REVIEW – Independent Label – Hidden Shoal Recordings, Perth WA
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HIDDEN SHOAL RECORDINGS
Hidden Shoal Recordings are a new independent label based in Perth. With an interesting approach to both presenting and selling music online their selection covers a broad spectrum of contemporary sounds and styles (including instrumental ambient, indie rock, emotive pop and beat laden electronica). They currently represent around 14 artists with 24 works on offer as digital download packages in their website (HSR) store. I went there the other day (always in search of good music downloads), created an account and previewed my way through a selection of new releases. A special pre-release of a debut album “Moongoat” by an outfit called Moongoat took me into a surprisingly complex and atmospheric cluster of sound not unlike tracks found on Brian Eno’s classic 1988 release Music for Films. What a find! There’s plenty on offer here and the prices are more than reasonable ranging from $1.80 AUD to $15.00 AUD with most releases selling for $8.50 AUD. What better way to shop for online for some great new music!

With a collective approach to running a label they seem to be taking off in more ways than one and I caught up with co-founder Cam Merton via email to find out more ….
       
Q) As an independent musician what originally inspired you to set up your own label?
A) I think the biggest inspiration came from hearing so much amazing unreleased music around me and I was floored that this material wasn’t getting heard outside of a select group of ears. This was music that had been given to me by friends and colleagues that I wore out on my cd player because I dug it so much. Each of the partners in the label were also involved in projects that were awaiting release. It just hit me one day that it was criminal not to get this music out to the world. It was funny actually because I had this strange feeling of responsibility and couldn’t help thinking of the “publish or die” idea. It’s that step between thinking something should happen and actually realising that not only can you yourself make it happen but that it is irresponsible of you not to at least try.

We talked to the initial group of artists and bands we started the label with and everyone was really excited and worked with us to make it happen. Then there is this romantic notion of a music label that we really like. There’s so much to be said for the collective energy and force of a record label, particularly with the right mix of artists. Each artist feeds into the collective aura of the label and vice versa. The whole thing starts to become somewhat of a collective publishing experiment. We all look back to the days where you’d await the next release from labels such as 4AD, Subpop or Creation. We’d love to recreate that with HSR and have an audience that anticipated the labels next release and not just the release of a specific band. At the end of the day all the music on the label is music I listen to and would do even if I wasn’t involved in the label.

Q) How many people are involved in the day to day (week to week) running of the label?
A) We have three major partners in the label, myself, Stuart Medley and Malcolm Riddoch. We manage the label as a team and each take on specific production and administrative tasks. We also have the lovely Amie Harrison who works with us part time in the area of publicity and the wonderful visual artist Sam Landels who has just come on board as the labels photographer and video artist. Then of course we have the labels artists who all work closely with us and pitch in as a collective to make things happen.

Q) How did you go about financing the label?
A) The label is all self financed with the three partners investing the required money, time and expertise to get it up and running and to keep it running. We see the first year as a building period and during that time we’re putting all money earned by the label back in to further grow it as a self-sustaining entity.

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