbean (Original Mix)
Dean Del – Trump This (Original Mix)
Press Play & Nathan Thomson – Blessed (Original Mix)
STU: What can the fans expect for the end of the year and beginning of 2015 ?
We’ve actually got a lot of big releases set for the last month of 2014 and first month of 2015 so lots of new music on the way. Organizing some in events in Melbourne and Europe in 2015 so we can’t wait to announce details for that!
STU: Thanks Ash for chatting with us.
Make Sure you follow Hungry Koala Records
Demos : hungrykoala@mail.com (PRIVATE SOUNDCLOUD LINK)
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Hungry Koala Records tunes appear on the latest “Straight Up Minimal! Vol. 2”
Buy at Beatport – Buy at itunes – Buy at Amazon – Stream at Spotify
