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It takes a certain type of vision to create something challenging in today’s electronica and techno environment. Settling for average contributions that may find themselves on someones chart for the month really isn’t good enough anymore. The same could be said for an ‘acceptable’ experience whilst out with friends listening to the same circuitry productions, and that’s why it’s important to recognise those artists who are creating and pushing that vision that’s integral to transcending your experience into something inspiring. To celebrate our 50th installation, this weeks guest has been doing a consistent job of alienating himself from that standard routine and investing in new directions in a changing landscape.

His previous work spans across Soma Records, Delsin, Deeply Rooted House, with the forthcoming focus of his own imprint – Naura Records. The latter of which will be a fresh base for a direct assault on those places in our mind that determine whether a piece of music qualifies as timeless.

Kana Broadcast 050 is directed and steered by Santiago Naura – Bleak.

Track list –

Kashii-tru – Da City Ep -Southern Fried Records
Jeff Mills – Gravity Drive – man from Tomorrow
PVNV – Consortium EP – Taapion
Radio Slave – Children of the E (North London Mix) – Running Back Records
Modern Heads – Beginning – Outis Music
Francois X – Rising – MDR
Matti Turunen – Substellar Object – Teal Recordings
Ben Buitendijk – Second Magnitude – Ogun records
Ghostek – The Morning After -Deep Sound Channel
Orion – Gravity (Johannes Volk Remix) – Polytone-Music
Mental Resonance – Rigel – Muzonly
Gal Tsadok Hal – Sgear (Ness Remix) -On and On records
Alessio Pili – Strategy of Terror (NX1 Remix) – Counter Pulse
JSSL – Constant Target (Kwartz_Remix) -Format Records
BLEAK – GREY – Unreleased Live version
Blue Hour – Introspective II – Bluehour Records
Leiras – These Ancestral Bones (Peter Van Hoesen Remix) – OWNLIFE

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EC: We’ve just wrapped up 2014 and it’s been a pretty successful one. Any notable massive learning curves and positives to take away that really resonated with you in the past 12 months?

SN: Yes indeed, I actually took 2014 as a very solid evolving musically year. And specially having experimented with a different perspectives when it comes to elaborating productions. I also met a whole new bunch of personalities, that have been inspiring me during this year. I focused on different views of Techno and evolving elements within its structure and form. It also took me some time to coordinate my own imprint, with transferring idea and purpose.

EC: One of the biggest projects to come out of 2014 was the announcement of your own imprint Naura Records. First up, how does this concept tie in with everything else going on at the moment and where do you want the project to go?

SN: Yes another Label coming to life. 2015 will be a very exciting year for this project. Naura Records will be strongly focused on timeless Techno and influenced by elements of other musical and ethical styles, but it will display their independent evolution without harming the past. The first 5 forthcoming releases will be also from me aka Bleak, and these ones are like an introduction of my family tree including design and facet from different times. There will be some close collaborations with some new stunning producers. I have been working a very long time on these projects and it will be a real curious pleasure to see how it will evolve in the future.

EC: It’s definitely a pretty exciting time to be configuring a fresh label project. If we were to start with physical art work that accompanies the releases – what ideas appeal to you most when you look at other “12 and CD releases?

SN: The labels design will be taken care by Elias Landberg von Skudge for these first series and will be stylistic classic and fresh. It will show off transcendence from different times and moments of already long forgotten pictures. Robert Elster will take care of the masterings and also has been there with the beginning of the rise of the Bleak project. It will display the very soul of the Bleak project in picture and sound and specially these tracks that I was holding back for such an occasion. It will be simple, good, and effective without any doubt.

EC: The distribution is another process that’s more so aligning to direct distribution in some ways, and for the record we don’t have anytime for Beatport really in our office. Have you considered direct distribution or an alternative for getting the music out there in the electronic medium?

SN: I´m happily having Juno UK as worldwide distributor and there will be also digital promotion or availability on my own Bandcamp online shop later on. And probably appearing on different digital platforms. There will be also regular promo send outs for each release, to very specific artists for now.

EC: When you look at other labels succeses and failures, is there anything labels should be doing more of, and what should they be doing less of?

SN: Having a label is a joy and a hard working concept since you have to take care of it like a baby all the time. Important is the design, the quality of the imprint, the mastering, and of course the music pressed on it. But mostly it needs to be effective as I said before. I´m not really a label expert either in any way, but to have an successful imprint I think that it´s inevitable you have to think about every little detail that could make it flourish and differentiate it from all the other labels out there… Time and effort for sure is the key and the selection of music and artist that might suit to the main perspective of the label. Dedication and a firm belief of what you do in this case.

EC: Another big year ahead no doubt. With the label, are there any other plans we should be across?

SN: Indeed another adventurous year ahead Elliot, but now I can´t tell you anymore. Have to leave some surprises also open for the forthcoming future!

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