AV:  What led you to found Whitelabrecs, and how has the label evolved since its inception? 

HT:  I’d run a couple of labels before Whitelabrecs, including my old netlabel Audio Gourmet and then a short-lived attempt at a CD label, called Tessellate. In the latter, the design features and packaging format was really inconsistent and it sort of spluttered along. Then my wife and I moved into a new house and it had this small spare room where I set up my decks and vinyl collection. I looked through my records and saw a lot of white label editions, in their scruffy paper sleeves and white circular inner labels containing very little information.

For one of the Tessellate releases I’d used a vinyl-effect CDr and suddenly I had this idea to start a new label, called White Label Records, mimicking the old bootlegs I’d buy back in my DJing days. The original plan was to be quite free with music styles, taking in all kinds of sounds such as Electronica and Ambient, to Jazz and Folk. The label has grown to become synonymous with Ambient and Modern Classical music, since my friends in music were mostly Ambient based. The label evolved from the original white label idea to printed editions but these are still vinyl-effect CDrs, inspired by classic gatefold LPs and 45s. Over the years, the design has become more consistent, and in recent years, it’s grown into more of a community. 

Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Harry Towell about Whitelabrecs

AV:  What was your initial motivation for founding Wayfarer Records?

DL:  I founded Wayfarer Records in 2007 during my final year of graduate studies (I’m also a professor and psychologist). Years prior, I played in bands and composed instrumental music for film and television, but I wanted to take the music further. My vision was to establish a small indie label specializing in ambient instrumental music, which I have always enjoyed. I planned to keep the label small and artist-focused, and I envisioned a “community” approach in which the artists formed a collaborative network.

Wayfarer Records marked its 15th anniversary in 2022. The following year, I appointed a board of directors: Sean O’Bryan Smith, Dieter Spears, and Jason Blake, who are friends and fellow artists. They have been bringing things to an entirely new level. Further expansion is planned for the coming year.

AV:  It’s easy to read the words “Dave founded Wayfarer Records,” but what does that mean in terms of things you have to do to get the label up and running?

DL:  We have been focused on getting our artists out there through promotion. We are constantly getting reviews and charting. While I kept the label very small until recently, our shared vision for the label has remained unwavering. We are flexible and adaptive. As an independent label, I suppose you could say that we are “a small operation, we don’t fall into the jurisdiction of the Empire.” 

Click here for the rest of our Q & A with David Luxton about Wayfarer Records

AV:  People who run long term websites or radio shows about ambient music must really love what they do to keep something like that running for many years. When did you discover the joys of ambient/new age music and who were some of the artists that facilitated that discovery?

RB:  Ambient/new age music entered my life when I decided I wanted to give radio announcing a shot. It was a community radio station in El Paso and the format was Jazz Pop with some new age music mixed in. David Arkenstone and Yanni are my first loves in the genre. Hearts of Space was part of the programming but I’d never really listened to it until I heard it while jogging which was never really my thing, but listening to HOS helped me feel calm and pace my breathing. I was intrigued. And so began my unexpected love affair with the genre. I’ve said many times over the years that had someone in my youth told me radio was in my future, I would have rolled my eyes at them in total disbelief. Had I been told it would be ambient/new age music, I would have doubled over in hysterical laughter.

AV:  Were you looking for something new or a new genre to listen to at the time that you discovered ambient?

RB:  I wasn’t looking for new music to listen to but I wasn’t opposed to new musical offerings.  There’s music I’m not particularly fond of, but it’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember because of my love of the dance.

Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Renée Blanche about Night Tides

AV:  Seems like you have been involved in music in one form or another for quite some time. Tell me about some of the high points in yourmusical history that helped to mold your musical tastes into what they are today.

BF:  While I always had something musical happening, everything was of a limited scope when I lived in Ohio.  Yet, all of those experiences prepared me for what was to come so I suppose the "high points" were high from my vantage point.  They just weren't high in terms of public profile. 

I formed my first band in elementary school and sang in choirs at school and temple.  The summer after the seventh grade, I was asked to join a band at Music Arts, and Crafts camp where I met my lifelong best friend.  We played two songs at the end-of-the-summer concert.  Not a real big thing, relatively speaking, but it was a high point for me. 

 From high school through my adult years, I played saxophone in concert bands, played in duos, filled in last minute for bands, played in pit orchestras for musicals, and was exposed to radio broadcasting.  I played at a folk festival in a university's large auditorium while I was in high school.  My first musical in 1986 was "Jesus Christ Superstar"and I was the guitarist.  (As I type this, it is Easter, 2011.)  In high school, I won a contest to be a DJ for 15 minutes at WUJC (now WJCU). 

It was prerecorded but I insisted on spinning the disks (vinyl, in those days!) and running the sound board myself, not just do the announcing. These events were only big to me but they were very formative. 

Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Bill Fox about Galactic Travels

Click here for the rest of our Q & A with John Koch-Northrup about Relaxed Machinery