Music / Feature
Amity: The Bristol collective on stepping into new ground
Amity is an events series, label and collective run by Callum Mulholland, Max Caple and Cameron Lawrence, currently based north-east of the city.
Operating for around two years, the three friends have since expanded into new territory by becoming a record label. Their first release, an eight track VA compilation titled Kills Two Birds, was released on September 21.
“We set up Amity purely because of our passion and love for what we do, it always felt right to have our own imprint and there is no better place for us than Bristol,” the trio tell Bristol24/7.
is needed now More than ever
Amity have put on a range of events over the years, showcasing some of the best talent the city, and beyond, has on offer.
From Strange Brew to Crofters Rights with artists from Jordan to Ireland, the event series and record label aim for diversity and inclusivity.
“We’re also very conscious of the imbalances that exist in the music industry, so we make an effort to represent artists from all backgrounds.
“This is something that we still feel that we need to keep working harder on, but it’s definitely made easier by the wealth of musical talent in the world & in Bristol itself! It’s a diverse city and that’s one of the reasons we love it.”
With extensive knowledge of the industry, the team have since turned their attention to their brand new record label.
The label hit the ground running with an impressive eight track release, Kills Two Birds, followed by a label launch event at Crofters Rights.
The compliation is overwrought with their signature bass melodies and distorted sounds, an impressive debut release that encompasses and showcases what Amity has to offer and what they stand for.
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Of the release, they said: “I think when you listen to the compilation from to start to finish you can really hear what we’ve intended it to sound like and that’s exactly what we wanted.
“A compilation that represents each part of the electronic music we love and something that sounded cohesive.”
As a record label, Amity aims to nurture the long-existing relationships they have already cultivated, working closely with artists for a prolonged period of time rather than one a one-off basis.
However, the trio are aware of their lack of experience they have when it comes to running a label, something that has been a learning curve for all of them.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into releasing music that we weren’t fully aware of, like distributing music to DSPs takes a lot of admin, the curation as mentioned, making it look good (big shout to Christian AKA Antidote) and making it sound good (Matthew Bentley on mastering).
“Luckily we’ve been really lucky to get some advice from friends who already run sick labels. EMA at Woozy, Lucien at Accidental Meetings and Paul at Timedance/Kartel have all been really helpful with bits of advice.”
With so many diverse and independent record labels already existing in the city, where does the Amity label fit in?
“From our point of view, Amity is one smaller part of a larger Bristol shaped puzzle.
“It doesn’t feel like there’s any competition between the other promoters and labels that work in a similar sphere as us, as it’s all very friendly in the scene and we’re all mates.”
Callum, Max and Cameron still plan on hosting their renowned events alongside the running of their label; what can we expect over the next few months?
“A very sick EP from someone very close to home with an exciting feature. More events and hopefully more bookings as Amity too!”
Main photo: @jazzsatchphoto
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