Imprints: Lab.our

Imprints brings you regular profiles of the most exciting record labels the world over, with input from the movers and shakers who contribute to their local electronic music communities.

Name: Lab.our Music
Vibe: Hypnotic, dancefloor ready, basement bumping techno and house
Founded: 2013
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Upcoming releases: Lab.our 7 by Maxwell Church
Artists-to-watch: Jason Ulrich, Basic Soul Unit, Maxwell Church

THUMP: What’s the Deal with Lab.our?
Stuart Li: It’s an underground electronic music record label from Toronto formed by Basic Soul Unit and J-UL. At the moment it’s vinyl only.

What does the name come from?
It’s a play on the words “Our” “Lab” and “Labour”. Labour is our work, but the words “our” and “lab” suggest exploration.

Why did you decide to form Lab.our?
To have creative control of our art and to have a platform for our music as producers from Toronto and beyond.

Read More on THUMP: Techno Maestro Basic Soul Unit Is Raising Kids and a Label in Toronto

How would you describe your sound?
Music for dark and dank basements with bassbins.

How would you describe the scene in Toronto?
There’s a fertile scene with many young producers coming up. Definitely keep an eye out over the next few years.

What’s one of the labels that has had a particular influence on the Lab.our sound and ethos?
Hard to say as we’ve had many influences but at the moment Livity Sound and 50 Weapons comes to mind. While Livity hones in on its genre defying sound, 50 Weapons embraces a myriad of genres. Both are forward thinking, and both are bass-heavy club music. Livity is resolutely underground and while 50 Weapons also has some deep numbers, it’s also not afraid to go big.

Have your releases been received as well as you’d hoped?
We’ve been pleasantly surprised with support from a wide spectrum of underground DJs. The label’s releases have appeared on important radio shows such as BBC Essential mix and Rinse FM as well as DJ charts.

What makes your label different?
We try not to be defined by a particular sound or genre. As long as it’s music we are feeling and it fits on the kind of dance floors we play or we can listen to, we’ll release it. This and the fact that the label has a Toronto focus gives it a unique flavour.

Which release would you recommend to introduce a new listener to your label?
Any of them. All the music we release represent what we are about.

Read More on THUMP: Imprints: Jungle Funk Recordings

How do you choose the artists that you work with?
Most of the time, the artists we work with are from the local scene. They’ll send us music but we’ll already have a relationship with them as friend and colleagues. We would definitely give artists outside of our city a listen but with friends and colleagues we already know what they are about musically and likely have a similar outlook.

What’s the next release on the label? How far ahead do you plan your releases?
The next release is Lab.our 07 by Maxwell Church. At the moment, we’ve got releases lined up until at least spring of next year from Aberdeen, R, Jerry Riggs x Krizzli and Benjamin Wood (all Toronto artists).

What challenges do you face running the label?
As music is a passion and hobby, time is the biggest challenge. We both have day jobs in Graphic Design and Basic Soul Unit has a family. Trying to balance all of these sides of our lives can be tricky.

Do you have any predictions regarding the future of techno music?
Techno and electronic music by nature encourages exploration. Outside of trends and fads, there’ll always be someone pushing the boundaries of the form.

Lab.our is on Facebook // SoundCloud