Guest interview & article by Richard Coulson
Co-Founder of the New York City label, ReSolute. Elon has been involved in the New York electronic music underground scene for over 10 years. Having booked and played with nearly every artist you can imagine, Elon provides much insight on the state of the scene today and the direction it is heading towards.
We took a minute to chat to Elon about the New York underground scene and the changes and direction that it has recently gone in. Elon talks to us about what it takes to make it in this highly competitive industry and what you need to do to survive.
How has the New York underground scene changed and evolved since you first started organizing parties?
It has changed quite a lot! Back in 2007, Minimoo was organizing minimal-warehouse parties and this provided ReSolute the platform to do our own events. This was the underground scene of New York until 5 or 6 years ago aside from clubs in Manhattan such as Cielo and Sullivan Room and a handful of others. We were pretty much the ones who brought the âcoolâ underground acts.
Later on, Output opened and everything gradually changed from there on out. There were more promoters, more rooms, and more dance bars. They all had made it to Brooklyn and there were no more Manhattan clubs with bottle service and a cheesy crowd. I feel as if the electronic scene today is blown way out of proportion. I have traveled to many big cities and NYC is definitely in the top 3 in the world. There are so many parties and many I am not even familiar with â so many subcultures in Brooklynâs electronic music scene that needs exploring. It is a very exciting time!
Do you feel as if attendance is stagnant or do you feel as if attendance has increased for house and techno events over the years?
It has definitely increased by a whole lot over the years! Most events these days you would go to are to socialize instead of to go to for the music, the artists, or the headliners. It is all about the hot girls or the burner bs. Even artists that we used to think were cool back in the days are doing those âfluffyâ events â âAll Day I Play The Same Fluffy Tracksâ for example (laughs).
With the overwhelming amount of shitty parties that are going around, there are some very special ones and lots of amazing talent, events, and venues that are coming from Brooklyn.
Can you explain the concept behind KOLEKTi and how it differs from the ReSolute Label?
KOLEKTi in Esperanto (the universal language) means “to-gather, to-group.â It was created over 3 years ago with the aim to combine art and music â organic music and electronic music.
I came from an organic music background and once I started DJing and producing electronic music, I felt the gap between the two scenes got wider. I wanted to bring those two worlds together â a reggae band playing next to House DJ. I wanted the music to have more of a “live” feel to it. More live acts and more art as well as more eclectic, daytime events. Smoothies and massages and a place to lounge. In general, I just wanted more fun shit!
Do you find it increasingly difficult for an artist to become successful in 2017 vs in 2007 or do you think there are more opportunities now for the up and coming producer?
Yes. I think it is much more difficult because there is much more competition now a days. Music has become so accessible that everyone can do it these days with nothing but a laptop. I feel as if social media and publicity is the key factor to oneâs success as a DJ/Producer. It isnât always about being talented and skilled.
There is so much music coming out and in order to be successful, you have to be cutting-edge, fresh, and innovative. Unfortunately you see so many douchebags downloading these burner/shaman tunes and they play all around town.
What are some of your strongest releases coming up on your own label as well as on other labels and what type of sound can we expect to hear?
I have the 10th release coming out next month on the ReSolute Label and it will be the 2nd release as Elon & Friends. The release was all produced at the Nest Studio (which carries the release name.) Itâs a collaboration EP between KiNK, Alexi Delano, mass_prod, and David Scuba.
I also have an EP on Panic Panic!, a fresh Italian label that is run by my good friend, Noha and a split EP on Organic with DoubtingThomas. I also have more releases coming up next year on Superfreq, Morning Glory, and InMotion.
What does the future hold for Elon and and do you have any other big projects in the works?
Iâm beginning to work on a fresh new project that is a bit more out there. I feel as if it is time to become more confident in the sound I love without considering where it will be released. I always felt as if my music didnât fit anywhere and it wasnât edgy or cheesy enough to. I would say my sound is right in between and also all over the place. With that being said, I know what I am doing and people can instantly recognize my sound.
I donât really shop for labels much and I have been piling up way too much music over the years. Now is the time to get all my music out there! I have been taking a break from KOLEKTi this year and my best friend and the resident and heart behind KOLEKTi passed away a few months ago. This put things on pause for a little while. We did one event with Nightmares on Wax this year and we are working on doing something that is more stable and weekly starting in November. We finally will use our Klipschorn sound system and it will be the first time it will ever take place in Manhattan. It is very exciting!
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