Launched during the pandemic, Aterral Records is one of the most exciting deep house labels to emerge this decade. In a little more than two years, Aterral has released a crate’s worth of outstanding material amplifying a certain strain of deep house — those warm, richly textured deep grooves that leave behind a trace of spiritual resonance in the air. They call it “deep, life-affirming house, two-step and minimal,” and that’s what it is.
Founded by Carlo, a DJ and producer born in Malaga and resident in Berlin, Aterral has mostly let their records do the talking. (Even the album covers are mostly abstract details from vivid watercolors, presented without names.) Black Loops appeared on several records in the Aterral crate, both for original productions (Homesick, Proto/Emotions, Higher Remixed) and remixes (Idan Hana’s Friends). Other artists in the Aterral camp include Retromigration (Early Pale), Lis Sarroca (Chamomile), Jesse Bru (Rainforest) and Westcoast Goddess (Wear It Light). Many of these folks returned on VVAA – Dos, Aterral’s two year anniversary compilation which also features tracks from Austin Ato, Nephews, Emanuele Barilli and Denaila.
Many of these names are new, or were new when they released tracks on Aterral. Aterral records, though, are extremely well-traveled. Play them in a livestream and you’re likely to see a cascade of DJs chirping “ID? ID?” We showcased a bunch of these records in 5 Mag over the last two years without knowing a thing about who was behind them. Some were promos, some were Bandcamp finds, some were sent by the artists or picked up retail at the shops just because we liked them.
We still didn’t know much about the person behind the label until the compilation dropped. Then we had a chance to meet Carlo (just Carlo), the producer and DJ behind this musical fusion machine.
Tell me about the people involved and your background.
Aterral is an independent label, owned and managed by myself. We have a family of artists who release with us regularly: Black Loops, Lis Sarroca, Nephews, Emanuele Barilli and Jesse Bru. I have managed and owned labels for over a decade now, including Neovinyl, Good Ratio Music and Bisiesto.
Where were you on the day before you started the label?
Ha ha, let me see…. The day before I started the label I was in Berlin. I don’t really remember anything of note from that day, only that we were in the depths of the pandemic.
Why start the label?
Firstly, as I’m sure you’ve heard from many label owners previously, it was an outlet for my own music. Secondly I also wanted to support the music of my friends and new artists that I think deserve more exposure. At the end of the day, I just want to create my very own vision of house music before I leave this world. I personally do love running the label, being in touch with artists, and seeing how we’re creating a community around us.
As I mentioned before, I started the label at a tricky time, in the middle of the pandemic. I remember listening to the music at home, but having no chance to test the tracks in front of a crowd. The feedback from the people on the dancefloor was something I really missed in the early days of the label.
How many records did you have queued up when you started and which were they?
I had three releases lined up initially, from Black Loops, Lis Sarroca, and myself. The release from Black Loops was a no-brainer because he’s always been involved with my previous labels and we carefully selected the tracks together in our studio. It also included a collaboration we had completed during the lockdown. With Lis Sarroca, I had always liked her music and I was very happy when she agreed to release on the label, she is a natural with her productions. With my own release, I specifically put it together a snapshot of what people could expect from the label moving forward. I went through all of my demos and selected the strongest, including a collaboration with Retromigration.
How many do you have slotted for future releases right now? I’m trying to get an impression of how much planning goes into the operation of the label.
I don’t have everything arranged or confirmed in detail, but more or less I have the rest of the year planned. The fact that vinyl production is really slow these days, plus I like to have a full vision of what I’m going to do through the year, pushes me to have the schedule roughly etched out quite early. I would be happy to keep working with the same family of artists and also release some of my music in between. But I always have an eye, and ear, open for new talent.
How would you describe Aterral’s sound to someone that’s never heard this before? What do you think stands out on an Aterral record?
I would say something very gentle and warm. I try to inject the Mediterranean flavor and happy vibes into our music. This is what stands out for me. Quality music and good vibes. I have helped artists complete a few of the releases using these principles, assisting with the arrangement or their mix-downs.
How much thought goes into the look and feel of Aterall’s releases?
A lot. I try to be very consistent and think of every release as a new addition to a legacy. Also when its possible I try to work with the artists in my studio and do the mix-downs together. This way I work on keeping a unique Aterral sound in every record.
The goal is to release timeless music. This way, when someone discovers the label for the very first time, they will be able to go back through the catalogue and enjoy everything that came before.
What is your philosophy of A&R? Are you open to demos and the unknown fellow? Is there every a struggle between the names on the record and the sound? Is this something distributors can pressure you on?
I have no pressure at all from any side, but it is very true that nowadays there is a huge difference between releasing unknown names and more established. Financially its not rewarding to support newcomers, however, I really love to discover new talent and give them a platform. For me personally, this strategy is more beneficial to the label in the long-term. When the artists grow with you they return the support, hopefully, and the overall growth is organic and real.
I receive a lot of demos and I try to listen to them all. Unfortunately, I don’t take as many as I would like to. I try to think of my artists as brand ambassadors and I tend to release with people I know personally or that I have been following for a while and know what they stand for.
What is Aterral’s digital strategy? I notice that you do vinyl and digital downloads, what about streaming? What’s your process for each release?
I started as a strictly digital label, because I’ve had a few bad experiences with vinyl sales on my previous labels. The vinyl market is over-saturated and you really need to hit a certain spot if you wanna sell records.
Once the label got more exposure I started doing vinyl together with Sunwax (shout out to my man Baldo) and the two releases we’ve had so far went really well.
I don’t want to get too excited though and I would like to continue being extra careful with what I release on vinyl. I also do streaming and digital sales which is where the majority of the revenue is coming from. The process is very simple: I select the tracks that stand out from a demo. We polish them, find a name for the release and prepare the artwork. We have been sending the tracks to Enrico Mantini for mastering since day one. He has done an incredible job and I’m very happy to find someone who totally understands and cares about finding the right sound for the label. Once we have the tracks, artwork, text, and release dates we send the promo in advance to all our friends, add a little PR push and finally release it in all stores.
What are a few of the highlights from the label?
The record from Jesse Bru, Rainforest, is beautiful. Also Black Loops’ Higher with the remixes from Djoko and Hugo LX. A real dream team… And of course I believe our new VVAA – DOS is also something we can highlight.
Who are some of the producers you’re excited about in terms of releases and future releases on the label?
Emanuele Barilli, Nephews, Black Loops, Lis Sarroca and Westcoast Goddess.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
To have more patience and look at projects with a longer perspective. We are on such a fast-consuming path these days and this can lead to a very narrow vision sometimes.
People in this industry are way too concerned with… what? What do you think people are wasting their time obsessing about?
Social media. 100%. I think things are going a bit too far with the amount of time and energy we need to pour into this on a daily basis. As soon as you have something to highlight, you have to post about it, filling your feed with flashy success badges, and leaving the impression that you are constantly successful. I believe this is affecting the way we create, play, and consume music nowadays and it should not be the main driving force. Music should be driven by creativity, live experiences, and intimate work rather than something you can brag about 24/7.
