This month we talked to Twisted Hearts Records, a label that began as a club night in Nottingham while at university. It was founded by Ariel Cohen, formerly of RCA Records & currently at AWAL Recordings, and Edan Feldman-Vazan (aka Subculture), a Producer, Artist and DJ. We spoke to Ariel about how they formed the label, what's coming up, and their vision for the future…

• When did the first idea of creating the label come about?

Sorry, there’s no short way to answer this question! It was after University in 2013 both myself and my friend Edan Feldman-Vazan (aka Subculture) were looking at making 90 degree turns into the music industry. Subculture was interested in going down a producer/artist path and I was interested in the industry side of things. 

Twisted Hearts originally started life as a club night that Subculture started in Nottingham during university and then was brought down to London where it had a residency at Notting Hill Arts Club.  I was looking to gain experience and knowledge about the business and Subculture was sitting on music he had produced and unsure what to do with it. The idea came about to release it ourselves under the Twisted Hearts brand (to save on design costs!). 

We were fortunate enough to receive an informal crash course on how a record label works from the very kind Tom Brown (Lex Records) who we are eternally grateful to. We then set about releasing two projects, Subculture x Dorj - Waiting for the Crown & the Subculture Sage debut EP.  The label then kind of sat on ice as I began working full time at Sony Music and Subculture dedicated most of his time to the Subculture Sage project. A few years ago we began having discussions about reviving the label as a ‘low-key’ DIY singles thing. We rebranded and started rolling out tracks and it has been slowly building from there. 

• How would you describe the style and vision of your Label?

 The first time round we really didn’t have much in the way of a vision, we were just trying to feel things out. But when we came back we did so after many a brainstorm in hotboxed cars around London.  We really liked what Soulection were doing at the time but we just thought we wouldn’t be able to do what they do, our style is dirtier, and much more dusty. 

We landed on this idea of ‘acid-dipped soul’. We both align pretty closely with our tastes and our mutual influences span Jazz, Hip Hop, Soul, Psychedelic, spaced out Indie & Post punk. There was only a couple of disparate examples of artists who were marrying these sorts of genres at the time and we wanted to try to create a hub for this vibe. 

Aesthetically we developed a really close working relationship with graphic designer and visual artist Mr Phomer who developed our branding and has designed each and every artwork we have put out since. 

  

• Where do you find hungry and ambitious artists?

 This is the area in which I think perhaps we differ from most record labels, as we don’t really do A&R in the traditional sense. Most of the time things just happen organically, chance meetings, recommendations, a working relationship between Subculture and an artists develops to a degree that it feels right to release under Twisted Hearts.  Because of this we don’t really come across artists who aren’t hungry or ambitious! In fact I think the confidence to call oneself an artist comes with ambition. For us its always primarily about how the music makes us feel. 

  

• Who’s in your Team?

Twisted Hearts is just myself (Ariel Cohen), my experience is in audience development first at RCA Records & then AWAL Recordings & Edan Feldman-Vazan. Although we can only do what we do with the input from lots of people. Our collaborators includes the likes of Mr Phomer (graphic design), Yoram Vazan (mixing/mastering) Anya Broido (photography), Jade Johnston (AWAL rep), Amanda Pearlstein (Press) and a host of other visual creatives, session musicians and artists who all contribute to our work. 

 

• What is the release of which you are most proud of?

They’re all our babies and we love them all equally. However, I will say that Tertia May’s debut EP ‘Kind of Purple’ represented a turning point in our ambitions and our confidence in what we believe we can achieve in the future. 

 

• What first got you into music?

I used to spend hours sitting and listening to music in front of my dad’s hi fi system. Far better than Power Rangers. 

 

• Who would you most like to collaborate with?

I think I would die if we ever had the opportunity to collaborate with Top Dawg Entertainment, they have been the most inspirational label in the world for me over the last few years. I’d also love to spend a day picking Rick Rubin’s brain. 

 

• If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

For new artists and labels without financial backing, the struggle is real. I’m still amazed at what we have been able to pull off with the budgets available to us. 

 

The streaming model does allow for artists and labels to make a living from their output independently, but it requires consistent output and a lot of perseverance. With the decimation of the live industry, it has become even harder for many artists and labels to maintain the level of output required to make progress. If I could change anything it would be to redistribute more of the fortunes made by the industry into additional grants, support and opportunities for new artists and labels without conditions. 

 

• What’s next for you? 

After a quiet 2020 we have a busy year ahead with a new releases coming from Subculture, a new Tertia May project and potentially more although details are still being ironed out. Watch this space!

 

Finally, shout outs to Laid Bare, Yung Guns Network, The Ultimate Seminar, Abram Wilson Foundation, Arts Emergency, She Said So, Music Therapy, Music Minds Matter, Help Musicians, The Black Music Coalition, Black Creators Matter and all of the organisations out there that provide support and advocacy to artists and music industry professionals.