George Smeddles swiftly rose to prominence in the global music scene, forging a unique style of house music that seamlessly melds garage, Motown, jazz, soul, and funk influences. Since his breakthrough in 2018 with ‘Shake Your Body,’ he has consistently built momentum, with hits like ‘Start The Party’ dominating Beatport charts in 2019. The establishment of his ‘South’ label in 2022 and collaborations with industry heavyweights like Darius Syrossian cemented his stature, evident in chart-toppers such as ‘Back In The Dance’ and acclaimed remixes like Indeep’s ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life.’
In addition to his studio endeavours, Smeddles commands headline slots at prestigious venues and festivals worldwide, releasing tracks on esteemed labels like PIV and Meta throughout 2023. Following the positive reception of the first part of his ‘For The Music’ EP, London’s own George Smeddles returns with the eagerly anticipated second and final instalment, released under his South Records imprint. This latest offering serves up a generous dose of cutting-edge house music flavours. Experience it now via download/stream: https://ffm.to/sth008.
We’re delighted to welcome George as our latest guest in our all-telling Label Lounge series.Â
Thanks for joining us today. Where are you talking to us from, and what have you been up to over the last few weeks?
Hi guys, I’m back in my studio now in London. I’ve just returned from a 3-week tour of the US & Miami Music Week, which was amazing!
Introduce your record label and tell us about the influence and vision behind it.
South is a mixture of me being able to put out different styles of house music when and how I want & also to put out other people’s music, including up-and-coming artists who I feel need a spotlight on what they are doing.
There are a lot of labels out there pushing the same sound & sticking to the rules. I feel it’s all house music at the end of the day. I don’t care who you are or what you do; if the music is good, I want to put it out & get it heard.Â
What artists have released on the label, and what artists would you like to sign music from in future?
Max Dean, Luke Dean & James Cole are the only artists apart from myself to release on South so far. I was getting music from all 3 for either years or months & we really worked the releases together. I felt they needed the spotlight & wanted to help them as much as possible, so it’s very rewarding to see all 3 of them killing it on the scene right now! Extremely deserved.
What do you look for when curating releases for your label?
I’m looking for quality, timeless music, preferably not all the same. Especially if you are an up-and-coming artist, I always say let’s get a solid A side, then really show off your sound & what you can do. DJs will rarely play more than two tracks from the same EP in a set, especially if they are all similar. So, I want to show off as many different styles of dance music on each release as we possibly can. You never know who’s listening, right? So it only benefits the artists & that’s what I’m here with the label to do. To help grow, spotlight, and show off what they are really about.
What release on your label has had the most significant impact and why?
‘Festival Track’ has been a major release on the label & one I’m very proud of. I honestly hear it now just as much as when it was released in 2022! It got major support from Kerri Chandler, Chez Damier & Micheal Bibi, just to name a few, so it seemed to work across the market!
What other labels are you currently enjoying and why?
I’m more focused on artists right now & a lot of artists I’m digging are self-releasing on Bandcamp & Soundcloud.
There are a lot of cool labels out there, too, of course! These days, I’m digging on Discogs mainly for older stuff, as Beatport is a maze!
What is your favourite track ever released on the label and why?
‘Festival Track.’ Everything I said above. The track still goes off just as much as it did when I released it in ’22. It’s rare that I have goosebumps that often come from crowd reactions to the same track!
What characteristics make a good label boss?
Organised (something I’m still working on) haha
But the care and attention that I’m putting into each release with the artists and how we are shaping the releases together, from the artwork to the final masters, really make a difference. They are all proper team efforts.
I don’t know what makes the best label boss, but I feel I’m doing the best I can by the artist on each release, so that’s enough for me!
What advice do you have for other potential label bosses and aspiring artists?
I say this a lot, but Do You! Break the rules always & be kind to everyone; the industry doesn’t need any more social media music or stuff that sounds the same; experiment & create your own story.
Everything that’s happened in your life put it into your music & your visions. No one has been through what you have, so it’s impossible to imitate all the little things you’ve heard and picked up your whole life. They are your ingredients!
Lastly, what can we expect from your label in the coming months?
We have some mega releases lined up! I have EPs & Remixes from Chez Damier, Jansons, Rooleh, Ruze, Ed Nine, Duncan Thomas, & lots of original records by myself to come out too!
George Smeddles’ ‘For The Music Pt. 2’ is available to download/stream here via South Records.