We meet Traci Washington and Florence J. Leigh from Detroit label Mahogani Music. Founded by house maestro Moodymann, the label is a living, breathing tribute to Detroit’s endless sonic innovation, from vintage soul and funk to soulful house and hip-hop. Traci and Florence, the women who keep Mahogani running from their respective bases in Detroit and Vienna, Austria, talk with Chal about on their unusual roles as caretakers and collaborators on this resolutely underground label, and reflect...

We meet Pedro Winter aka. Busy P, the founder of Ed Banger Records – the label that became the gateway drug for a generation of ravers and that pushed the indie kids onto the dancefloor with the sound of “heavy metal disco”. From the world-beating rocktronica of Justice to the outré electro of Mr. Oizo, from SebastiAn’s legendary remixes to Uffie’s addictive alt-pop, the ‘00s output of the Parisian label is unparalleled. In this episode, Busy P tells Chal about his evolution from teenage...

We meet Darren White, aka. dBridge, the founder of Exit Records. Setting it up the label in 2003, he dedicated himself to exploring new avenues rather than retreading old roads. From heavyweight dubstep to footwork fusion, the shape-shifting label has been breaking ground ever since. dBridge tells Chal about throwing himself into drum and bass after a turbulent childhood, becoming a pioneer of digital technology (and then going back to his analogue machines anyway), and his unending quest to...

We meet Adrian Sherwood, the founder of On-U Sound, who’s done things differently right from the start. He started the label at the height of London’s “punky-reggae” moment and quickly put out dozens of groundbreaking dub recordings from acts including Creation Rebel, African Head Charge, New Age Steppers and Tackhead. Drawing on a loose collective of improvisers and wildcards – including Ari Up, Annie Anxiety and Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah – Sherwood leveraged his lack of musical training to...

We meet Antal Heitlager, the founder of Rush Hour Records. Antal is obsessed with records – and in the 23 years since he started selling vinyl out of his university accommodation, he’s turned Rush Hour Records into one of Amsterdam’s most treasured dance institutions. His endless crate-digging has defined Rush Hour’s eclectic catalogue, where 80s coldwave and classic Chicago reissues sit alongside homegrown house from locals like Tom Trago and Hunee. In this episode Antal tells Chal how he’s...

We meet Bill Kouligas, the founder and label boss of the Berlin record label PAN which spans cutting-edge electronic music, avant-garde sound art, scuzzy noise and nauseating ASMR. Of all the labels featured on Relevant Parties so far, it’s probably home to the most extreme material – records that poke at the edges of what makes sound into music. Bill, who set up PAN in 2008, talks to Chal about the meaning of “difficult” music and the diversity of artists on the roster, from jungle auteur...

We meet Juan Maclean and Marcus Lambkin, two figures who’ve been part of DFA Records since the very beginning. DFA brought two sides of the school yard together – the punks and the disco dancers, the indie wallflowers and the arty attention-seekers. Founded by James Murphy as a creative outlet for his friends in New York, DFA Records launched with a bang in 2002 – signing The Rapture’s ‘House of Jealous Lovers’ and laying the groundwork for a string of disco, techno, punk and avant-rock...

We meet Valentino Betz and Marvin Schuhmann, founders of the quintessential modern indie label Public Possession. The two fellow DJs take a hands-on approach: In addition to their idiosyncratic take on electronic music, the enterprise centred around the Public Possession record store in Munich includes also DJ residencies, homemade flyers and merchandise, the online station Radio 80000 and even a catering service – but everything they do happens on a small and friendly scale. And somehow the...

We meet Taro Kesen, the co-founder behind Jazzy Sport, one of Japan’s most important hubs for hip-hop culture since it launched in 2003. Taking influence from the vinyl-worshipping beat culture that hails Dilla and Madlib as kings, the label has been a crucial platform for homegrown artists like hip-hop crew Gagle, veteran selector Grooveman Spot, and acid jazz ensemble Cro-Magnon. But while Jazzy Sport’s roots are in hip-hop, the label and its record stores are an eclectic portal for all...

We meet Samuel Valenti IV, head of Ghostly International. Founded on the outskirts of Detroit in 1999, Ghostly began as a platform for multitalented locals Matthew Dear, Tadd Mullinix and Todd Osborn, and later expanding into hip-hop, ambient and even harp music. Valenti has also been a savvy operator in the shift to digital media, pioneering new technology and selling everything from art prints to xylophones under the Ghostly marque. We talked about his early rave days, the loss of an...

In the second episode of RELEVANT PARTIES we meet Matt Black and Jonathan More, founders of London label Ninja Tune. United by a love of the new, the duo also known as Coldcut have been testing the limits of DJing, sampling and audiovisual technology since they first met in a Soho record shop in 1986. Through its long history Ninja Tune has released countless era-defining records from artists as diverse as Amon Tobin, The Cinematic Orchestra, Floating Points and Roots Manuva. As the label...

In the first episode of RELEVANT PARTIES we meet Chris Manak, better known as Peanut Butter Wolf. As the founder of Stones Throw Records, Manak is behind some of the most ground-breaking hip-hop records ever made, assisting artists like Madlib, J Dilla and MF Doom to reach their creative peaks. But although Stones Throw will always be associated with a certain seam of underground beatmaking, the Los Angeles label is home to every kind of musical eccentric: from Mayer Hawthorne’s vintage soul...

RELEVANT PARTIES by Carhartt WIP is a new monthly podcast series dedicated to the work of groundbreaking record labels around the globe. Each episode will delve into the stories behind the music, speaking to some of music culture‘s most important independent tastemakers, who are known for their love of music, enduring idealism, and singular drive. The host of this new series is UK music journalist Chal Ravens, known for her writing on electronic music and club culture for publications such...