Outer Darkness Records proudly presents an expanding lineup of unique Industrial and Industrial adjacent artists to keep your mind company in the darkness that permeates our world and those beyond. Their latest compilation, Inquisition Vol. II: The Scorn will be available on April 4th.
Following the success of Inquisition Vol. I, what was your vision for this second installment?
The “Inquisition” series was envisioned to be a showcase for all of our artists and be an effort that the whole community can get invested in. So, the hope was that in the intervening year our community would grow and have even more voices to display. We did bring on a couple new artists this year with Fatigue and Asphodel Ivory, along with some great submissions from our core artists, so I’m pretty proud of this next chapter.
ODR has such a diverse yet cohesive mix of artists and genres. Tell me more about how, together, they represent the sound of Outer Darkness Records?
First and foremost, ODR is a place for cool people to do cool shit. In that regard, any music that someone has fun making is going to sound like ODR. Obviously we have a few aggrotech artists involved, and the community was born as a place for people to share their love of Industrial music genres, but that is a very big umbrella, so really anything goes. For example, this year we added Dream Feeder, which is noticeably a softer and slower sound, but hopefully it won’t feel out of place.
The compilation seems to span a range of influences. How did you curate the track order?
I definitely like to open with something attention-grabbing, and end with something memorable. From there it becomes a matter of managing rising and falling intensity, spreading out things that may feel too similar, not exhausting the listener. This is a journey of over an hour, so it’s nice to have rises and falls, and always keeping the audience engaged. Not every song is going to be for everyone, so it’s good to establish trust with the listener that even if this song isn’t for you, the next one might be.
It also features a few collaborations between ODR artists. Tell me more about collaboration within the label.
My personal motto for ODR is “Cool People Doing Cool Shit”. Our environment fosters opportunities to work together on whatever pops up. For example, 9th Circle was born to be a collaborative project that anyone who wants to can contribute to. Almost any time an artist shows off something they’re working on, someone else will get excited about possibilities for future collaboration. I have a few artists I hope to work with in the future myself.
You mention that a big part of ODR is fostering a community of creatives. How does Outer Darkness Records actively build that sense of community beyond just releasing music?
We interact primarily via a Discord server, where we share the music we’re writing, the music we’re listening to, tips and tricks and tools for creating music, but also just memes and the movies and video games, etc. Additionally, some various pockets of members know each other out in the real world or have met up on our travels.
For some of our releases we hold public online listening parties as a community, with a bit of an informal Q&A afterward that gives us all a chance to interact a little more directly and talk about the music.
Industrial music has deep roots in rebellion, experimentation, and pushing boundaries. How do you see the genre evolving, and where does Outer Darkness Records fit within that landscape?
Art tends to operate in cycles, where everything old becomes new again and gets reinterpreted and re-interpolated, but often pulling in new strands of whatever’s lying around. I don’t know what comes next, but I’m eager to find out. I have my fingers crossed for screamo-bluegrass-dubstep.
I think the most we can do, the most any community can do, is create an environment that fosters creativity and expression. We can be a space where someone who is experimenting and pushing boundaries (internal or external) will feel welcome to share what they create with a body of people who will want to engage with it, and participate with it in some way, whether directly or indirectly. I personally believe “Industrial” is more about that ethos and frame of mind than about the specific instruments, sounds, or styles used.
What do you think makes a great industrial track?
When I look at the songs I love, that have lasted, that stood out, they came from across the musical spectrum. But if I had to pick some unifying characteristics, I think it might be a clarity of vision and sense of self. If the song knows what it’s trying to do, and really hones in on that, then it can be fully engaging, whether it’s a dance track, a pop song, an ambient chill-out, or just some german dudes banging on trash cans. When the song doesn’t know what it is, then the listener isn’t going to know what it is either.
For fans who might be discovering some of these artists for the first time, what should they expect?
Hopefully a balance of new and familiar. I have no idea how to describe ANGER 奰 to someone who hasn’t heard it, but it is unlike anything else I listen to. If you liked hearing Dilemma on the compilation last year, then we have a new song and a couple of new collaborations. I’m really impressed that every track pixelgrinder appears on sounds completely different.
Looking beyond Inquisition Vol. II, what’s next for Outer Darkness Records? Are there any upcoming releases or projects in the works?
We will be releasing the next chapter in our three-way remix EP series “Blasphemies” later this year. We will also be supporting the upcoming releases of our artists. pixelgrinder has a new single coming out this spring, and we’re anticipating Asphodel Ivory and Hexen Prozess albums later this year.
For artists looking to collaborate with ODR in the future, what qualities or elements do you look for when signing or featuring new acts?
A key quality is enthusiasm and community, or at least an openness to participation. Online communities aren’t for everyone, so we don’t want that part of it to be a requirement, but we always welcome people who like to create and to see others create.
Where’s the best place for fans to support Outer Darkness Records and its artists, and how can they stay connected with everything you have coming up?
The most direct way to connect with us is our Discord server, but we also have a website, and Instagram.
We distribute our releases to all the streaming platforms, but if someone is interested in purchasing our music or any of our artist’s releases, we recommend Bandcamp.