“London Is Constantly Evolving” Rhythm Section International At 10
In a contemporary sonic ecosystem where the hardships of running a record label are being exposed more than ever, it’s truly a reason to celebrate when one keeps going from strength to strength. Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section International just celebrated a decade of parties, releases and community with an event at Earth Hackney with their extended musical family; family being the key word.
Born in Peckham in 2014 as the next step forward following a series of formative DIY events at Canavan’s Pool Hall on Rye Lane (described as “our Paradise Garage” by Bradley, and which hosted acts such as Shanti Celeste and Jayda G long before their own legacies had been formed), the label has gone onto release records from all corners of the globe, encompassing everything from soulful house and hip-hop to synth-rock and jazz, and with a strong focus on emerging artists. This eclecticism is a byproduct of Bradley’s own sets; first heard at Canvan’s and now via NTS Radio and bookings on nearly every continent, spotlighting the diversity of sound found in all corners the world, and the heartstring that ties it all together.
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At the time of writing, Bradley has released iconic records such as Chaos In The CBD’s ‘Midnight in Peckham’ and Al Dobson Jr’s ‘Rye Lane Volume One’, the latter being the first release on the label (and one that solidified Al’s reputation as the UK’s answer to J Dilla), while also releasing projects from Melbourne band 30/70, Ecuadorian producer Nicola Cruz and Vancouver musician “Local Artist”. From Peckham to the World, where were all of these intercontinental connections formed?
“In the early days, before I was a touring artist myself, I was working at Boiler Room,” Bradley tells CLASH via Zoom. “We did everything; we programmed whoever we wanted, but I was also doing security, the door, graphic design, cleaning up afterwards. It meant that I could hear about a scene in Vancouver and I could potentially go over there and do a show with them. I got to go and meet lots of artists and labels that I admired, like Mood Hut.”
“We did a Boiler Room show in The Mood Hut, which is a studio that they still have in Chinatown, Vancouver. That was the beginning of that relationship. As I travelled more I’d meet more people and built this network of people doing shit in their own way. Then we’d do radio together and book them to do a show, which then led to releasing music by them. It all happened very naturally.”
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The imprint’s organic growth led to label manager Emily Hill joining the team seven years ago, where she has been taking care of the releases on both Rhythm Section International and International Black, while also helping curate the in-house events that would go on to define London club sounds. After returning to London from Manchester, Emily saw a post about the Rhythm Section job. None of the other applicants had been to a Rhythm Section night, while Emily had been to one in London, Leeds and Manchester. The rest is history.
“I’ve been with the label now for ten years,” says Emily. “The first three years were incredibly formative in building this exceptional reputation. I think I built up my own reputation, and gained most of my knowledge about the label, from working on the various artists’ fundraiser Compilation for Dominica. My organisational skills helped there, and I developed a good taste by diving into the associated artists previous releases.”
“Bradley and I don’t agree all the time either, and that’s important. You don’t always want to have the same perspective on a release.”
“You definitely need to have an idea challenged,” echoes Bradley. “You can easily slip into being complacent if you don’t have anyone to open you up to a different perspective. Emily has become a part of this universe and has added to it, she came on board initially to facilitate things, but her influence on the label over the last five years has been massive. There’s a lot of records we wouldn’t have released and artists we wouldn’t have worked with that wouldn’t have happened if it was just me dictating.”
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The latest release the pair have been working on is their most extensive to date – a six-disc box set compilation made up of tracks from the back catalogue from Nicola Cruz, Paula Tape and more, reimagined renditions from family members Private Joy and Ruf Dug and newer sounds from the likes of RONI and Jordan Rakei under his Frank Liin alias.
With the label boasting over one hundred records on both labels, how exactly did they go about putting this together?
“It was a little personal for me,” admits Emily. “The Silent Jay x Jace XL record is one of my favourite releases on the label. I can remember when I first joined; Bradley said ‘that could have really hit!’. It’s such a beautiful record, I don’t think enough people heard it. The Mallard release too, there’s so many bangers on there.”
“We looked at whose tracks were a little underappreciated at the time so we could shine some light on the hidden gems,” explains Bradley. “I think a lot of people still think of Rhythm Section as a jazz-house label. We had a run of well received records from that world, but it was only three or four records. We’ve done around eighty releases on the main label. We don’t want to shun the classification, but we’ve done so much more; from dub techno to psychedelic rock. Hopefully this compilation confuses people even more.”
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The life of a label owner isn’t always sunny. A global pandemic, vinyl shortages, gentrification and TikTok driven consumer trends have added to what was already a difficult DIY occupation. Labels, venues and communities around the world are being lost as the cost of living crisis continues to tighten its grip on the creative world’s throat; how has Rhythm Section International continued to thrive during these turbulent times?
“It’s been really difficult,” admits Emily. “During the pandemic a lot of people were buying records as a way to sustain these labels as events couldn’t take place. Then the cost of living crisis meant that people weren’t buying records anymore, and were instead investing in merch or the Bandcamp subscribers option, which I think has been a really useful tool.”
“When we started the label there was a big vinyl boom, but at the same time the streaming thing was really picking up,” says Bradley. “It was quite a pivotal time. Streaming is quite a contentious thing within our community. I’m sort of in the middle. I’m not sponsored by Spotify or anything, I think a lot of the narrative around streaming services’ role in independent music is misunderstood by a lot of people operating the artist and label side of things. In a roundabout way the music industry was saved by streaming. There’s so many benefits to streaming, we just have to admit that vinyl is an almost obsolete format. It’s something that we love, the specialist nature of it all, and it’s been a huge part of my life for twenty years now, but I can’t see the resurgence continuing. It’s eventually going to dwindle, with people having less money and the energy it takes to actually go down the vinyl route, from labour to the amount of plastic used.”
“We’re in an economic downturn; I think it’s a case of hanging on. You got to hang on when times are hard, and go for it when they’re not. London is constantly evolving, it wouldn’t be the same city if it didn’t. What it’s at risk of doing is leaving no space for young creative people to do their thing. You either live on the very edge of the city or you move away. If it carries on it doesn’t bode well for London to continue being a creative powerhouse, which is something that’s often overlooked by the powers that be. The only thing we have to export, besides financial services, is culture. A lot more respect needs to be given to our industry, in terms of where it puts Britain on a global map. Without that, why do people come here? It’s cold, it’s busy, it’s expensive. It’s the culture that brings people here.”
“Week in week out I’m reminded why I’m here. When you have the kind of party you could only do here, or you bump into people you would only bump into here it reminds you, but without some sort of intervention I do worry about its present and future.”
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Now in his mid thirties, Bradley now exudes the energy of an elder. He’s certainly not old, but the global pandemic produced a very distinct before and after scenario given that it occurred for him when most people start experiencing a decline in going out as they begin to listen to their body. He’s no longer a younger just starting out, and now has experience and wisdom to share alongside more responsibility.
“My whole career in general has been quite slow and steady”, he says. “When everything stopped [during the pandemic], that was when I really took stock. In my head I was still one of the young ones. A lot of the people I looked up to were all older. Then it clicked that I’ve been doing this for a while now, and that people were starting to reference us as inspirations in the same way I would have referenced labels when I was starting.”
“That realisation is what spurred me on to share some of this knowledge, which was the birth of what became the mentorship scheme Future Proof. It’s nice to give back; when you take some time out to think about what you’ve done and how that might help other people, you get a lot back yourself. I can feel this next phase of my life, because instead of being front and centre for it we’re providing the place for people. That’s what is happening with Jumbi; it’s exciting to see people working there who are doing the same thing as I was when I was younger.”
So, what next for the Rhythm Section International? To be honest, Bradley isn’t that sure either, but perhaps that’s the winning formula – not looking too far ahead.
“If you focus too much on the destination you miss out on a lot of stuff,” he says profoundly. “I think everyone works best when they’re really present with what they’re doing. I don’t have fixed goals or a five year plan. We all have our ups and downs, but when you really get lost in the sauce, that’s when the best stuff happens.”
“There’s no plan, and the secret is that there never was.”
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‘RS X – 10 Years of Rhythm Section International’ is out now.
Words: Andrew Moore
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