fatandconfused

An Interview with Dave Cawley of Fatcat Records
Who are FatCat and what are they best at?

There are 9 people involved in Fatcat, spread over the UK and USA……The label was started with myself and Alex but without the others we wouldn't be anywhere…..

What are we best at????? hmmm…hopefully exposing new artists and their work………

What inspired you to form a label?

We started the label when we had the shop..it seemed the next logical step for us…..we had lots of friends running labels and some were very inspirational (Irdial Discs etc..)

How do you normally discover the bands you release?

The majority come from demos…..we listen and try to respond to everyone who sends one in to us….here's a small list of some of the artists signed from a demo sent in….finding new music this way is really important to us….

the twilight sad

david karsten daniels

drowsy

songs of green pheasant

frightened rabbit

Have you discovered anything on Myspace that you’ve thought was so good you’ve released it?
We have signed one band through myspace, Our Brother the Native….amazing music…..

Other acts have either come through seeing them play live or recommendations from friends…….

Between 10 and 20 a day……….

I’d previously imagined FatCat as being mainly an electronic label, however particularly recent releases have fallen more towards folk and more straightforward rock (Welcome, Blood on The Wall) is there any rule or any type of music you wouldn’t consider releasing through FatCat?

I think the elecronic tag is a hangover from the shop days…….we started to put out music outside that genre way back in the early days of the label..sigur ros, transient waves, immense…etc…we still release some electronic music mind…..we were always interested in all sorts of music and never wanted to be pigeon holed to a style or sound……..that was a a big aim for me with the label to be musically "free", to release whatever we liked………….

What’s been your proudest moment since starting the label?

Phew…that’s a hard one…….there has been loads…………..i am proud of who we are and what we have released as a label…

How did you end up releasing an album by Vashti Bunyan?

She was working with A.C. on some tracks and we ended up helping her record her first record..its all seemed to slot into place very naturally…..we don’t force things here at Fatcat...she is lovely…………..its been a real honour to be involved with her and her work.

Are either of you involved in your own musical projects?

No………those days are long gone…………..

Which other labels do you admire/envy?

Don't envy anyone………...admire a lot of labels out there just trying to do there own thing, exposing new talent ..i have no time for labels with a lazy A+R policy, that chase the latest hip band 3 years too late just because they have a wedge of money to do so……lame….….

Which album last year do you wish FatCat had released?

Phew…trying to think what I bought….? just asked the office and they all looked blankly at me……there is now a big discussion if certain records were out last year………see what you have started………….. : )

What can we expect next from FatCat?

A big thanks to the Fatcat kids for taking the time to participate in this interview, it really is a great label that deserves your attention.

Here's some videos of just a few of the bands on their impressive roster.

Mice Parade - Focus on A Rollercoaster



Max Richter - Song



Animal Collective - Grass