Our next Drum and Bass label spotlight hailing out of New York and is Patrol The Skies. The label is ran by Al Seen and CT Burners , also known as The Burner Brothers and has been going strong since 2012. Al also co-runs a Drum and Bass Facebook page called the The USDNB Hub, which is a great source of knowledge and a thriving online community in our Drum and Bass scene. He also runs The DNB Vault, an online music magazine.
I caught up with this label owner to pick his brain about his label and how he got to where he is now.
Chelsea:
As a label owner, what is a tip that you can give to aspiring Drum and Bass artists who are trying to get their song on a label?
Al Seen:
Always send out your best complete work, remember there are another 100 guys sending out demos. Do not get discouraged if you do not hear back from a label, most likely it means the music was not up to par or it did not fit the label. it is important to do your research and due diligence about each label you are submitting demos to. Lastly don’t send someone a demo and say ‘if these other labels don’t take it, it’s all yours’, that usually makes the label push the demo directly into the garbage bin.
Chelsea:
Please share some details on your next or upcoming releases or collabs for Patrol the Skies Music.
Al Seen:
Next up for Patrol The Skies Music is the release of the “Them Vibes LP”, a compilation of dancy tracks featuring artists like Noisefloor, MK2, Pish Posh, Vorheez, Intrinzic, Krispe, Order of Elim, and more. This compilation was put together with the help of Pish Posh who has also made a mix of the album for promo. In the upcoming months we are releasing EPs by Order of Elim as well as a very unique and debut EP from Echo Brown. In the summer months we will see EPs by Noisefloor and Rends and full length albums by Realtime and ArQer. You will also see a few singles released by The Burner Brothers.
Chelsea:
Patrol the Skies Music is a very unique name, what was your inspiration behind it?
Al Seen:
I have always been really into extraterrestrial activity, I am originally from Peru and I would always hear stories around the bonfire at our beach house about UFO sightings, a lot of those stories stayed with me. As I grew older I kept up with these stories and would tell my friends to “Patrol The Skies”. Around the same time the show Ancient Aliens started and a whole UFO phenomenon began. Since I was ready to start a new label the name Patrol the Skies just made sense. Our logo is inspired by an “Ancient Alien” clay figure found in the Americas and it was designed by https://www.facebook.com/NideaGutierrez/, a famous Peruvian graphic design house ran by Samuel Gutierrez.
Chelsea:
Tell us a little bit about why you chose to start a label?
Al Seen:
In 1999 I took the job of label Manager at Rawkuts in the Drum and Bass division of Rawkus Entertainment (home to MosDef and Talib Kweli) I immediately pushed for the label to focus on American Drum and Bass talent. During this time the American talent was producing without the tools we have today and it was hard for Drum and Bass Artists to be heard. I knew early on that American producers needed an outlet and to feel motivated to continue their path forward. Rawkuts released early debuts from Pish Posh, Juju, Gridlock and The Burner Brothers and had some notable remixes of songs by John B, Talib Kweli and Roni Size. Unfortunately the dream ended when Rawkus was bought and the new parent company did not want anything to do with Drum and Bass. Rawkus cared about our underground sound and gave me all the resources I needed to do it right. After starting and subsequently ending another label, I took time off to Dj and have fun. In 2012 Drum and Bass started to take a second fiddle to other genres and this is when I started to chat with guys like Glitch and SST who were feeling re energized and into making tunes again. CT and I had a few music bits we were excited about and with everything turning digital, I felt it was the right time to start my new label, Patrol The Skies Music was born. We have helped introduce new artists like Consouls, NoiseFloor, Rends, and Echo Brown into the scene and this year, 2018, I have decided to expand the label and start accepting submissions from South and Central America.
Chelsea:
I can tell you have a very deep love and knowledge for the Drum and Bass scene, can you share something with us outside of music about you?
Al Seen:
Outside of music I love spending time with my wife, my friends and family. I love going to the beach and traveling. I’m a director of marketing for a chain of restaurants in the North East during my day job, so I stay pretty busy all the time.
This label owner shows passion and knowledge for our Drum and Bass scene and has a goal “ to help grow and nurture homegrown talent” The American Drum and Bass scene is lucky to have label owners, producers and DJs such as Al Seen, be sure to follow him on Facebook, and SoundCloud.
