Label Focus – Aaja Music
We meet the South London crew Aaja Music
Despite being based in London for a number of years now, Aaja are only just getting started. Headquartered in the Deptford Arches underneath the railway station – sandwiched between the world-famous Deptford Market, and jazz cornerstone venue Buster Mantis – they’ve been going strong as an independent radio station and low-key venue since their start, championing club and electronic music sourced from friends and local legends.
Now, they’ve started their very own label, cementing themselves further as a force to be reckoned with. Intrigued by the fact that they’ve kicked off this new venture with an EP from US titan Controlled Weirdness, we gave them the once-over. Read on!
WHAT’S THE NAME OF YOUR LABEL, AND WHO RUNS IT?
The record label is called Aaja and is run by electronic music lifers Everson (@e_v_e_r_s_o_n) & Patch the Whale (@patchthewhale)
WHEN & WHY DID THE LABEL START?
We came up with the idea of Aaja (@aajamusic) after a long journey driving an old silver transit from London to Berlin, then Berlin to Manchester. Myself and Patch listened to hours and hours of music. Either written by ourselves, our friends or established artists. We found ourselves as we always do, passionately talking about music and our love for raving.
Amongst the late night neon nights and Mexicana blurs in Berlin we discussed further our idea for the label. We wanted the label to support our network of friends, ourselves, along with opening a gateway to some unsung heroes of ours. Not following too many fads or trends. It’s an audible quest for deep, raw club rollers.
By the time we arrived in Manchester we had already hatched the plan to launch a label.
The label was originally started in January 2018, with our first release going out in March 2018.
GIVE US A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WHAT YOU’VE RELEASED SINCE THEN
Our first release came in the form of a collaborative EP. Featuring Ady Toledano, Everson, In:State & Guili and Alex Rrichards on a run of 12”. The tracks were a mix of deep, ceremonial journies best suited for those late nights and early mornings, along with deep in the rave moments, UK influenced percussion and sledging techno.
The label was put on ice in September 2019, while we were obsessed about opening Aaja as a physical space, encompassing a radio station, bar and event space. This later led to a run of warehouse parties at Venue MOT and The Cause. With guests including Asquith, Frazer Ray, Finn, DJ October, Enchanted Rhythms and Amy Alford.
Next up is Sounds From A Disappearing City by Controlled Weirdness.
We have known Neil for a considerable amount of time and followed him as an artist for even longer. He’s also a regular down at Aaja, and we’ve often ended up on the same dancefloor.
He’s written some wicked electro breaksy slammers for this record, but has an impressive back catalogue going back to the 90’s of productions that still sound fresh to this day. He also runs a regular South East London electro night called Electric Sweat, dedicated to our late friend, Nacho.
If you have time, give him a follow online and get along to one of his gigs or cop one of his records. You wont regret it.
WHAT QUALITIES ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN THE MUSIC YOU RELEASE?
With our main Aaja imprint we tend to look for originality, quality, experience and well rounded late night rollers. With our sub label Sidewinders we look for a diverse, bouncy, UK-influenced, cheeky tones that can slam a dancefloor.
WHAT KIND OF VISUAL IDENTITY DOES THE LABEL HAVE (ARTWORK, VIDEOS ETC)?
Our label has always been focused around the snake. The Aaja logo is a nod to the rich UK dance history, the Aaja logo is inspired by the fabled label Moving Shadow. We also loved the idea of the snake spinning around a 12”.
The snake itself was on the floor of a zoo out in Australia which Everson snapped while out there. The name Aaja was devised by Patch, Aaja meaning come together or right now in Hindi. We see the snake being able to move in many ways, along with being able to shed its skin, refresh and adapt. Exactly how we see our label, station and event series.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SELLING RELEASE TO DATE? TELL US A BIT ABOUT IT AND WHY YOU THINK IT WAS SO POPULAR.
Our label was put on hold while we established the station. However Aaja 001 sold out worldwide. We’re actually soon to run a digital re-release of this first EP.
WHICH OTHER LABELS DO YOU ADMIRE AND WHY?
Ratface – a burgeoning, underground SE London label. Catering for broken beats and UK garage. We love this label, they actively seek out unsigned artists on SC, sign them up and release the music independently on Bandcamp. Always directly supporting the artists they work with. Guaranteed to hear some cheeky numbers, along with often being introduced to some really original music.
Other than that – Local Action, Discworld, Sneaker Social Club, Enchanted Rhythms.
WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO FROM YOUR LABEL NEXT?
We have big plans for AAJA 004, aligning with someone we’re unable to mention at this stage. But keep locked…
This year we also introduce ‘Sidewinders’ our sister label, with digital and vinyl releases coming from Ekula, Everson and some of the immediate Aaja family. Ekula is the first bass riddled release. So we’re pretty hyped about that.