|
"From then to now I think we’ve kept that quality," believes Mark, the A&R manager of Credence and one half of DJ duo MYNC. "We’ve never tried to copy another label. People have said, You’re going to be another Defected, but we’ve tried to steer away from that and concentrate on records that we love ourselves, records that will appeal to a wide udience but still keep that cool, underground edge.
Marketing manager Gareth, who moonlights as co-promoter of It’s On and was a proud Hacienda regular, thinks it’s about signing the best record of it’s kind at that time.
"We’ve tried to run Credence like an indie," he adds, "Even though we’ve got the backing of a major, we aren’t sitting here thinking we’ve got an endless supply of money. We don’t really believe in that ‘chequebook A&R’ thing." "It’s about picking up records before there is a buzz on them, not after," agrees Nick Correlli, the other half of MYNC and Credence talent scout with Yousef. "We’re picking up our records from grass roots. You need to have the balls to sign things early."
But that is only half the story at Credence. It’s not about saving a few pounds by being on the ball. By picking up the records early, they can work them the way the tracks deserve. Credence, like Parlophone, believe in trying to build the artist, an ideal rarely found in dance imprints.
"We always work very closely with the artist and give them the support," says Mark proudly. "We’re not just about hyping the record into the charts and taking the money. We feel that when someone signs to Credence they are signing to the family."
"I know it’s cheesy to say it but it’s a real team thing," states Gareth, who has been joined by Alison Duker as label co-ordinator.That family has extended to include a supportive bunch of DJs. All the big guns like Pete Tong, Danny Rampling and Roger Sanchez hold a regular space in their boxes for Credence releases.
"They’re a great label who are pushing good quality club music," says Steve Lawler. "Everything they put out has the strength to rock any club. They’re very switched onto the sound of now."
Capital’s new house DJ Ali B agrees:
"For me they have got it right pretty much every time this year with the records they have picked up. They chose records that have got something quirky about they. That’s what stands out about them, they don’t always go for the obvious big tunes."
The perfect example of this is Par-T-One’s ‘I’m So Crazy’, probably the most exciting record of the year, with it’s frantic punk shouting, noisy guitars and loose house beats. It sounded like nothing else and caused massive excitement.
"A record came through from a Italian contact asking if I could just give an honest opinion on it," remembers Mark. "When we played it we jumped up excitedly…" "Well, we pogo-ed, didn’t we?" Gareth reminds.
"I just thought, Wow, there is nothing out there like this. I think that the house scene had started to get a bit stale with everyone looking for the next Spiller record." Luckily the deal was pretty much signed before the record had gone out to anyone else. When Yousef played it on Radio One he had to turn his phone off for a few days, he got so many calls. He even considered changing his number. Credence managed to sell the record to rock and indie kids as well as the house nation. As Spencer Parker from Uptown records says, there probably isn’t another label that could have done that.
"They are one of the few labels around that manage to combine credibility with being one of the best selling independents in-store," he says. "They always are ready to tread new territories and break boundaries," adds
Urban Records’ Mick Fuller. "They are one of the shop’s favourite labels on both sides of the counter."
Only a year and a half old, Credence have already set out their stall. Not only do the DJs want their tracks, but the pop fans too. In fact the artists are coming back after the successes of their first wave of singles. Look out for more from Bel Amour, Par-T-One and an album from the incredibly talented Dirty Vegas, who could be set to be a 21st century Underworld.
As the Latin dictionary says: "From credentia [trust, credit] and credere [to believe, assurance, certainty, confidence, dependence, faith]." Credence are all that and more.
Written by James Kendall.
|
