With AKA007 Akanda have the opportunity to work with a label we have watched with interest and consumed with great pleasure over the years. Melodic have been dropping exceptional releases from a diverse range of artists for over 8 years now. Uncompromising, Melodic have constantly maintained an unwavering commitment to independence.
We have been given the opportunity to host a remix competition with one of their newest signings, Outputmessage. As you can hear above, it's a hell of a tune, one we've been keen to get our hands on since it first emerged on Ghostly. Outputmessage may already be known to you thanks to his previous work on the Ghostly label. The tracks Bernard's Song and Sommeil formed arguably the brightest moments on the Idol Tryouts 1 & 2 compilations respecitively. And his remix of Dabrye's Hyped-Up Plus Tax (2003) has become semi-legendary via turntables this and that side of the Atlantic.

We could be wrong, but the world might not be ready for this. While the pop kids are going indie and the rockers are trying to dance, listening to Outputmessage is something entirely in a league of its own. But, like rediscovering a lost love of old skool Detroit house, the last thing you'd expect is for it to come from a 22-year old Virginia based grad-student.

Imagine as daylight darkens, street lamps come on and all that's familiar turns into unfamiliar space. For a second you lose your bearings and sense of time, but then Bernard Emmanuel Farley Jr's Nebulae comes on the car stereo and suddenly it all makes sense.

Like classic Kraftwerk, New Order, or Aphex Twin, each track is hypnotic yet seems danceable before melting into a sonic oblivion. Explains Bernard, 'I love to dance so I like the melody to be prominent. its one of those things that connects all human beings regardless of genre-listening preferences.'

It's true, take Bernard's Song. We don't know if it's a self-titled reflection or ode to film score composer Bernard Hermann but with its lightly orchestrated drum n bass, subtle techno sound and clicky beats, the melody couldn't be more prominent. No surprise then that there's a desire to follow in Hermann's footsteps. 'He's my inspiration for making film soundtracks which I hope to do someday. a Sci-Fi film, something like Solaris or 2001:A Space Odyssey. those films naturally lend themselves to electronic elements.'

Take Sommeil that nearly didn't make the final cut. ('I thought it was too simple and not going anywhere but now I'm glad I recorded it, its one of my favourite tracks on the album and could have been lost'). Together they all create an atmospheric arrangement that sounds almost scientific; it'd be impossible to believe that it couldn't be further from the truth.

And it shows. Running throughout this album is a spontaneous purity that is usually hard to find but makes good electronic music exactly that. It would seem Outputmessage is more composer and producer than musician.

Bernard may be young but has had more musical tastes than a DJs record box and from dancing when he was a kid ("splits and crazy stuff") to mum's RnB, soul, pop and disco records, through the Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails college years to electronic, minimalist and jazz compsers, each aspect has fused together creating a helluva message.

'The idea behind Outputmessage is projecting a message to the listener. It could be an emotion, colour, place etc. but every song has meaning to me so the message I'm outputting is a piece of myself"

A message you can work to, chill out to, and most importantly dance to - it's what the world needs. We were wrong. The time for Outputmessage is now. Written by Melodic Label boss, David Cooper.

Melodic is a Manchester-based independent record label having just released its 40th record, the debut album by Working For A Nuclear Free City. It's run by me, David Cooper. Our first release was the debut EP from Pedro back in 1999. Other artists on the label include L Pierre, Baikonour, Topo Gigio, Department Of Eagles , The Isles and Outputmessage. We've also released tracks and records by The Earlies, Micah P Hinson, the Nine Black Alps, Dungen, Minotaur Shock, Psapp and Harrisons. Our minds are open to all music styles but our output has been mainly instrumental electronic and acoustic music.

I was in a band, worked in a record shop and got to know the ins and outs really from doing that until a friend in the band set up a regional PR company called Pomona. As I was working part time in a chocolate factory putting the walnuts on Walnut Whips, the offer was too good to refuse. I started working with them in 1994 and we soon grew to a staff of 7 people before I left in 2000 to set up my own national PR company.

Our best-selling artist album on Melodic was Lucky Pierre's 'Hypnogogia' which has sold around 7,500 copies. We've also released three compilation albums in the last three years, which we use as a taster of Melodic artist's forthcoming tracks and also a showcase from some of our favourite demos that we've received.

Critics (Jockey Slut, Muzik magazine, DJ) regard the label as one of the best new labels in the UK and fans of the range from John Peel, Gilles Peterson and Mary Ann Hobbs at Radio 1 to Andrew Wetherall (Two Lone Swordsmen etc.)

Lots more info is on the website: melodic.co.uk

This year albums were released by:

Outputmessage, a brand new signing from Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. Signed to the Ghostly label in the States and to Melodic for the rest of the world. His stuff is classic electronica - like early New Order instrumentals or Kraftwerk but with twists and turns like Aphex and a spacious atmosphere like Boards of Canada. Best of all it's music you can dance to. Debut album 'Nebulae' was released in June on Melodic.

The Isles are Melodic's most recent signings from Brooklyn, NYC. A 4-piece described thus in the NME recently, 'Loved-up like a new age Mozzer, New Yorkers have never sounded as English as they do on this'. Couldn't say it better ourselves and the debut album (sounding v. exciting) was released 14th August.

Department Of Eagles will have their debut single 'Romo Goth' released with remixes from Tunng and Daedelus in September and will be over for their UK tour dates (TBC) and a new album in Spring 2007.

Harrisons were one of the first UK bands to get confirmed for 2006's SXSW festival in Texas and they're now about to enter the studio with Hugh Jones as producer to record their debut album. Think of classic UK guitar rock/pop like The Jam, The Undertones, The Buzzcocks and The Clash.

Open download the sample pack here Melodic - melodic.co.uk
Outputmessage - outputmessage.com 1. Who founded the label and when?

David Cooper in 1999.

2. Why was the label founded? ie what was the inspiration behind starting the label?

I'd been to see a band called Dakota Oak Trio supporting Badly Drawn Boy in Manchester. They were shambolic but I really really liked them. They were already signed to the Twisted Nerve label but I got to know James Rutledge their guitarist and he had his own solo project. He sent me a tape and it was the first time I'd received something from an unsigned artist that immediately sent shivers down my spine. I'd had romantic ideas of starting a label in the past but this was the catalyst. I formed the label that morning because of those 6 tracks which became the Pedro EP. The EP was mastered from a cassette tape and still sounds as good as anything we've ever released. After that a few old friends came out of the woodwork that knew me and sent me things they felt would be suitable for the label and it grew from there.

3. What is the label's ethos?

The title I suppose should say it all, melody is really important, even if the music might be uncompromising and leftfield or whatever, there has to be a hook in there for me. When we started, nearly all of the music we released was instrumental, so without the hookline of a vocal or whatever I felt melody was the key. Funny thing was, we checked and realised the name hadn't been used for a label before.

4 What differentiates Melodic from other labels? What makes you special!

At the moment I'd say it's down to having a very close relationship with each artist on the label. The great thing about having an independent label is the relationships with your artists, you do become very close as you're forced to spend a lot of time with each other whether it be email, phone or gigs or whatever. Once a label gets quite big you then employ A&R people and marketing people who then have a lot of the contact with the artists. In our current set up it's me doing just about everything. Until recently we've never really had more than a couple of albums and say 2 or 3 singles a year. This has always meant that every release from recording to finished packaging would receive lots of my time and attention. I think I'm so ultra-pasionate about the label too which works for some artists and not for others. I have to click on a personal level with an artist otherwise it's never gonna happen.

5. What is the label's most definitive act? Why are they definitive?

This is a really difficult question but I'll have to go for Working For a Nuclear Free City as they're a great mixture of all the different styles we've released on the label. They're one of our most recent signings but have so many of my favourite artists wrapped up in one band yet they still have some of the best beats and breaks and create fantastic instrumental soundscapes too. One minute it's Spacemen 3, the next The Stone Roses and then classic David Holmes. They've also an attitude towards music that is refreshingly uncompromising which is so rare in most bands these days.

6. What does the label look for in the bands it signs?

Melody, as explained before, but also something as close to being original as is possible these days. Latest signing Windmill was one of the most original demos I'd heard in the last couple of years off anyone and before that Department Of Eagles were the most original thing I'd heard ina while so I feel really lucky to have signed both of those acts. On the other hand, another signing The Isles reminded me so much of two of my favourite bands of my youth, The Smiths and The Go-Betweens, that I had to make and exception!

7. How has the label evolved?

When the label started it was mainly instrumental and electronic music we were putting out (L. Pierre and Minotaur Shock for instance). In recent times that has moved much more towards vocal bands like Harrisons, Department Of Eagles and The Isles. When we started the label there was some brilliant new, young, interesting electronica coming out and we've been lucky enough to release some of the best records in that genre. Then everyone started dropping their laptops and forming bands and playing live. So now I'm into guitar music again and there are lots of good bands around and increasingly some interesting songwriters. However if an execeptional instrumental electronic record comes along that I can't resist like the recent Outputmessage album, then it just has to be done.

8. What is the most successful band on your roster?

It's looking likely to be The Isles, a 4-piece from New York. Their record has just been released and we shipped more the week of release than we have on any album before. But on records that have been out a while now and actually sold copies over the counter it's a tie between Lucky Pierre's first album, 'Hypnogogia' and Minotaur Shock's 'Chiff-Chaffs & Willow Warblers' which are just about even in terms of sales.

9. Who is your label's top tip for 2006/2007?

Windmill. Our most recent signing. He's recording his debut album in Manchester at the moment with some brilliant musicians (who also play in The Earlies' live band) and it's got that shiver down the spine thing. Matt, the feller behind Windmill has a really strange vocal which took me a while to get into. The loveliest thing is seeing this record form with him having such an exciting time making it. Tracks that were good demos have evolved into these kind of alternative anthems.

10. Anything else about Melodic we should know - any fun facts/little known.

We based a Harrisons video for their track Blue Note on the film Kes and had Ken Loach's assistant getting in contact saying the'd seen and though it was great and were very flattered which was the best kind of reaction we could have had. We released the debut EPs and singles by Wren who's now known as Fields, Psapp now on Domino and the Nine Black Alps.