Published
Wed, Sep 8, 2010, 16:53
- The Hyperdub mainstay has teamed up with Optimum for a new record label.
Ikonika has joined forces with up-and-coming producer Optimum to launch a new label called Hum & Buzz, with a debut 12-inch due later this month.
As a staple producer of Hyperdub Records, Ikonika is one of dubstep's better known names. Optimum is a much more mysterious character, with just one official remix released so far and a debut 12-inch, Max Power, scheduled for later this month on Planet Mu. According to Ikonika, the two artists have planned to start a label together since the early days of dubstep. "Being part of dubstep just before it 'broke', around 2005, 2006, there was a sense that you could do things how you wanted to, in your own way," she says. "Start a label, start a night, etc. to contribute to the scene, especially with your own individual style. With my first single, Please, we were actually thinking about putting it out ourselves, just before Kode9 picked it up!"
The first release on Hum & Buzz will be Aqueous Cream / Ampersand, a 12-inch featuring a new track by Ikonika and a collaboration between her and Optimum. Looking ahead, Hum & Buzz will release music primarily by its co-founders, plus a few like-minded artists. Later this year, the imprint will put out the debut record by Brenmar, an American artist who Ikonika says "really impressed us with his take on the 130ish BPM sound."
Tracklist
01. Ikonika - Aqueous Cream
02. Ikonika and Optimum - Ampersand
Hum & Buzz will release Aqueous Cream / Ampersand on September 20th, 2010.