By Lindzrox
Play Records has become a Canadian icon in the dance music scene. From discovering deadmau5 to winning Junos to finding the funkiest and freshest new talent that Canada has to offer, the label continues to pump out the best shakers, stompers and bangers that have dance floors around the world in need of some serious repair! Lindzrox met up up with electro-house dance diva Melleny Melody aka Mellefresh who launched the label back in 1996 to learn more about the rise of Play Record’s musical empire. Melleny is not just the woman behind the maus, she is a savvy and passionate business woman who believes in the label and its artists with every beat in her body.
How did Play Records start and what was the vision behind it?
Since the label’s inception in 96’, the style of Play Records has changed greatly from trip-hop/breaks and drum & bass influences to an electro/progressive house sound. In 2006 we went digital and more bangin’ with Play Digital and most recently for the more commercial music we have created YALP. Our great team lead by DJ Spydabrown who has terrific ears, is our main engineer, producer and head of A&R. We are very aware of the forever-changing climate of dance music, and that allows us to constantly discover young producers who are sitting in their parent’s basement and to nurture their development, like we did with Deadmau5.
Tell me about your relationship with DJ extraordinaire Deadmau5?
I was producing a remix project for Canadian rock queen, Carole Pope that was rock music turned into dance mixes spearheaded by DJ Iain. He suggested using this kid, Joel Zimmerman (aka Deadmau5) from Niagara Falls to do a remix. I said sure, he remixed Americana as an adult contemporary somewhat orchestral piece, which I liked. I finally tracked him down in Niagara Falls and told him I had some money for him. When we did hook up, he asked me if I had anything else he could remix, so I gave him the Melleefresh Dirty30 track Beautiful Rich n’Horny
. That version was played like crazeee by Judge Jules for 7 weeks straight n the summer of 2006 on BBC Radio One.
There is an amazing little video on YouTube of four girls in the UK lip synching as they’re driving their car – it’s really fun!
See for yourself at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir7E1oLdFxQ
The response to our collaboration was exciting and our working relationship was great. We solidified our arrangement with a management and publishing deal with my label, PLAY RECORDS and I started a new company, PLAY DIGITAL. We started to upload tracks to Beatport. The first bunch of tracks were Deadmau5’s solo project “Full Circle” and a bunch a singles including “Faxing Berlin” which had a lot of people eager to add it to their latest compilations. His more progressive project BSOD’s “This is the Hook” was made into vinyl. The Melleefresh and Deadmau5 tracks starting with our Juno nominated track “Afterhours” was No.1 on Beatport for the first quarter of 2007. All our other tracks were close behind! As well, the Juno-winning track “All you Ever Want” by Deadmau5 and Billy Newton Davis was getting a lot of radio play! We were one happy family!
Melleefresh and Deadmau5’s music has been included on some of the world’s top DJ playlists which include Pete Tong, Judge Jules, Chris Lake, Kid Dub, Matt Darey, John Aquaviva, Morten Alick, Jonathan Peters, DJ Sammy, DJ Aero and the notorious Tommy Lee of Motley Crue fame with whom she was invited to perform in the 2006 Montreal No Speed Limit Festival.
Who are some of the other Canadian artists on the label that you are excited about?
Our very own Spydabrown vice-president of Play Records Inc. and his electro mash-ups spinning two or three turntables using vinyl, computer programs, Serrato, SL Video Plugins and a dozen other devices. It’s exciting and a visually stimulating combination of original projections. We are in the process of finalizing all the tracks for a “Billy Newton-Davis at Play” album. Guy Michael is a true audio pimp his White Trashy and Blond remix of a Mellefresh and Cybersutra’s new release is gonna make every one do somersaults Thunderpussy stylez! Mike O’Howe is ready to give Deadmau5 a run for his money and Phat Elvis has a fabulous disguise. Che Dubois who I worked with recently has a deep n dirty understanding of electro and how to EQ a care bear voice! He’s totally rocking my world…. as is Sage in Vancouver, his dj mixes are No. 1 in my car radio. Wesley Gauthier and the Mellefresh birthday hit “FUK ME” got everyone to pay attention , Jerome Robbins and Zoltan Kontes with their amazing bootylicious remix of Attention Whore are lookin to do very big things this year ! Last but not least, my secret weapon ILIKON much like the abominable snowman hiding out in the mountains of Vancouver is gonna make everyone put out a search team to seek him out and make him come play for your next big wild forest fest! Look Out!
What are some of the releases that you are most proud of? harry potter and the goblet of fire dvd
“Deadmau5 at Play” our most recent CD has done exceptionally well. We’re just finalizing a deal on distribution here in Canada. In the meantime it’s an import coming from Prime Direct in the UK http://www.primedirectdist.co.uk. On this CD, the track “Faxing Berlin” made it into the No. 1 spot on Billboards top 100 in the electronic dance charts just recently – it’s still there! The track “Afterhours” Melleefresh vs. Deadmau5 was nominated for a Juno in 2008. As for singles, I would say Billy Newton Davis vs Deadmau5 track “All you ever Want ” which won Best Dance Recording of the Year 2007 – that’s a fave! And finally one of our most recent tracks “Expansions” by Danny J and J Tease has been getting non-stop radio play by Pete Tong in the UK.
Where can people purchase Play Records Releases?
All Play Records and imprint label YALP can be found on vinyl thru:
http://www.primedirectdist.co.uk
All digital releases can be found on this direct link on Beatport:
https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/label/detail/3645/play_digital
and at
What changes have you seen in the Toronto dance-music scene over the years?
The dance music scene here is all run by promoters. If it wasn’t for the promoters of all these club nites there wouldn’t be a scene here! That said, it’s very cliquee, the promoters have the followers and they tell them what clubs to go to and what DJs to listen to for a guaranteed good time out. The DJ is the GOD and having a good gimmick like a mouse head or a mask is an extra-added attraction. I think because people are so ADD, constant visual stimulation is more n more important to hold their interests. Light shows and video and a lot more performance stimulation, dancers, and fire-eaters are more necessary to hold peoples’ attention. To just watch a dj behind a deck spinning is losing its luster, unless that DJ is a fukin’ happy dancin fool.
You always look like you are having a blast? Are you still having the time of your life?
I most certainly am! Collaborating with producers/djs from all over the world; writing more songs; shooting a buncha new videos with director Clive Smith (of Nelvana fame); putting together a road show with dancers, costumes, wigs and miniature ponies! It’s all totally non-stop
How did it feel to be nominated for a Juno last year?
It was exciting and somewhat disappointing, our PR company decided to drop us a week before the Junos. They didn’t know how to generate interest for banging good “Electro House” dance music we arrived in Calgary not knowing where to go or what was expected of us, no congratulations on your nomination in the bedroom, no goody bags, no press interviews lined up for us, a performance was prearranged by us so that was fun, cuz it was following our WIN that nite, but the next day going to the red carpet event I’ll never forget asking a reporter if he’d like to talk to me a nominee or Billy the winner of THE BEST DANCE RECORDING the nite before at the un-televised show and he said NO he had an appointment with Jully Black who hadn’t even arrived. What a rude awakening that was …….I now have a press person in Canada ,The UK and the US!
What are the future plans for Play Records?
Most definitely 2009 will see PLAY RECORDS discovering the next young hot ‘top 100’ DJ/producer. I always find them. Likely many more collaborations too… possibly something special with Paul Oakenfold, David Guetta, Benny Bennassi and Mr.Wonk. and a few more Juno’s Grammy’s & Brit Awards….also we need to…
Keep our ears open
Our feet moving
The tits Perky
The lips bright Red
Shoot more videos
And write more hits
Play Records will also be doing a show in Montreal called Inflation on June 27th and Pride Toronto on June 28th. Check out the deets below. For more info on Play Records http://playrecords.net
