It’s never been easier for an artist to start their own label if they want to. From the explosive growth of promo services, it seems that nearly all of them do.
But Jeff Derringer put some time, consideration and more importantly saved a couple of cannonballs for the launch of Oktave Records, the label companion to a residency he’s put 8 years into building.
The title track for the first EP, Control, is hectic, bursting with energy right out of the blocks. “Tarantula (Subcutaneous)” is where I freaked: beatless, a slice of electronic bliss akin to Tangerine Dream, with a discernible start and finish but the rest of it dissipating in a cloud of smoke. “Touch Disease” is the more muted companion to “Control,” atmospheric and rich, effervescent and with a skilled use of sound design with certain elements rolling from the left speaker to the right and back again.
Jeff Derringer is nowhere near a novice producer, and there’s much more to come, but this is an auspicious debut for his long-awaited imprint.
Jeff Derringer: Control (Oktave Records)
1. Jeff Derringer: Control
2. Jeff Derringer: Tarantula (Subcutaneous)
3. Jeff Derringer: Touch Disease