Words by Ryan Callaghan

We think it might be safe to say that things are heating up in Australia right now. Welcome to spring, a place in time which sits provocatively between the cold of winter and the embrace of summer, questionable open-toed footwear, and the festival season.

As we work closer to the warmer months ahead, it might not be a bad idea to get around some new (and some tested) local music labels which are making waves at the moment – firstly because there’s some real talent worth attention, and secondly because I like to make ill-advised puns about not being able to have a summer without waves. Luckily, we’ve already done all the heavy-lifting for you and compiled a round-up of our top Aussie music labels which are giving you plenty of tunes and new artists  to look forward to.

Of Leisure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASZD6xNvZU0

Of Leisure is a promising Sydney-based indie label which has a focus on niche electronic artists. They’ve recently released gold via label signee Young Franco, who delivered his fiery single Drop Your Love (amongst an array of his other rhythmic soulful tunes) to those who attended his latest national tour. Young Franco will be following this up with a slot at the next installment of Lost Paradise, and for the label itself? Of Leisure told us that they will be dropping “a bunch of stellar releases from our local guys which we think will be their best work to date,” which is massive news for followers of their growing quiver of eclectic sounds. They backed this up with a promise of “a summer label party going down at a bowlo near you.” Watch the space.

Silo Arts & Records

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ebdiuGuj1Q

Silo Arts & Records is a self-described “forward thinking internet record label” which is split between NYC and Brisbane. They’ve no doubt been putting their best foot forward as of late, having put out Sydney artist Rainbow Chan’s awesome debut album Spacings. The release is a piece of unbending originality from the classically trained musician, fitting perfectly with Silo’s diverse artist roster. If you’re here hoping to catch some of this goodness live, Rainbow Chan’s Australian tour is set to kick off this weekend at the Rocket Bar & Rooftop in Adelaide, with dates at all major cities over the following two weeks.

Create Control

Sydney label Create Control is a fresh, 100% Australian label which is the latest venture by the team behind your favourite excuse to go to Byron, Splendour In The Grass, as well as Dew Process Recordings which is home to heavywights like Mumford & Sons and The Living End. With the label recently signing the upcoming songwriter/producer Jack Grace, who has yet to put out an EP ahead of his appearance at BIGSOUND in Brisbane this week, it’s clear that there’s good things to come from the label. What’s more, they promise that they are going to have more for us in the next few months “including artist signings… free downloads and even a party of two,” with a strong ethos about doing so in a way which gives the artist more control over their releases & copyright. Godspeed!

Burning Rose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln2YVEWuXnw

Burning Rose is a small, Sydney-based label which has been pushing some real local talent for a short while now. Featuring the sounds of electro-clash outfit Muscle Memory, as well as Death Bells, who recently wrapped up their US Tour. The collective has been providing good times with slots at the recent Volumes festival in Sydney, whilst also keeping a strong output online in the form of their Burning Rose Radio series, which is being posted up on their Soundcloud. You can catch Death Bells if you’re in Sydney later this month at The Oxford Circus, which will celebrate the bands debut EP release, with support from Paradise Daily Records Trackside and 3NDLES5.

Motorik

It would be rude to conclude this list without a notable mention to the dons of locally-spouted techno, Motorik Vibe Council. Working with 4:00am-friendly names such as Wordlife, CSMNT61 and The Finger Prince, it’s not hard to do the guess work around why such a label would gain traction in a post-lockout scenario. Although don’t just chalk this up to a string of ill-morale kick-ons – Motorik have been putting in yards behind the scenes to bring in some of the raciest cuts of techno this side of the Murray River. If you need living proof, Motorik says “Spring is here, it’s time to light it up,” as they put out the invite to all those in Sydney come October. ESCAPISM is Motorik’s spring soiree which will treat attendees to 3 stages of music across 12 hours, featuring the likes of European dance royalty BICEP and Motorik’s own Francis Xavier.