WOLF music are one of the most exciting UK underground house labels to keep your eye on. With a series of dynamic releases under their belts, including the dance-floor bomb Give It To Me Slow, by Grey Matter, the label are bringing serious paw to the floor. I shared a few words with Matthew Neale, co-owner of the Brighton based label to give an insight into the labels musical vision and style.
With E.P releases ranging from mid paced funked up disco, to more recent deep, bumping 4/4, WOLF is not a label with a regimented outlook. Neale acknowledges that there has been a change in musical dynamic from the early releases, but this has only widened their musical perspective, "our last few releases have been towards the deeper spectrum of house...we have certainly matured and not stagnated by sticking to one sound. WOLF is chiefly mine and Stu WOLF'S (Stuart Clarke) musical tastes as well as the music that our resident producers bring to the table. This combination creates a unique dynamic and this is reflected in the music we release."
Listen to the variation on WOLF EP 015 and it's easy to hear this unique dynamic; Feel My Voices by Waze & Odyssey is a strong, deep house cut, whereas Squarehead & Mella Dee's Get Together has a delightful old school feel, reminiscent of current Bicep material. Elsewhere, Nowt by James Welsh is a funky, soulful excursion reminiscent of WOLF's earlier disco-rooted releases.
"We are HOUSE and if you know house you know that this is an umbrella term for a lot of different styles. If they gave us a disco track or a beatdown track and we liked it, it would come out on WOLF. That's what house is about" (Matthew Neale)
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| Matt Wolf, left. Stuart Wolf, right |
SOS. - Matthew, you've worked with a lot of UK artists, including talent local to yourselves, such as Maxxi Soundsystem and Grey Matter. As the label grows, how important is the local hub of talent in and around Brighton for the label?
M.N - Local talent is important if it's talented. I don't support artists just because they live near me, I am just lucky to live here at the same time some extremely talented people do. I would be releasing their music no matter where they lived. I will always try and support Brighton's scene, but 90% of the people involved in WOLF are London based, so we are as much London as we are Brighton.
SOS. - How would you describe Wolf Music in 3 words?
M.N - Living the Dream
SOS. - Who or what influences you outside of music?
M.N - Good question. Personally I suppose it's the usual things that influence people; art, travel, media, history, environment, peers and a burning desire to make this thing work for all involved. We have a strong team who are all vital for making WOLF what it is, from the artists, to the art directors; WOLF is a composite and therefore a diverse mix of influences.
Check out WOLF HERE
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WOLFEP015 - Various Artists, Out on 12" November 2012. Digi to follow. |
