Miami's newest record label, Space Tapes, is set to launch.
Founded by three of the creative minds -- David Sinopoli, Jason Odio, and N.E.R.D.'s Shay Haley -- behind many of the Miami music scene's most interesting recent goings-on, Space Tapes seeks to help build a better infrastructure for the 305's emerging artists.
"It's crazy how much talent is coming out of Miami right now," Odio notes. "There's really no platform in the city that embraces that talent."
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Sinopoli and Odio, who are also artist managers for Austin Paul, have been working alongside Haley to put together the groundwork behind Space Tapes for close to a year now.
During the process of releasing Paul's last two EPs, Revival and Disparia, they realized that their strengths as a management team would also be an ideal match for the marketing needs of a new record label.
"When we were managing Austin Paul, because the music industry is weird these days, where no one really knows what the business model is, we realized that we were more a record label than we were managers," Sinopoli says.
Their goal is to help direct public attention, both nationally and globally, toward some of the local music talent that they've been supporting in Miami. However, Sinopoli assures that Space Tapes will operate independently of Bardot, where he is the booking agent, and III Points Festival, for which he serves as music director, and will aim to nurture a niche sound that the team feels is cutting-edge right now.
"We have about two or three producers that we're working with who have their own sounds that we felt really coordinated with this type of music that we're into right now," Sinopoli adds. "It's hip-hop-oriented electronic music, very cosmic. It's definitely better for when you're smoking weed, that downtempo Giraffage and XXYYXX type of shit."
See also: Miami's Five Best Electronic Music Labels
Space Tapes plans on putting out four releases by the end of 2014.
The label's first release, a nine-track EP by ILLA, is scheduled to debut this Sunday, April 20. The EP is very beat-focused, similar in style to that of ILLA's idol, Flying Lotus, and will feature skits, interludes, and outros that pay tribute to classic hip-hop vibes.
"Throughout the years, he's really developed a vocabulary for music and has grown an appreciation for all different genres that David and I really wanted to be a part of," Odio says of ILLA's musical maturation.
The label's second release, an EP by Telescope Thieves, will come out in late June. Although still hip-hop, his style leans on the psychedelic side of the genre with a much more melodic touch.
"We're not going for a traditional, typical aesthetic," Odio insists. "We want different, cool, and creative. We're all about that kind of stuff."
Crossfade's Top Blogs
Space Tapes Launch Party (No Cover). With sets by ILLA, Austin Paul & Nuri, and Telescope Thieves, as well as guest sets from Lazaro Casanova, DZA, Pirate Stereo, Uchi, Dude Skywalker, Gooddroid, Frank Flux, Artime, and Ideal. Saturday, April 19. Broken Shaker at Freehand Miami Hostel, 2727 Indian Creek Dr., Miami Beach. The party starts at 2 p.m. and ends at 8. Call 305-531-2727 or visit thefreehand.com.
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