LABEL LINK
Sep 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By Lily Moayeri
Ten years ago, major record labels were only interested in pushing new rock acts or promoting dance releases by established superstars. If you were an aspiring dance music artist, the only way to get your record heard was to release it yourself. Glasgow, Scotland, duo Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle, collectively known as Slam, did just that and established Soma Quality Records in the process. Soma was born out of McMillan, Meikle, and partner David Clarke's shared determination, a little saved money, a few grants, and good sales of 1991's “Eterna,” McMillan and Meikle's first single. Although the label is a decade old and has earned international respect, it still embodies the DIY ethic.
“We wanted to have a vehicle for us and some other artists,” says McMillan, who got his start as a DJ. “We had that punk-rock ethic back then. We did the distribution of ‘Eterna’ ourselves and sold a good few thousand copies of that record. Then, we hooked up with a proper distributor and took it from there.”
Meikle, also a DJ, says: “We went to a few people who had a bit of money and they didn't understand. We realized we weren't going to get any help from anyone. This whole dance thing was very new in the U.K., and nobody was particularly interested in it. We felt that a lot of people out there needed to air their music without the constraints of this London-dominated, big-record, major-label setup.”
Soma had released about a dozen singles when it discovered its most successful act, Daft Punk. The label released the duo's debut single, “Alive,” in 1994 and the hugely successful “Da Funk” in 1995. Today, Soma's roster includes Funk D'Void, Silicone Soul, Envoy, Gene Farris, and Percy X. Paris-based artist Master H is recording an album for the label, as are California's H-Foundation and Holland's Frain. McMillan and Meikle still release their Slam albums on Soma, including most recent effort Alien Radio. Slam's collaboration with Unkle, “Narco Tourists” (featured on Alien Radio), was the label's 100th release.
Both partners agree that their success hasn't changed Soma's essence. “The label's ethos is still the same,” says Meikle. “We keep the A&R and the business aspects separate. We never make huge amounts of money, but that's not what the label was started for. It's more a family feeling within Soma. We care about our artists' wishes. Soma was one of the original independent dance-music labels, and it's still around, churning out some of the best stuff.”
“We could sign a major distribution deal tomorrow,” says McMillan, “but we don't want to do that. The artists would think, ‘What the fuck's going on?’ We believe in what we do, hold on to that, and try to move forward and make it happen. For us, it's about doing it all ourselves.”
Contact: Soma Quality Recordings Ltd., 2nd Floor, 342 Argyle Street, Glasgow, Scotland G2 8LY; tel. 44-141-229-6220; e-mail info@somarecords.com; Web www.somarecords.com.
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