Background
LA is currently a breeding ground for some of the world’s most forward-thinking tastemakers. There’s Shlohmo’s WeDidIt collective which has unearthed talent like RL Grime and Purple, there’s the excellent garage D.I.Y garage rock label Burger Records and there’s Samo Sound Boy and Jerome LOL’s Body High which houses their act DJ Dodger Stadium who picked up producing credits on Kanye’s The Life Of Pablo.
The latest label to join the ranks is the fast-rising Mind Of A Genius label. It was started by 26 year-old David Dann who has gathered together a small and mysterious roster. Dann was a DJ before starting the label but found that DJing constricted him to the electronic genre when he wanted to do something that would encompass his wide-ranging music taste. The Mind Of A Genius label, despite being only four artists strong, now traverses R&B, electronica and rock.
As Dann told Complex they operated off the mantra “hearing is believing”. It’s all about the sound as as such each of their artists is surrounded by some sort of mystery. Zhu, their first signing, is almost completely without identity while someone like Gallant is a little more in the public eye, although he was an enigma at the beginning of his career. Each of the artists has built a considerable amount of hype but this is the year that things are going to really kick into gear for the young label. Each of their four artists will release a debut album while Gallant and Zhu will play Coachella with the label also throwing an after-party.
The Artists
THEY.
Before THEY. were THEY., this duo was writing for some of the biggest names in the industry. Dante was writing for Kelly Clarkson and Chris Brown while Drew was penning tunes for Jeremih. The pair have now stepped into the spotlight themselves with their Nu Religion EP which combines the sleek R&B melodies of someone like Jeremih with a certain gritty quality. Motley Crue from that EP has clocked up over one million plays on Soundcloud and they’ve been touring with one of R&B’s most hyped named right now, Bryson Tiller. Their latest claim to fame is a track with label-mate Zhu and Skrillex Working For It. It’s a huge track that has announced them to the world with a bang. Expect the conversation around these guys to get louder and louder this year.
Gallant
Gallant is arguably the biggest name on the label right now. Just this week he released his debut album Ology justifying years of hype with a tight debut that is soulful, raw and epic. Mind Of A Genius and Gallant have worked together on his sound which led to his transformation from Soundcloud favourite to fully-formed superstar with the track Weight In Gold. Since, he’s collaborated with Seal, Sufjan Stevens and Jhene Aiko with a voice which is pretty much unmatched in the music industry right now. He’s not afraid to push his vocals further than they’ve ever been and as such, Ology is full of money-note moments. Live, you can only imagine he’s even more powerful.
Klangstof
Klangstof is the latest addition to the label and also one of the most sonically different. Koen van de Wardt is drawing comparisons to Radiohead with his gentle debut Hostage. It’s all that’s been released through the label so far but it’s enough to get people intrigued thanks to its heartbreaking vocals and lush instrumentation. There’s barely anything known about him right now but apparently he’s from the Norwegian wilderness and has also played in Dutch Indie band Moss. This is one of those instances where the music speaks louder than any back-story could.
ZHU
ZHU is a name that most Australians will be very familiar with. His track Faded burst into the top five out of nowhere back in 2014 and since then he’s released EPs The Nightday and Genesis Series. When he toured on the Listen Out festival back in 2014 his sets were played-out in complete darkness and his identity still remains largely unknown. His latest EP has seen him create a face for his music by teaming-up with guests vocalists. AlunaGeorge, Gallant and our own Daniel Johns all featured on the record which combines dark electronica with everything from pop to groove-based hip-hop. It’s still to describe exactly what ZHU is doing but no doubt his debut album, due to be released mid-year, will further build his musical identity even if his own identity remains unknown.
Words & .gif action by the interns' Sam Murphy & Bianca Bosso for Cool Accidents.
