New Zealand's first house music label Reliable Records is undergoing its own remix of sorts - with its full back-catalogue now published online, and its founder bringing it back for another spin.
Joost Langeveld Photo: Supplied
Reliable Recordings was the first record label to release locally-made house music in New Zealand, back in 1999.
It was the brainchild of Joost Langeveld, who initially partnered with Chris Chetland of Kog Transmissions, then took the label independent.
For a long time the music released by Reliable wasn’t online, but this month saw its entire archive made available, as the label relaunched as (Un)Reliable Recordings.
Tony Stamp talked to Joost Langeveld to find out what the future may hold…
When the label started, inspired by the house music movement growing in clubs overseas, the tracks produced here had their own distinct flavour, Langeveld said.
"Reliable Recording's take on that was a more localised expression ... definitely in the late 90s, early 2000s there wasn't a lot of production being done [here] in that style, we were borrowing from other places as well.
"There were people who probably came more from the trance background or the outdoor party scene that were making music and had a crack at making some house beats, and people maybe a little bit more versed in hip hop or jazz. So it definitely had its own unique take.
"And because of friends and friendships ... I gravitated toward DJs that were playing in clubs like Roger Perry, Greg Churchill and Dick Johnson, that was their world. So they kind of drew me into that world and allowed me to do that with them."
He in turn encouraged them to produce their music as recordings.
Sampler technology was also emerging at that point, he said.
"It became affordable to set up little studios at home and that allowed people like me to invite DJs into that space and experiment and just goof around ... which is the foundation of Reliable really."
Photo: Unsplash / Long Truong
Reliable has been revived partly as part of the drive to get the back catalogue online for people to listen to - until now the label's music only continued to exist on CD and vinyl.
The other reason behind reinvigorating Reliable is to begin exploring fresh new opportunities for the label.
Langeveld said that will include playing the party space, but he also wants to start working with "the incredible talent that's out there, in terms of the new school of music creatives".
"It'd be lovely to be promoting a new wave of awesome local dance music."
He said to expect new releases from some of the familiar old-school names associated with Reliable, and to watch out for some exciting new names.
Already, some of the label's older tracks are being given a new lease of life, with remixes being created by younger producers ...and there are more original projects in the pipeline.
