Label Love #54: Whities

London is far too congested. This city can be a difficult place to build a sense of self, to form a plan or develop an idea. When it comes to the exploration of a creative prospect it is simply a case of sink or swim.  

It’s been two years since the launch of Whities and in that time the label has released a collection of music including releases from the likes of Kowton, Reckonwrong, Minor Science and most recently Avalon Emerson. 

The spring heat beams down on the quiet streets of Hackney. Outside the tavern sun worshippers are sat drinking in the daylight. In the shadows of the pub the quiet bustle of conversation shuffles between the walls. Nic Tasker sits down, orders and begins to talk.  

It’s been a few years since we last crossed paths in Glasgow; Whities was yet to exist, a concept in motion yet to become a reality. 

“The original idea was that me and Tic were going to take on this white label series in which we would release anonymous records from Young Turks artists, doing stuff they probably wouldn’t do under their usual name. The idea progressed and evolved and just became something which I took a hold of and ran with I guess. Around that time Enrico, from Terron, gave me a CD and that kind of kicked everything off. He came to a Boiler Room that I was doing with Roman Flugel and he gave one to me and one to Roman, those were the tunes. It’s nice now that Roman has become one of the biggest supporters of the label.”  

The evolution of the label has seen Nic invite friends onto the label. Kowton’s feature has arguably been the biggest release to date having drawn significant attention and interest. Nic explains his hopes for the label as a collective of artists moving forward. 

“The most important thing is working with people that are doing something that no one else does. I feel that with all of the artists we work with, they all have a unique sound and vision. Im very interested in providing a home for artists to grow together with the label over the long term. Im also keen to provide a place where artists who have home’s elsewhere can come on board and do something different to what they usually do, like Kowton’s release."

Beyond Whities, Nic had previous involvement with Boiler Room, he continues to run 88 Transition on NTS, a Sunday night radio show which has become a staple of the station since it began to air many years ago. As a result Nic explains how he has found himself in a position in which all the music released on the Whities imprint has stemmed through personal connections. 

He talks about London missing a venue or hub as such to help establish these personal connections locally and refers to the loss of Plastic People. 

“I think London has a problem at the moment, its well documented. Theres no Plastic People, there’s no place you can go where you know the music is going to be good regardless of what’s on and who’s playing, where there will be similar likeminded people. There’s a couple of parties which do that but there isn’t a specific club or a focal point, everything is splintered.”

This month has seen the release of Avalon Emerson’s debut on the label. It seems to be an interesting period of time as Whities begins to formulate its next steps whilst establishing previously featured artists and welcoming those new found to the family.  Nic has an idea, a concept, a sense of perspective based on years of involvement with artists, nightlife and its various complications. Whities may live within the shadows of Young Turks, but it is very quickly beginning to establish a sense of self which will undoubtedly see it enter a whole new world of its own. 

This weekend Whities and From The Depths will be hosting a joint stall at the Independent Label Market in London HERE. 

Whities travel north for a party at The Soup Kitchen in Manchester on the 14th of April HERE.