In The Company Of... Eglo Records

No stranger to fabric, and to nightclubs in general, the Eglo family have in the last couple of years propelled themselves into the limelight as both a record label, and a collective. Lauded as ‘label of the month’ by popular music portal Resident Advisor back in July 2010 on the strength of their releases by core artists Floating Points, the sepia tongued singer Fatima and the acid channelling production work of Funkineven, the crew has since gone on to involve more people, more likeminded artists who share a little of the Eglo vision, something label boss and Rinse FM mainstay Alexander Nut states is “kind of a family vibe.” “It’s a pretty close group of people,” he elaborates. “I guess it’s about more than simply putting out records - there’s a little more to it than that. It also all comes down to a matter of people’s appreciation for one another’s creativity. There’s a root running through everything, we’re all having fun with it...” Started by Nut and Sam Shepard, aka Floating Points, as a vehicle to release Floating Points music, Eglo progressed organically with the duo sourcing music from close friends and associates, people that shared in their musical vision, joining the camp as more of an extended family. Nut muses, “our friends and peers make up a large part of what Eglo is. It wasn’t necessarily Eglo as a label that brought everyone together, it was record shops and night clubs, radio shows, personal beliefs and things like that. Rinse Fm, Plastic People, Deviation, Nonsense, CDR, Sounds of the Universe, Vinyl Exchange and FWD>>...” “Plastic helped me personally for sure,” interjects Funkineven, a producer that Nut describes as ‘definitely integral to the label.’ “I played my 1st release ‘Kleer’ at a Nonsense night there, all of the Eglo family where there, and when we saw the crazy response from the crowd we decided to release it.” “I used to hang inside the darkness accompanied by music of all kinds played by a wide variation of selectors,” Fatima elaborates, clearly looking back on her time spent in that particular Shoreditch basement with a certain kind of fondness. “When you’re at Plastic you end up bumping into like minded people. the Eglo crew is amongst many other musical London cats who have stepped down in that sweet, deep sounding basement...” (L-R: Fatima, Funkineven) It was at Plastic People that Nut first met Shepard; a fabled meeting one night at CDR - a night where budding producers can attend and submit their own productions, roadtesting them on one of the UK’s most discussed soundsystems – that sparked the partnership. “I must have got hold of Floating Points on myspace or something like that,” Nut recalls. “His music completely blew me away, it just stood out. The more I heard, the more incredible it got and then one day I was at CDR and they played ‘I’ll Wait For You’ - which was one of the tracks I’d been caning on the radio. I asked Tony Nwachukwu [CDR's promoter] to point him out and we got chatting… the rest is history!” Sharing a sentiment hit upon by most journalists who’ve covered the rise in popularity of a label that is incredibly hands on it terms of everything from A&R to design and promotion, it’s obvious through stuttered meetings with most of them at various London nightspots and festivals around Europe how much the onus is placed on the people behind the label. They’re a tight bunch who’ll support each other in all their assorted endeavours, representing themselves and the music they make to the fullest possible outcome. “Rinse FM has definitely helped,” Nut concedes when the conversation turns to how he’s found the music he chooses to release and where he sees his part in the Eglo operation. “It’s through my show that I connected with both Sam and Fatima; we’re all friends and like minded folk and that’s a part of what dictates the records we’ve put out and the artists we run with.” “I’m also involved in music promotion so that’s also something I do,” he continues.”We’ve got Jamie, Will, Kay Shin, Josephine, Ali Argur, Hiro, The Boy King and Articalism who help us with the visual side, I do a little design here and there but everyone is basically hands on. Sam helps a lot with mix downs, engineering, and sounds in general. He’s smashed it every time we’ve had to translate things to being performed live plus he’s tasty with the accounts too! But Sam is super busy; he’s still doing his Phd and is DJing in a different country every weekend. He’s killing it at the moment. As if Floating Points productions aren’t enough, he’s actually turned into one of the best DJs in ever seen in my life! For real he’s in my top 5 DJs of all time.” (Alexander Nut) It’s that kind of adoration between the core components that further defines what Eglo is. From an outsider’s point of view you can see the threads that run through the music: the co-collaborations, the stylistic counterpoints and overall presentation. But it all seems to have become a way of life for its immediate members, as Nut further illustrates as the topic turns to the work of Funkieven. “He’s coming with some next, next, next, shit! It’s that music that stands out and makes real sense to me; and he’s another person who’s DJ sets are out this world. From the artwork, to the videos to the mix down Funkineven knows what he wants. It’s great to work with an artist like that and I’m super happy to be able to release his music.” “I'm working on my next release, a 12"/ EP which includes ‘Roland's Jam’ and two other tracks (up tempo, acid, hard soul vibe),” Funkineven reveals, as if Nut’s statement was the prompt for him to fill the world in on his movements. “Then there’s an EP with Fatima and after that possibly an album...” “I’m promoting my forthcoming EP on Eglo called ‘Follow You’ which is produced solely by the brain and hands of Floating Points,” Fatima informs us sweetly. “After that record, I've got one coming out which is crafted by myself plus the brain and hands of FunkinEven...” “There’s also a load on the way from Floating Points this year,” Nut offers in conclusion. “Plus new Mizz Beats and ARP 101 stuff. We’re doing Glastonbury, Soundwave, Outlook… we throw nights at CAMP and Plastic People - Sam has a monthly residency there too - we recently did an Eglo Takeover night at Horst in Berlin which was great and of course we’re looking forward to taking over Room Three on Friday.” Eglo takeover Room Three this Friday with performances from BBC Radio 1’s Benji B, Alexander Nut, Mizz Beats, Funkineven, Josey Rebelle and Fatima. Tickets and info here.