Label queens

To our left sits Belfast beats-head Austin Tanney who, along with partner in crime Richard Fox, has, over the past two years, managed to establish Slide Recordings as the coming boys in an otherwise increasingly stagnant UK techno scene. “It should be saying give us the title because we have lots of talented people here doing interesting stuff. Let’s not be so fucking timid.” To our right, Johnny Davis – head of Bright Star Recordings, a label founded on young Irish talent, that after six years of incremental progress, is now gearing up to release three blinding albums that have their roots close to home but look set to travel far and wide.

“We’ve just spent the last week organising the Japanese and American Reindeer Section tours and it’s been hectic.”

“Most of the time you’re wondering how many more questions can Gary Lightbody answer about the size of his feet. But then you get the artwork through and you find out that someone in the retail section at Tower Records in Tokyo really loves the record and it’s just great. We’ve just had the guy who helps chose the music at MTV in America saying that the new Reindeer Section album is the best record he’s heard in years. I’m sure Oasis are chasing him at the minute but he’s picked this band from a label in Carryduff. It’s just brilliant.”

The importance of both Bright Star and Slide (and not forgetting Peter Fleming’s rock label Schism) cannot be overstated. For the first time since the heyday of Good Vibrations, musicians and producers from Northern Ireland have an opportunity to see their material released internationally on a home-based label. Laurent Garnier, Slam and Deep Dish have all championed tunes from the Slide roster. While Y’All Get Scared Now, Ya Hear, the debut album from The Reindeer Section, was released in 17 territories around the world. ‘Son Of Evil Reindeer’ its far superior and soon to be released follow-up is set to go even further. What’s noticeable about both labels is the level of financial pragmatism deemed necessary to keep the enterprises afloat. While Nick Warren and Danny Howells both regularly plunder Slide’s back catalogue, Tanney has still kept his day job.

Bright Star, meanwhile, also encompass a PR wing in Pioneer Promotions, but, as far as Davis is concerned, the single most important factor in the label’s financial well-being has been the distribution deal it signed in 2000 with Play It Again Sam.

“If you look at Factory, they’re held up as the coolest, most credible label, and they were very, very significant but – and I’m not dissing the label –when they went down they left so many people owing money – from printers or what have you. We’ve tried putting out records on our own and before you know it £3,000 has gone out the window. These days you just need some sort of backing and I’d defy anyone to contradict that.”

Slide’s expenses, though, have been cut drastically by the fact that its development has risen in tandem with a crest of genuine Belfast talent. While Tanney and Fox record together as Random Method, Gavin Wilson of SD Grooves works in the city’s Mixmaster Records, Timmy Stewart and Glenn McCartney (New Aluminists) run Digital Boogie, and Phil Kieran (who collaborated with Random Method on Slide’s 10th release) remains the all-conquering man about town. Much of Slide’s success can be put down to the creative networking that sets Belfast’s dance scene apart. Most of whose main protagonists happen to share a postcode.

“It’s mad here,” admits Tanney. “ I was sitting down with Paul McMahon (formerly Crash Daddy – now working as Bell Crash) one night and we tried to work out the links between different people in Belfast. Suzanne (Savage) who sings with us and Spree also does vocals with Mark (Bell) and Paul on the Bell Crash stuff. They’ve worked with Timmy and Glenn. Timmy and Glenn work with us. Phil Kieran has worked with us, he’s done stuff with Timmy and Glenn…”

“We’ve worked with Paul,” adds Johnny.

“See what I mean? It’s that type of vibe.”

“It’s all about getting as many creative people involved as possible,” says Davis.

A point on which Tanney agrees, although as far as he’s concerned this does not entail looking too far.

“We’re getting sent more and more demos from all over the place now and hand on heart the best ones we get are always from here, “he says. “Always. Nothing matches what we get from Northern Ireland. It’s so good that I’ve never even felt the need to think about signing anyone from anywhere else. It’s been completely mind-blowing.”

Best tunes to come out of the North over the last 25 years? Okay then. ‘My Perfect Cousin’, ‘69 Police’, ‘A Life Less Ordinary’, and, of course, ‘Big Time’. Slide’s biggest release to date has been the Random Method collaboration with Phil Kieran entitled ‘Don’t Sit Around’. That sounds like the ideal slogan to pin on our lapels. Because there’s never been a better time than now to get off your arse and start aiming for a few more

classics.