{"id":26227,"date":"2015-12-29T02:09:43","date_gmt":"2015-12-29T01:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/?p=26227"},"modified":"2016-03-13T14:14:04","modified_gmt":"2016-03-13T13:14:04","slug":"label-showcase-009-moon-harbour-recordings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/label-showcase-009-moon-harbour-recordings\/","title":{"rendered":"Label Showcase 009: Moon Harbour Recordings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not many labels make it to release number fifteen, let alone year 15, but that\u2019s exactly the milestone the\u00a0Moon\u00a0<\/span>Harbour Recordings<\/span>\u00a0family is celebrating throughout 2015. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Headed up by esteemed DJ, producer, remixer and\u00a0Circoloco\/DC10 Ibiza<\/b>\u00a0resident\u00a0Matthias Tanzmann\u00a0<\/b>and manager\u00a0Andr\u00e9 Quaas<\/b>, the Leipzig based label has lasted so long on account of it having always moved ahead of the times. Celebrated for its diverse output from tech house to minimal to deeper club sounds, the label\u2019s ever evolving roster of artists is like a who\u2019s who of the contemporary scene.<\/p>\n

Since the turn of the millennium it has been a bastion of deep and tech house quality that has not moved with the times, but has defined them ahead of trend. Running up the spine of the label\u2019s quality output over the years have been full length albums from the likes of Matthias Tanzmann in 2008, Luna City Express<\/strong> in 2009, Martinez<\/strong> in 2010 and Ekkohaus<\/strong> in 2013. So too does the label offer up a label compilation series, Moon Harbour Inhouse<\/strong>, which tells the story of the label\u2019s evolution, and along the way there have been many underground hits including now close family member Sable Sheep<\/strong>\u2019s debut EP Upon Burning Skies<\/strong> in 2013, Arado & Marco Faraone<\/strong>\u2019s Strange Neighbours<\/strong> in 2010 and Santos<\/strong>\u2019 Hold Home<\/strong> in 2009.<\/p>\n

Next to core family members and label acts like\u00a0Luna City Express, Sable Sheep, Marco Faraone, Sven Tasnadi, Dan Drastic<\/b>\u00a0and the boss himself are new school talents and carefully A&R\u2019ed artists like\u00a0Adam Port, Re.You, Ekkohaus, wAFF, Cuartero, Steve Lawler, DJ T., Chris Wood & Meat, Butch<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Detlef.<\/b>, together these DJs and producers wholly encapsulate the infectious Moon Harbour sound. Thanks to the reputation of the label, Moon<\/span> Harbour<\/span> label showcases are a solid addition to globally acknowledged festivals and events such as the Miami Music Week<\/strong>, S\u00f3nar<\/strong> week in Barcelona, the Amsterdam Dance Event<\/strong> and at various places in Ibiza, to name a few.<\/p>\n

See also: Interview + Off Week Playlist: Matthias Tanzmann<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

With that, we continue our new series here, and in conjunction with Deep House Amsterdam, highlighting some of our favourite labels from around the world, we thought we would catch up with Moon Harbour Radio<\/a>(a respectable institution in its own right, racking up 60+ episodes and broadcast internationally) host and manager Dan Drastic<\/strong> and get the scoop on all things Moon Harbour Recordings. Here, you will find information on the label\u2019s history, ethos, releases and future. As you can probably tell by know, we are asking each respective label rep the same questions. With this approach, we hope these showcases will be as educational and informative (for all you aspiring label heads out there) as they are entertaining.<\/p>\n

“…it\u2019s a consistent label, that doesn\u2019t extremely care about trends but at the same time doesn\u2019t completely ignore them.”<\/span><\/h2>\n

What does Moon Harbour add to the dance music spectrum?<\/strong>
\nIn my opinion it\u2019s a consistent label, that doesn\u2019t extremely care about trends but at the same time doesn\u2019t completely ignore them. Also we always try to get out the highest quality possible when it comes to our products.<\/p>\n

When did you first think about launching Moon Harbour<\/strong>
\nI didn\u2019t launch Moon Harbour. It was launched by Matthias Tanzmann and Andr\u00e9 Quaas back in 2000. But I joined the team in 2006 and before that I already some kind of Super-Fan and mascot.<\/p>\n

Story behind the Moon Harbour name?<\/strong>
\nMatthias always tells this story how he just read English texts and at some time he saw those two words together and they just stuck. Seems like it checks out. It\u2019s a pretty neat name.<\/p>\n

What was the most difficult aspect of launching the label?<\/strong>
\nI can not say much about the first 6 years, but i can say about the last 9 that I work there, that It\u2019s mostly our location. Don\u2019t get me wrong, we all love Leipzig, but sometimes it can be a bit difficult because it doesn\u2019t have the biggest scene. So meeting DJs and producers can sometimes be bit of a drag. Berlin probably would have been much better. But we see this as a challenge.<\/p>\n

What qualities do you look for in a Moon Harbour artist?<\/strong>
\nFirstly that he produces good music. Than qualities like consistency in style, commitment to be a part of the Moon Harbour family is not bad and being nice and friendly helps a lot too. I personally like people very much who shower on a daily basis \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Describe 3 seminal moments in Moon Harbour existence?<\/strong>
\n– Sonar 2006 as Matthias\u2019 remix for Marlow\u2019s \u2018Movin\u2019 came out and everyone in Barcelona played it.
\n– The 10th anniversary in 2010
\n– The day I started working here \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

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Most disappointing moment in Moon Harbour existence?<\/strong>
\nThe day I quit working for Moon Harbour.<\/p>\n

Describe Moon Harbour album artwork?<\/strong>
\nMatthias always tries to keep things simple with the artworks, probably it\u2019s his Bauhaus background. Clear forms and lines are things we like here. And that\u2019s pretty much all I can say about it, since I\u2019m not the most artsy guy.<\/p>\n

Best Moon Harbour showcase?<\/strong>
\nFor me it was the impromptu showcase at Off Sonar in 2013. After location after location canceled every couple of days, Toni Rubano and we decided to make it on a space right in front of his big festival, in the end a couple of thousand people showed up and we all had the time of our lives.<\/p>\n

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Worst Moon Harbour showcase?<\/strong>
\nThere were a couple of disappointing showcases over the years but nothing really sticks out.<\/p>\n

Dream Moon Harbour artist?<\/strong>
\nDan Drastic\u2026 It\u2019s about time this fella makes an EP again.<\/p>\n

Most important business\/music app\/program\/software?<\/strong>
\nBusiness: everything from Google
\nMusic: All the Native Instruments stuff<\/p>\n

Longest Day(s) ever worked?<\/strong>
\nMaybe 16 hours, except those days when you go from work pretty much directly to the party, the can get a lot longer.<\/p>\n

Upcoming projects?<\/strong>
\nThere is a Cuartero EP<\/a> coming in December and there is also some stuff planned from Jey Kurmis in early 2016. Hopefully this Dan Drastic guy can make an EP ready as well.<\/p>\n

“15 Years of Moon Harbour” is NOW AVAILABLE on Beatport<\/a> & Vinyl<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Download <\/a><\/span> Soundcloud <\/a><\/span> Label Page <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n