Scorpios Music is a field research endeavor probing into the synaesthetic potentiality of music, an imprint for an exploratory strain of various danceable and listenable genres, and a testimony to how — in concrete experiential terms — music is the most vigorous, meaningful, and beautiful language in the world. With a focus on electronic music exhibiting subtle-to-bold elements of the primeval and far-flung, Scorpios Music is the immortalization of a soundscape — that which Scorpios Mykonos has traversed since materializing as a club in 2015 throughout the process of establishing itself to near-universal acclaim as a tribal enclave of eudaimonic hedonism and the seedbed of aesthetically oriented empathetic sociality.
We caught up with Scorpios Music to talk about their evolution, what growth means to them, the effort and passion behind the label, and what the future has in store for them.
EG: Hello Scorpios Music team! Glad to have you with us today. How was the Scorpios label born? What is its original mission?
Scorpios Music: Thanks for the invite. Music is a language through which people can connect, and a club is a place of limitless interactive potential. This is something that has become clear since Scorpios Mykonos opened in 2015. The label is a testament to the energy, creativity, passion, and artistry of our creative community, as well as a formalization of the role of Scorpios as a platform upon which musicians and producers can experiment, collaborate, learn, and express themselves.
MoM, ANuT, CharlieM’s ‘Esperanza’ is now available. Grab your copy here.
EG: How would you define the sound of the label? How has its vision evolved since its inception?
Scorpios Music: It’s difficult to define the sound of anything without thinking of sound as just one sensory input and reflecting on the place in which the idea for the label first appeared in thought. Scorpios Mykonos can be beautifully overwhelming for the senses: the sea breeze, dramatic sunsets over the Aegean Sea, blustering palm trees after dark, and a dance floor full of people experiencing something, either individually or collectively or maybe both simultaneously. It’s also a place where people gather, bringing their talents and tastes with them. The music at Scorpios — some call it ‘organic house’ — has always been just one part, albeit a very important part, of the sensory experience.
EG: Do you feel like a label must mutate over the years as the scene does in order to stay relevant?
Scorpios Music: A label has no choice but to evolve/mutate, unless it wants to become nostalgic or totalitarian. The evolution of a label can depend on where it’s physically based, and how strongly it’s connected to its location or scene, but it’s also largely about the people around the label. When a label is closely associated with a venue that’s geographically secluded, it’s more microcosmic than, for example, a neighborhood label that reflects a certain scene in a city. There are musicians and individuals associated with the label who may only spend one week per year on Mykonos, but their minds are as saturated as can be with the energy of the place. It’s this energy that we aim to stay true to while evolving. Scorpios is a physical gathering place but there are many things that blossom from it – ideas, conversations, musical inspirations – which are anything but fixed to the ground.
EG: You recently released MoM, ANuT, and CharlieM’s ‘Esperanza’. What has the reception for the EP like?
Scorpios Music: This was a fairly ambitious EP in terms of it being a collaboration between three talented producers, with two more – Alvaro Suarez and Aaroon – providing remixes. The initial reception was very encouraging but short-term hype isn’t the most important thing. This might turn out to be a piece of sonic history, or a defining EP in the story of the Scorpios label, or the magnum opus of one of the producers involved, but it’s too early to even think about that now.
EG: How do you guys go about selecting which artists to sign? What do you generally look for?
Scorpios Music: There are people who have soaked in Scorpios, and there are people who haven’t. When it comes to signing artists, the choices are obvious.
Scorpios Mykonos
EG: And now you’ve got the upcoming release of Rey&Kjavik’s ‘Paraga’. What’s the story behind this one? What can listeners and fans of the label look forwards to?
Scorpios Music: Rey&Kjavik started out on the Frankfurt techno scene and then went to Burning Man and changed quite profoundly as a musician. This EP was made partly on Mykonos and partly upon his return to Frankfurt, “reflecting on the vibes of the island”, as he puts it. It shows a lot of technical dexterity, but also how much Rey&Kjavik can be moved by a place — in this case, Paraga Beach, the location of Scorpios Mykonos that lends its name to the EP.
EG: What has been the importance of promotion behind the growth of the label and in which ways have you applied promotion strategies?
Scorpios Music: Word of mouth is very powerful when a label is associated with a renowned venue in such a beautiful location. And of course, we value our community of artists a lot, which is why all our promotional efforts are joint ones. Overall, it’s quite organic growth. The focus now is to spread the essence of Scorpios all year to our community and new audiences who are just discovering the music.
Rey&Kjavik’s ‘Paraga’ is now available. Grab your copy here.
EG: What else can we expect from the Scorpios label in the future? What plans are in store for the collective?
Scorpios Music: Scorpios is branching out beyond Mykonos next year to create another place for our global community to gather, hopefully sparking new connections and inspiring musical output. The label will grow with this, continuously taking on new talents both established and upcoming. The first upcoming artists in 2022 are Valeron, Kurup, and Jean Claude Ades. We’re also looking to diversify, paying attention to the spiritual needs of the community.
EG: Thank you so much for your time SC Music crew! We wish you all the best for the future!
Scorpios Music: Thank you, EG!
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