Music / Feature
Bliss Archive: The record label prioritising the creative side hustle
Launched in 2021, Bliss Archive is the project of Felix Drake.
Live events, mix tapes and a regular radio slot on Noods, Bliss Archive has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, gaining momentum while prioritising creativity and quality over quantity.
“Bliss Archive was something I started to think about during the pandemic,” Felix tells Bristol24/7. “Without gigs or radio shows or collaboration, making music became all about the process, with no real thought of the outcome.
is needed now More than ever
“I found that if I was enjoying the creative process then that in itself was enough, and from there I had the thought to ‘archive’ these moments in time that have brought me ‘bliss’.”
Currently living in Easton but working out of his studio on Jamaica Street, Felix juggles the radio show and the label alongside working and being a part-time student.
This is a juggle in which many artists find themselves struggling with; being a grassroots musician is incredibly difficult in such an oversaturated industry, particularly one that is tipped against certain people from the beginning.
This is something Felix noted and strived to champion with Bliss Archive: “One of the other reasons I was interested in starting Bliss Archive was to make a space where some of my talented friends could release their side projects.
“There’s a lot of musicians in this city who have their ‘main’ hustle and their ‘side’ hustle. I’d like to continue using Bliss Archive as a place where people can put the stuff that they’re not quite sure what to do with.”
One example of this is the Tara Clerkin & Pat Benjamin tape. The duo had been working on solo sets, alongside their main band the Tara Clerkin Trio, which led them perform at the inaugural Bliss Archive event.
Following this, their performance at Strange Brew in March 2022 was recorded and released on tape for those who would like to take home the duo’s beautiful live set.
Bliss Archive allows artists and musicians to explore their creativty outside the bounds of their previously released music, allowing them to shed any preconcieved notions about what their music should or shouldn’t sound like.
However, with the need to prioritise, the events previously held at The Cube and Strange Brew have taken a backseat for now so the focus can be on the music and upcoming releases.
“I work on music when I can, releases so far have developed naturally over time, I’ll reach a point with a project where I’ll have enough finished tracks for a tape, then try to put them out as quickly as I can.”
What does Felix look for when wanting to collaborate and support an artist?
“I just become really infatuated. Anyone who’s ever resonated with anything will understand – when you know, you know.”
Jackson Veil Panther, DJ Brittle and Bliss Archive, Felix is a man of many talents. photo: Bliss Archive
With so much going on already, you wouldn’t be the only one who would be surprised to hear that Felix has more projects in the pipeline.
“I’ve recently joined a hardcore band so hopefully we’ll be ready to start gigging soon,” Felix tells us.
“I’m also working on new EP’s from my Jackson Veil Panther and DJ Brittle aliases, plus an album of quite repetitive piano music.”
Main photo: Bliss Archive
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