Everyone has a label, that for them is consistently introducing them to new artists, and music. A label that reminds you of the music you love, for me that is A Future Without. About a year ago when label boss Ross Tones A.k.a Throwing Snow, who runs ‘A Future Without’ with Will Plowman, tweeted a link to one of their label samplers, I think it was number two, immediately I was hooked, a sampler with dubstep, folky electronica, intense post rock tracks, and jazz infused electronica… something to cater for everyones taste.
I have been following them since then. They have consistently released excellent label samplers (They are up to No. 7 in the series, Check out the links below.) along with EPs and LPs of excellent quality. The recent Kahn EP  is a stand out for me.
The ethos behind the label: …a record label with a difference… Forward looking and progressive, we put our artists first as nothing matters but the music. It’s a constantly evolving beast based upon the belief that a collective mentality can bring mutual benefit to all involved. Casting aside those major label “exclusive deal” clichés that even the most ethical indie labels seem to fall into eventually, A Future Without… brings artists opportunities without compromising their integrity or freedom to express.
I got in touch with Will, and Ross to ask them about the ethos of the label, where they see it going, and what does A Future Without see as the role of record companies in these times?
I think our main difference is the openness freedom we give our artist, they are always put first and we run everything by them to make sure they are always happy. Everything we do is non-exclusive allowing our artists to generate revenue for themselves without us taking a cut and for them to explore other labels if they wanted. We are a big believer in things being mutually beneficial and cross collaborations be it with other artists or labels. We also take great pride in giving our artists creative freedom to do exactly what they want without any genre boundaries in a belief that if our artist are happy creatively they will produce great music. One of the other differences is that we arrived in the music industry at a very interesting time when everything was changing. So being very aware of this from the start and realizing that we are in an ever changing environment in which revenue will no longer be made from just record sales and gigs, but in a great number of areas to a great number of demographics. Basically being aware of the ever-changing industry and not being afraid of it but relishing in the constant flux.
Does this difference make A Future Without more viable in this era of artist self release and promotion?
Yeah i think so or i hope so! Record labels these days have to do a lot more than just sell records!
Are traditional business structures in the music industry dead?
Yeah pretty much, not totally dead they just have to learn how to cope with the new ones, in a new environment they might not like too much!
What does the future hold for A Future Without?
The future is looking good, we have some very exciting releases coming up in 2011, which includes a couple of yet to be fully discussed project/collaborative based releases! We’re also going to try and get into the physical world of vinyl this year. There is also some top secret stuff we can’t talk about at the moment but we are both very excited about what is happening and where things are going.
We’ll keep pushing last year’s releases including great stuff from 52 Commercial Rd, Kähn, Baba Yaga, Memotone, Toyface and The Lasting Days.
And while we have you answering questions, What’s happening with you both, do you have any upcoming releases?
Me AKA Will Plowman: I’ve been working on a couple of EPs and think they are about ready to get out into the world, one with the very talented Amenta http://soundcloud.com/am-1 and one of just me they are both quite experimental using a lot of improvised based techniques, analogue synths, guitars, strange mics etc…. Am currently looking for a suitable label to put them out!
Ross AKA Throwing Snow: I’ve got something coming out on Super in Feb then my collaboration project ‘Snow Ghosts’ with Hannah Cartwright drops on Black Acre in March backed with a video. I’ve got a load of remixes coming out this year so keep your eyes peeled and a, Snow Ghosts album penciled in for late 2011. Other than that I’ve got something for Ho Tep and 12″s on other labels on top collaborative projects with Py, Greymatter, Patrick Hanrahan under the name Splinters, with Arrow!!! under the name Monkjakk, as well as a project with Amenta on First Word. Fun times in 2011!
I hope that has given you some insight into why this is a great label, and one worth following into the future.
Check out the mix below and the links to the label samplers to get a musical taste for A Future Without is all about.
Enjoy!
