Record stores and clubs around the world are shut, and opportunities to find new music out in the wild have been ripped from under our feet as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. While hearing new music played out by your favourite DJs will have to be put on hold due to these unprecedented circumstances, it’s never been easier, or more important, to support the artists and labels putting out EPs, albums and compilations in the midst of all the madness.
With tour cancellations and festival postponements leaving many members of the international electronic music community out of pocket, Bandcamp has become an even more vital platform for supporting the music you love, with 80% of all sales from the online music store going directly to artists and labels. Last month, the platform announced it would be waiving its revenue share for all sales for one day, and on 20th March, took no cut from purchases made. In total, $4.3 million was spent on music over the course of 24 hours, all going straight to the creators. On 1st of May, it will waive its revenue share again for 24 hours, with some additional plans for the day set to be announced next week. Time to start adding releases to your Wishlist to grab on the day to ensure all of your spending goes directly to the artists and labels you love.
In our new regular series. Selections, we’re inviting DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share recent additions to their Bandcamp collections. In lieu of opportunities to discover new records on the dancefloor, Selections – along with radio shows and mixes – will give you the chance to nab new sounds from the crates of tastemakers, and support the artists behind them while you’re at it. Win-win, right?
This week More Time Records’ co-founders Ahadadream and SNØW step up with five gems each from their personal collections, spanning percussive club heft, grime-jungle hybrids and 140 bpm bass weight. Since launching in 2017, More Time has become one of the foremost champions for UK club music, providing an essential platform for dancefloor-focussed sounds with roots and influences from across the Global South. Having released EPs from emerging names such as Bala Bala Boyz, Leila Samir and DJ Polo, More Time has shone a spotlight on a wealth of exciting sounds in its early years, and things are only looking up for the label and its leading duo. This week, Ahadadream and SNØW are celebrating the label’s third anniversary with a new EP of their own, ‘3:33’. A thrilling encapsulation of their individual production styles, the EP captures the irresistible energy of their infamous b2b sets, which were lucky enough to catch at festivals like Glastonbury and Kallida last year.
Dig into Ahadadream and SNØW’s Selections below.