Can you talk about the launch of The Umbrella?
The launch of the Umbrella arose really organically. We’ve been throwing RINSED since 2010, and we’ve worked with over 100 incredible musical artists. When we decided to launch the label, we asked some of them for music and they submitted some really unbelievable work, so the G.O.D. compilation came together very naturally. Our background in immersive events and underground parties is what we’re known for so we knew we needed to include a party element that was beyond the typical “release party” at a nightclub. The whole thing feels like a really natural progression for us, we just needed some time for all the elements to click.
What can we expect from each Umbrella release?
Each Umbrella release will be centered around a theme, much like our RINSED events. Our first release G.O.D. Vol 1. for example has to do with blurring the line between artists and consumers, the worshipped and the worshipper, and expressing that nothing happens without everyone, and in that way we are all God. The record itself places very established artists like Parris Mitchell, Len Faki, Dinamo Azari, etc, next to some of our newly discovered artists like Tom Snares, Ariel Black, Cameron Traxxx, and presents them all as Gods of equal power, which we believe they are. The event element will feature interactive components to shift some of the focus away from the artists and center attention onto the audience. One entity is not more important than the other, and neither would exist without each other.
How did “G.O.D. Vol 1.” come about?
The word and stylization itself actually came from a truck we saw in Newark, NJ. There was a company called G.O.D. – Goods On Delivery and all of the trucks in the parking lot were anointed with G.O.D.
Can you talk about the release day event on March 4? What can we expect?
We can’t say too much. We’re using a really incredible loft space in Brooklyn that places the audience above the rest of the city, so we’ll quite literally rise up. We’ve asked some of artists from the compilation to perform so we’ll have about 5 of them in addition to the live set by Jamie. We will say that it will be highly audience interactive, anyone who wishes to steal the show for a moment or two will be welcome to become a G.O.D.
How did it feel to have dance innovator Jamie Principle at that event?
We’re unbelievably excited to have Jamie perform. Since RINSED has existed, we’ve always tried to bring in the founders of dance music. We’ve brought in Kevin Saunderson’s Inner City, Crystal Waters, Parris Mitchell, DJ Deeon, Anthony Shakir, and every time we bring in a legend, it’s always legendary. We’ve been wanting to get Jamie involved for years now. Few people understand his importance in house music. Many people credit Frankie Knuckles with starting house music as we know it, but Jamie wrote and performed a lot of the songs that Frankie released and is known best for. Tunes like Your Love and Baby Wants to Ride, were popularized by Knuckles, but written and performed by Jamie. It’s going to be a magical night.
What do your plans for the future include with Rinsed?
Our plan is to restore RINSED back to the smaller, sweatier party that it was in the beginning. When you are running a party for a while there is a natural tendency to want to grow and make it larger, and become more well known. RINSED has grown enormously in the past 5 years, but we actually like it better smaller, and more intimate. There is a sexual energy that transcends the party when it’s in an intimate space and that’s really important to us. The Umbrella will become our outlet to expand and reach larger groups, while RINSED will return to the small and funky lofts, and warehouses on the fringes of the city.
