Preparing for an interview is often a very fun and surprising process.

You stumble across small details about artists, labels, or projects that you haven’t heard of before, and you also realize how dedicated & passionate people invested in our scene are.

But doing researches on Impact Music, the label that I was about to interview, was truly something else. I remember scrolling down their Soundcloud profile, profoundly amazed and contemplative at how good this imprint was at discovering artists that have grown to become some of the biggest acts of our current scene. Visages, The Caracal Project, Skylark, Monty, The Clamps… All of them have landed successful EPs on Impact Music during the early stage of their careers. At this point, it can’t be just luck!

This became even clearer with their latest installment dedicated to celebrating their fifth year of existence. Filled with juicy bangers & some of the freshest talents from this last year, the compilation has something to please everyone. 

To learn more about this very special anniversary and the birth of this 2 parts, 16 tracks, 5 years LP, we sat down with label boss and one of France’s most iconic DJ, Mc Fly. Enjoy!

Mc Fly Dj screaming 1


Five years already, time flies, it’s crazy. Tell us how it all began with Impact Music? 

Time flies, that’s for sure! The label was born from an idea that I had in mind for some time. I thought that, because I was “only” a DJ and not a producer, it would be cool if I could create an entity that would promote artists with my vision of things, and overnight Impact Music appeared.

Pretty awesome for a project that happened “overnight” to get nominated in the drum & bass awards as one of the best newcomer labels. How did you feel when you heard the news? What was your mindset at the time?

It was just amazing and so unexpected, to be honest. I remember someone wrote to me on Facebook the day the nominees were announced to tell me that we were in it. I seriously couldn’t believe it. First, because we didn’t communicate so much on the matter, but also knowing that it was the year of labels like Souped Up or 1985 Music. We obviously did not win against such imprints, but just for the prestige, it was worth the ride!

DB Award nominee 2017
D&B Award nominees, 2017.

You’ve signed names like Monty, The Caracal Project, Skylark, The Clamps, Vowel… and the list goes on. How do you manage to always find raw talents like these? What are you looking for when signing a release or receiving some demos?

You’re right, all these names have gone through the label at some point, it’s crazy when you think about it, ahah! Honestly, there are several factors that come into play, in particular, the luck factor, but also very simple stuff like the nationality of the artists. In terms of music, I’m just looking for a catchy vibe, and not just a “genre,”. As long as there’s the tempo and the magic, Impact Music is the right house.

Taking into account Impact’s entire discography, do you have a favorite release? And, why?

I think my favorite release is the one by Visages, the “Point of View” EP. Very simply because it happened so naturally, and so suddenly. The guys came up to me one day, sent me the EP, and said, “We’re doing a new project, and we would like to sign this on Impact Music.” I remember answering them “Hmm guys, you should send this straight to Flexout Audio, it’s just way too good!”. They were determined to start their career on the label, and they already had a lot of bangers lined up, so we went ahead together. When I see where their project is today, I am really very proud and happy for them. They deserve it so much!

Speaking of your discography, your first release was a naughty techy neurofunk-infused banger from Tobax, and now you’re releasing a massive compilation with some of the finest newcomers. As a label manager, what are the biggest lessons you learned during these five years?

If I had the chance to talk to my past self before I started the label, I would tell him:
1 / Prepare yourself more before launching your imprint and take some time to learn about how the drum & bass and, more broadly speaking, the electronic music industry operates.
2 / Never take a “yes” from an artist for granted, especially when it has been handled on Facebook.
3 / Don’t make so many vinyls so soon, haha! (although I’m still very proud to have released this single from The Clamps on vinyl).

From the first release to the last one, let’s now talk about this 5 years LP. It features some of the most promising talents in the game, like Creatures, Dopplershift, Stokka, Entita, Vici… It seems that these names represent the core of Impact Music, don’t they?

These names completely represent the spirit and the heart of the label. All of them have already signed tracks on Impact Music, so it felt essential and logical for me to ask them to be a part of this album. Their work has contributed to what the label is today. These artists also all have a really promising & unique sound. And that’s exactly what I want to represent with Impact Music, a plethora of “colors” while maintaining an overall consistency.

And do you have a personal favorite on the LP?

I think my favorite track on the LP is “I Feel Wobbly” by Screamarts. It’s not the one that was the most liked or shared, but I find it really different and almost funny. The groove in it is completely crazy, I love it! I also really enjoy the Seereal as well as the Dopplershift track, but to be completely honest, I think all the tunes on the compilation are really good.

What’s very cool is that your 5 years anniversary celebration isn’t just a compilation. You’re also doing a Tour de France with the Impact Music crew, DJing in cities like Paris, Lyon, Besançon. That’s incredible as a label to be able to give mixing opportunities to DJs. Tell more about this adventure!

Well, I already had done something similar with the DnB France crew when we were doing the “French Plates” tours. So, I thought it would be nice to thank the artists with whom I have been collaborating for a while on the label. I quickly made the decision to approach promoters to organize “Impact Birthday” parties across France, and this mini-tour was born. It was very important for me to be able to give something tangible to these young (or not so young) artists with whom I had worked with. Even if they are gifted, they do not necessarily have the chance to play often on the French territory, since the scene is somewhat sparse and less extensive than in other European countries. This felt like the perfect opportunity!

Finally, what should we expect from Impact Music in the future? Any new releases or projects in store?

You can expect many more quality releases from artists that I have worked with before, but not only! We’ll also be releasing projects with other tempos. I am really interested in exploring bass music between 130 and 170 BPM, but always with the “Impact” Touch!

Can’t wait to have a listen to these upcoming releases, I’m sure they’ll sound sick! Do you have some final words to add before we go? 

Yeah, I just wanted to say a massive thank you to the artists I’ve been working with closely for the past 3 years (Horde, Reptile, Seereal, Drumcatcher, Vici, & Temam), and my graphic designer, Tealanb, who’s been doing some outstanding work since the very beginning.

5 Years of Impact Music artwork
5 Years of Impact Music artwork

Thank you so much to my good friend & one of the nicest guys in this industry, Jean, for the talk. You can stream the 5 Years of Impact Music LP here (Part 1) and here (Part 2). You can also buy it here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

 

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