House mates FFRR’s Dublin
dance duo Obskür
“We’re not a legacy label. We’re a forward-thinking label that happens to have 35 years of history” ANDY DANIELL, FFRR
released music via his record label Output and as a producer under the name Playgroup. “He was my only choice, there was no plan B,” states Daniell. “Trevor is an absolute genius and I was keen to have someone as passionate and knowledgeable – possibly more knowledgeable, to be honest – about the history of the label as me.” Daniell confesses that he’s a label head who is “nuts about art”. He is video calling Music Week from his home office and a print by the 1980s pop artist Keith Haring hangs in the background. He spins the camera to show “some dream posters for gigs that don’t exist by a Parisian artist called Andre. And I’ve got Jimmy Cauty from the KLF’s riot shield, but you can’t see that from here.”
On the other side of the doorway from the Haring hang three silver discs from Daniell’s time at Defected. He spent over 15 years there, eventually becoming A&R manager, before leaving to take the job at FFRR. “It’s a wonderful label and environment,” he says of Defected. “But I have very broad tastes and I wanted to explore areas and artists that may not have worked under the Defected banner… I found out from a friend that there was
musicweek.com
potentially this opportunity at FFRR and it was then the only thing I would consider perfect, a match made in heaven.”
D
aniell was so committed to his new job that he visited the office seven times before his initial start date, during what was supposed to be a
month off.
“Well, I’m an idiot, I was supposed to be giving myself some breathing space,” he smiles. “But I was so excited and I wanted to start getting to know people. Walking into Wrights Lane for the first time and seeing the energy the building has, the stature of the records and artists that have been worked on within it… WMG was just incredibly exciting.” Running a smaller label within a larger group has its advantages, says Daniell, especially when it comes to FFRR’s balance between releases that are cultural and critical darlings and those that are destined to be massive and popular bangers.
“I’ve really spent a lot of time looking at the structural side, to ensure we can facilitate both equally,” he explains. “If we keep something to a smaller team and incubate it to a very, very high
level then that’s perfect. But also, at any given point I can activate the entire might and machinery of Parlophone and the wider Warner Music Group.” Others in the industry agree. “Working with FFRR is like working with family,” says Tyler Goldberg of Jet Management, which has, among others Justice and new FFRR signing Sam Gellaitry, on its books. “Andy Daniell is a true partner in every sense of the word. They have the indie mentality, but the foundation and reach of a major label. It’s the best of both worlds.”
“We’ve worked with FFRR on a number of releases,” notes Palm Artists’ Greg Burnell. “It’s great to see such a new burst of energy at the label as it maintains its position as one of the most authentic labels in commercial dance music. Andy’s A&R is surgical and he’s extremely dedicated to getting the best possible arrangement and mix.” A recent success was On My Mind (133,570 sales, OCC), a collaboration between Diplo and production duo Sidepiece. Released in late 2019, the track gathered steam throughout 2020, becoming a BBC Radio 1 Tune Of The Week and reaching No.1 in the US Dance Radio charts. It’s also up for Best Dance
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