Carhartt WIP launches Relevant Parties

Carhartt WIP launches RELEVANT PARTIES, a new monthly podcast series dedicated to the work of groundbreaking record labels around the globe. This series will complement our existing monthly Carhartt WIP Radio shows. Each episode will delve into the stories behind the music, speaking to some of music culture's most important independent tastemakers, who are known for their love of music, enduring idealism, and singular drive.

It would be easy to look at today’s music landscape and conclude there’s no longer any need for independent music labels. A mixture of instant viral sensations, algorithm-led streaming, and mainstream record label hegemony has replaced everything that came before.

But that would be a simplistic reading of contemporary music. It would ignore the curatorial role that labels play, building their own unique worlds for us to dive into, and helping artists shape their career’s. Even if the average listener doesn’t ever see this work, it remains invaluable and something to be celebrated.

The host of our new series is UK music journalist Chal Ravens, known for her writing on electronic music and club culture for publications such as the Guardian, Resident Advisor, DJ Mag, Mixmag, and The Face. Ravens is also the co-founder of Clean Scene, a climate action group within the dance music community.

Over the course of six episodes, Ravens explores the past, present and future of various labels, including DFA Records and Ghostly International from New York, Tokyo’s Jazzy Sport, legendary UK pioneers Ninja Tune, Los Angeles tastemakers Stones Throw, and Munich-based multi-disciplinarians Public Possession.

The first episode is set to be released on August 15th – with subsequent episodes being released on the same date each month – and will complement our existing monthly Carhartt WIP Radio shows. Each episode will also be accompanied by a unique Spotify playlist, highlighting the essential tracks of each label.

Catch the first trailer on the Relevant Parties podcast series below: