Work on Physical Iterfaces in the Electronic Arts Bert Bangers

Honored and humbled that Bond Street could play a small part helping Fool's Gold Records open their new Brooklyn storefront. This year marks the 10-twelvemonth anniversary of the influential characterization founded past Nick Catchdubs and A-Trak as they continue to push the boundaries of independent music and business organisation akin. Bond Street sat downward with Nick "Catchdubs" Barat before this summer to discuss music, business, origin stories, and taking pride in good taste. I promise you enjoy.

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At a certain indicate in 2007, with a music industry in the throes of a piracy endemic and on the precipice of what could perhaps exist described as the streaming crisis, two New York City DJs, Alain "A-Trak" Macklovitch and Nick "Catchdubs" Barat, decided it was practiced time to start a tape label. They chosen information technology Fool's Gold Records. If the tide was forcefully pushing music into the direction of the purely digital and ephemeral, A-Trak and Catchdubs weren't interested in going with flow. The two still saw value in things you lot could not but hear, but touch. They believed fans deserved an interface with the music they loved, an experience beyond the audio, be it their wallpapered storefront in Williamsburg or beautifully designed sleeves for vinyl records. The tangibility-forward ethos–and, not unremarkably, the characterization–persists today.

But for a good tactile product to hateful anything, it'due south got to have substance at its core. (A lasting label, or at least a respected i, cannot be congenital on silkscreen tees lonely.) With Fool's Gilt, A-Trak and Catchdubs started organically developing talent inside a genre that, in 2007, was still disregarded. Their speciality became that once-nebulous area where hip hop met electronic music. Over the concluding decade, their roster has remained a alloy of the two. They've signed and released records for everyone from Kid Cudi to Lil Yachty, Danny Brown to Duck Sauce. All this while maintaining their own creative output.

Their cultural reach continues to augment. Since 2010, Fool's Gold has produced the Solar day OFF festival, expanding from a local thing to a critically-recognized upshot that at present encompass vi cities effectually the world. They've likewise recently opened a shiny new storefront on G Street in Brooklyn. The Victorian-style wallpaper has been traded in for clean walls and precipitous angles, but it, like their first space, is designed to be a welcoming intermediary between the music and its fans. A decade in, that's even so what information technology's nigh.

Catchdubs took some time out of his understandably busy schedule to talk origin stories, turning people onto new artists, and taking pride in good taste.

Bail STREET

Why the name Fool'south Aureate?

NICK CATCHDUBS

Around the fourth dimension when A-Trak and I were deciding to do the label, we each had a listing of possible names. I remember that each of us would admit that our respective names were pretty terrible. For his choices, I recollect the worst was probably Pretty Penny, and for mine, the worst was probably Knockington. At some point in this email back and along–which neither of us have a record for, so it's just become this apocryphal story of how we got here–Fool'southward Golden was the one that we both liked. I remember that in music and, specifically, in hip hop, in that location is this chemical element of braggadocio and making things seem as huge and as powerful every bit you possibly can. But what we liked about Fool's Gilded was that it'southward kind of winking at you lot. It's representative of how we take this seriously but we don't necessarily accept ourselves besides seriously.

Bond STREET

How did yous and A-Trak start meet?

NICK CATCHDUBS

We both met through DJing. I had been playing parties in New York and A-Trak had been coming down to New York a bunch. He was nevertheless living in Montreal at the time. We both had twenty-four hour period jobs at the time: his day chore was beingness Kanye's DJ, and my job was being an editor atThe Fadermagazine. We would become booked together to play at parties and nosotros just liked what each other was into. The friendship kind of moved from there. We would be doing our respective things and trading music dorsum and forth, talking on instant message, like,Hey, did you hear this album that only came out? Or gripeing similar,Why didn't this guy piece of work with this producer? Why did the embrace fine art look so bad? Why did they make this shitty video?

Every bit friends of ours were making original music–moving from mixes and mashups into bodily original songs–we saw that there wasn't a label that would be a home for it to put it into proper context. The same way that a label similar Ed Banger was a home for this new Parisian scene, or when Rawkus Records stood for a certain blazon of New York cloak-and-dagger hip hop, or Mo Wax for a kind of Great britain-based beat scene in the '90s, Fool's Gold was envisioned every bit a home for this music from whatever yous want to call the scene that we and our friends were in. It's cool that 10 years later, equally much as the creative globe and the bodily world has changed, the mission behind what we exercise is more or less amusement. Information technology'due south evolved and it's grown with us.

BOND STREET

Beyond just supporting your friends and your music, what's the larger ethos behind the characterization?

NICK CATCHDUBS

One thing that nosotros always say is that Fool'due south Gilded is merging the world of hip hop and electronic music, which might seem like sort of an obvious thing, but it'due south only recently that the world has defenseless up to that. Now information technology's something that y'all don't necessarily have to explain. When we were doing parties, even in 2007, you weren't having hip hop nights with house interludes anymore and things were getting kind of stale. It was kind of 50 Cent-y and guys with Bluetooth earpieces and square shoes. We wanted to bring an chemical element of fun dorsum to it and an chemical element of surprise.

I think fifty-fifty at present, when we are booking a evidence like DAY OFF, we endeavour to proceed it interesting and not worry too much about,Hey, is this headliner the near famous person we can beget?It's more like,Is this going to turn people onto new artists? And that's what I love. I love when people say like,Oh, yeah, the starting time fourth dimension I saw so-and-and then was at Fool's Gold. I didn't know who they are, and now they are huge.

BOND STREET

Going back to you and A-Trak having day jobs. Was there a moment when you knew you lot could swing upwards into the next phase and caput out on your own?

NICK CATCHDUBS

Y'all know what, I will say that the thing that kind of pushed Fool's Golden along more than annihilation else was probably a sense of naiveté–being young and dumb enough to non overthink it, to non be and then logical in what yous are doing, just follow the passion and sort of figure the remainder out as you go along. Because if I had a time machine to go back and say,Hey, this is what your life is going to go by doing this, I don't know if I would have done it. I am very glad that I did, and I say that to be candid and let people know that a lot of it is figuring it out equally you proceed.

BOND STREET

What was the biggest hurdle you faced when starting the label?

NICK CATCHDUBS

Luckily it'south never been on the creative side. We have never had a lack of ideas for a sense of similar, Shit, where is music going and what are the kids into these days? Nosotros never had those kinds of conversations; information technology's always been really intuitive. I say this not to be cocky, merely we have great gustatory modality. I put our sense of taste against anybody in the world!

So we never have a problem in that sense; information technology's simply the same kinds of things that I call up whatever small business faces, like how do yous footstep upwardly and how do you manage budgets and inventories and face your creative pursuits every bit a real business? I think that we are in a skillful identify in that we are both smart guys and responsible, all things considered. Nosotros have always gone into everything and treated our business in a thoughtful mode. But there is no manual for this stuff. What works for one company is not going to work for another. I feel like with each year nosotros learn more and we tighten things upward. It's heady to be at the identify that Fool'due south Gold is at at present, with the anniversary and the new store and a lot of upcoming projects and events.

BOND STREET

How long was the new shop in the pipeline earlier opening it?

NICK CATCHDUBS

It'south something that we talked about for awhile. I think that if you go back to the blueprint, information technology probably took almost a total year to come up together, and maybe one-half of that doing the actual structure and build-out. It'south nice, because it feels similar a level up. It feels like nosotros were able to accept out the Nintendo cartridge and blow on information technology and take a little bit of a refresh.

BOND STREET

How valuable is information technology for you lot guys to accept a store to provide that actress interface with people?

NICK CATCHDUBS

It'due south a real concept. Information technology's a clubhouse, it'south a launch pad, it's a place to take all of the stuff that nosotros do and give it a real physicality. Every artist has a pop-upwardly for their merchandising. This is the opposite of a pop-upward. At that place is a permanence to information technology. Even when you see the materials that we use in the store, it doesn't experience similar anybody else'southward thing. It has its own personality, which is very important to us.

BOND STREET

How many artists did Fool'south Gold start with and how many artists are on the label now?

NICK CATCHDUBS

Information technology'southward interesting, considering there'southward been people who we worked with and continue to work with for album later album and release later release, and then at that place's people who have their own chapter in the Fool's Gold book then they go on to practise other stuff.

 Now, almost 200 records later, at that place's people like Sammy Bananas and A-Trak and myself who have been there since the very beginning and have 10 years of releases to look at, and then in that location'southward new artists similar Foliage, who we take been working with for the last few years and to bring out what makes her sound special. It's exciting to see people who yous accept been able to help with their growth, and watch it immediate, and and then finding a new project to bring in the next ten years. I similar that it'due south a constantly changing cast of characters. Each season, is a new storyline for the label.

BOND STREET

How did you have what you have learned as an artist and apply information technology to how you run the characterization itself?

NICK CATCHDUBS

I think that when you are making something that is your art, it is very personal. You are the last give-and-take, and it all falls on yous, for better or worse. If I am in the studio working by myself, I am kind of immune to be relentless and merciless with my ideas. When you are working with other people, you have to be sensitive to what their deal is and what they are similar. I think that A-Trak and myself are perfectionists in a lot of ways, and sometimes when you are working with a team, being a perfectionist is non a net-proceeds at the stop. I sound similar a dad right now, but you learn about patience and virtually communication, and I don't recall yous have to sacrifice your ideals and your principles in order to do that. Every bit much every bit the piece of work counts at the end of the day, your relationship to people counts. People remember what yous did equally much as they remember how you made them feel. So I am proud of the fact that we have always been upfront with everybody. Nobody is waiting to murder us in an alleyway.

Bond STREET

You've got a pretty total deck in terms of your own piece of work and the work of the label. How practise you balance all those responsibilities?

NICK CATCHDUBS

I retrieve the honest answer to that is that you don't. You never truly find that rest. For me, I would love to just be able to make stuff all mean solar day long. And I know that with the business organisation I can't do that. So the question is:Do I allow that eat at me and be cranky all of the time? Yeah, I am cranky some of the time, merely I try to just take things a day at a time. There are a lot of goals, creatively and otherwise, that I oasis't reached withal, simply that'south fine. Equally long as I am getting closer to it with every passing solar day, and so that's good enough.

Yous have to focus on the procedure and bask the rise that it takes to get in that location. And so beyond that, simply exist creative with your time direction. If something is important to you, y'all will find a way to make time for it. Like right now, with the label beingness busier than e'er, I am physically in the office more than I would similar to exist. Just that'south fine, because information technology is helping ensure that the spirit of what we do is consistent, and it's what is necessary at this moment to grow. For my ain music, that ways when I go home, I am staying up late and making certain that I put some fourth dimension in on whatever the latest mix is. I spend weekends learning new programs–like I am starting to do more video/picture show things, which is a new set of challenges and a new way to be creative. As you might feel depleted in one area afterward a busy week of work, you are refilling it in another. I think our best stuff has come from feeling inspired. And if I am not feeling inspired in i aspect of my life, that just means that I have got to work hard to go inspired from some other side.

BOND STREET

The industry has inverse a huge amount since y'all guys started. Where do you lot imagine music going from here?

NICK CATCHDUBS

It'south weird, because streaming is the biggest alter to happen to the record industry in the past couple of years. In a lot of means, it's forced people to rethink the way they exercise business concern and the manner they approach releases. But the positive of that is that it's shown that the consumer has more than of a desire for music than always earlier. They just want yous to give it to them in a style that works for their life. You are non going to get people to starting time ownership millions of albums once again. It's similar Trump trying to bring back coal mining; it's not going to happen.

You want to feed your consumer in the style that they want to be fed. And that is non pandering, that is simply beingness perceptive and responding. The kind of people that A-Trak and I are attracted to as possible Fool'southward Gilt artists accept a singled-out personality. So it's like,how can we harness that personality and put information technology on the biggest possible platforms, whatever that platform may be? Maybe it'south beingness on phase; peradventure it'due south having a cool, beautifully packaged vinyl record; mayhap it's having a T-shirt collaboration. Every bit long as we tin can help interpret that personality to fans, nosotros are doing our chore. Considering fans are interested and they want to be taught and they want to learn and they want to be excited and surprised and be really over-served. As long as we are over serving our fans, nosotros are in a good place. I think that we have to be on our toes more than ever before but that's fine.

Bail STREET

What business concern expense have you nearly underestimated if any?

NICK CATCHDUBS

That'southward a hard question. I think that most things are more than expensive that you would retrieve. For us, we never had benefactors really. We are not coming from a place where there is e'er money to burn. Our greatest resources has always been ideas. We have had to outthink the contest if we couldn't outspend them. You lot just have to be inventive. If it'south something that you are really passionate most, you volition find a way to do that.

Bail STREET

Do you recall that those financial limitations early on were a silver lining in that it made you lot more nimble and scrappy?

NICK CATCHDUBS

Yeah, I think so. Simply we have had a lot of successful records over the years and that has its own set of challenges, because you are like,Oh, shit, look at all this money in the banking concern, and and then a couple of years later, you are like,Goddamn, what happened to all that money? And you realize you have invested it dorsum into the company and invested it back into the artists. It's not like we went out and bought Mercedes as soon as we had a song in a commercial somewhere. I recall nosotros take been really responsible with our funds. Stuff is expensive, and music, in some means, is more valuable and less valuable than always before. Then it's similar you accept to get creative in terms of how you lot are bringing in money.

Bail STREET

Are in that location whatsoever expenses that you run into every bit kind of similar a large waste in the rear view, or is everything a learning feel?

NICK CATCHDUBS

I feel that if you are not learning, you are not growing. With these terminal ten years, every year has brought new changes and new challenges, but I think nosotros come out of the other side stronger and smarter. I wouldn't trade whatever of our experiences, because it has fabricated the label what it is.

Bond STREET

You but celebrated a decade in business concern. Where do you lot encounter or hope Fool's Gilt is in x years?

NICK CATCHDUBS

I would hope that the artists we work with continue to crossover on their own terms and nosotros have more moments that feeling like,Damn, this vocal actually was a part of people's lives. Everybody wants a hitting manifestly, but it can have a lot of dissimilar forms now. Sometimes the biggest song of any given year isn't necessarily the number one Billboard tape. Just to be able to create art and to create a product that resonates with people–that is super satisfying. Anybody that has been living off of making fine art is in a lucky position, so if we continue to practise that, we are adept.

I would honey to run across Fool's Gilded every bit a brand to take other forms. Correct now, information technology's essentially like a three-pronged business. You have the artists and the music, yous accept our merch and our retail, and then y'all accept the events, the shows, the concerts. I would love to practice more film and TV projects, and have the Fool'south Aureate sensibilities that we bring to our releases or a political party to a documentary or an original series. People want amusement and they want content and there'due south and so many more than ways to get it to them. Figuring out the time and energy to devote to doing that kind of stuff at a loftier level doesn't come up like shooting fish in a barrel, but if it's something that nosotros desire to practise, we will detect a way to do it.

QUICK Fire

BOND STREET

Finish this sentence, money is _______.

NICK CATCHDUBS

A major event (shout out Pitbull).

BOND STREET

If y'all had to do another task, what would it be?

NICK CATCHDUBS

Comic volume artist.

BOND STREET

Is in that location a volume you've read that's helped you lot be a better business organisation owner?

NICK CATCHDUBS

Robert Rodriguez "Rebel Without a Coiffure." Less "business organisation owner" specifically, but on more of an inspirational life philosophy tip well-nigh how he made his first movieEl Mariachi completely DIY for $7,000 and took Hollywood by surprise.

Bail STREET

What business person/entrepreneur would yous virtually like to have lunch with?

NICK CATCHDUBS

Shaq.

Bail STREET

Favorite place in NYC for…

BOND STREET

Coffee

NICK CATCHDUBS

Black Brick

Bond STREET

Tiffin

NICK CATCHDUBS

Meatball Shop

BOND STREET

Beer or other preferred beverage

NICK CATCHDUBS

Kinfolk

Bail STREET

Song for summer 2017 so far:

NICK CATCHDUBS

Playboi Carti "Magnolia."

Cheque out more interviews with the entrepreneurs building America'southward nearly promising small businesses on the Bond Street weblog .

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