Ai Records is, for those of you who don’t already know, a cool and innovative little indie label from London. Warp Records calls them “one of the most collectable labels in the world today.” We mentioned them earlier in our post about cover art, The Cover Art Re-Emerges In Two Ways,” praising them for the way they continually release awesome and visually stunning records. Often in very limited editions which sells out in days. So naturally we had to get in touch with Jason Smith, the head of Ai Records to ask him a few questions, and we’re happy to bring you a neat little interview here on the NYLVI Blog today.

NYLVI: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved in the music industry.

Jason: I’ve been running Ai Records for over nine years – originally there were three members of Ai but since 2007 I have been running it by myself.

I was a big fan of early acid house and Detroit techno and while at art college I started to work with Derrick May – Transmat Records.
I learnt a lot during this time – meeting the main players in the scene – which led to the birth of Ai records.

NYLVI: Ai Records is closing in on a ten year anniversary, how has the label developed over the years, and how do you see the future for Ai Records?

Jason: I think if you are a small outfit you can keep the passion and the energy really strong in your label.  It’s always been really exciting running Ai.
Ai has grown organically and has definitely evolved through the years, but the key principles remain the same:  Great music, innovation and quality product.

The industry has changed massively since Ai started but the most important thing is to keep your customers happy and give them the whole package that they will really like.

Who knows what the future will bring but as long as there’s great music being made then I’ll still be around.

NYLVI: How does an artist get signed to your label - what are you looking for?

Jason: I get loads of demos each week via my website.  (www.airecords.com)
I load them onto my ipod and listen to them at random where ever I am.  It’s a good method as I see how different artists sit next to each other.  They are slowly whittled down and if I like them then I contact the artist and then work on a project together.

NYLVI: Ai Records is pretty original when it comes to some of it’s vinyl releases. Could you tell us a bit about that?

Jason: I also have a service on the website which enables me to offer the subscribers, limited edition releases that are not available in the shops. These releases are really limited and are just lovely to own and normally sell out in a day or two via a secret page on my site.

NYLVI: There is some stunning visual art work accompanying your releases, what makes you go the extra mile when it comes to art work?

Jason: I design record covers for many different artists so the passion kind of spills over really.  I love working with creative people and when I do a collaboration I just let them do whatever they want.  Obviously they work to a brief but like my recording artists I’m not into dictating what they should create.  I just like seeing what comes out.

NYLVI: How does your label look at the future of the music industry and what do you consider to be the challenges and opportunities for independent labels?

Jason: It’s not easy for small independents like Ai.
Managing and keeping ahead of the game can be tricky – especially as the industry is changing all the. I reckon you just have to keep putting out great music and just keep an open mind.

Tags: Ai Records, Electronica, Label, London, Vinyl

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 8:53 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.