We continue with our new label portrait series. This time the focus is on 110100100.global – a label that pushes and challenges artistic and musical boundaries.
“Home of Brainjazz” is how 110100100.global welcomes its potential listeners to its own Bandcamp profile. I discovered it by accident during my monthly Bandcamp New Arrivals check and was really excited. Since the label launched in spring 2021, the back catalog has grown rapidly. To date, a dozen digital releases have already appeared. And each opens a new chapter. Sometimes it’s just one track, sometimes it’s a big album. There is no fixed direction.
The self-chosen genre neologism is all the more appropriate. Brain jazz can be anything – classic electronica as well as wide-ranging dub electronic pop, summery indie as well as weird new drum & bass forms. But no matter in which spheres 110100100.global invites you, it is always of a high quality and with a good avant-garde touch. There are also nice cover artworks and an amazingly active community behind the label. But Jakob, one of the operators of 110100100.global, tells us about it in an interview.
Hey Jakob, what is the name 110100100.global all about – and how did the idea for the label come about and who is behind it all?
I needed a place to release my music. In addition to producing music, I also have a lot of fun with the other processes that the music market entails. Also because in my eyes they are another level to be creative. 110100100 is binary for 420, which basically appeals to a minimally small target group of “stoner nerds”. The “global” was added in relation to the internet and worldwide networking – like the digital roots that the label has. And also because we thought the idea was cool that the name of the label is also the web address. So it is pronounced “Four-twenty global”.
In addition to the artists who release their music with us, there is currently a growing community on Discord behind it, which is moving the label into a more decentralized structure. In essence, however, it is currently only me and Lukas who provide, saturate and maintain the idea.
Home of Brainjazz is the subtitle – what does the term Brainjazz stand for for you?
“Brainjazz” is basically an ironic answer to the constant genre question that we are trying to establish – because our music has been difficult for the press to get hold of and because it actually refers less to a genre and more to the personal fingerprint of the respective artist builds up. This is something we pay a lot of attention to and value. Sometimes there are mixtures like alternative folk with drum & bass influences. It seems the expression on the net is slowly starting to take root in relation to our music. Internally and among our listeners, the expression is common.
For me personally, “brain jazz” means something like: A circumstance in which you somehow have to give room to an hour-long jazz drum solo in your head. Or also: face a total overstimulation with calmness, simply surrender to the chaos and confusion and get involved.
The artist roster features many newcomers from all over the world – how do you discover the acts?
Initially through Soundcloud and personal contacts, but now mainly through our Discord account. Since our music is mostly heard by creatively active people and they are then inspired by it, they simply step through our open door and become part of the project. There is also a lot of exchange on the server and working together on music and helping. This has created a certain perpetuum mobile: the more we get inflow through released music, the more we can release in turn. For 2022 we are already fully booked with the actual two releases per month.
“The best part is that all the artists are also active fans at the same time, it creates a family character.”
What has been your personal label highlight so far?
There are some. On the one hand the “Berlin Atonal Set” by |||||||||||||||||||| (Barcode) and Thomas Collet, where a lot of work went into it. Some members from Romania came to Berlin especially to see the performance. Or that a certain sound develops through the constant interaction, like in one of our last releases called “IP000” by Address. It’s like an artist project, where everyone could “ghostwrite” a track, which was then published as an anonymous title within the album under “Address”. Within just three weeks we had around 30 pieces by 20 artists ready. It was absurd how great the internal interest was. Also that in the end it sounds like it could really only come from one person.
Can 110100100.global also be seen live?
Yes, we are planning a production in Germany for November. Until then, you can experience “Barcode” and “Xidid” in July in Nuremberg at the It Isn’t Happening Festival.
Do you also make music yourself? Under what name?
Exactly, you can find my music under “Grand Inc”. But I’m also often involved as a mixer or in productions by other artists on the label.
The first release on 110100100.global is from Barcode, many of the tracks can also be found on Bandcamp and they also had an event with the Berlin Atonal – what exactly is that about?
Basically, Barcode explains itself very well with the article that was written about exactly this set in FACT Magazine. “Barcode” is the ironic thesis of the modern artist who markets himself as a product and advertises it through his music. With Barcode, however, it is precisely the information about the product that is missing – that of the artist – which is constantly being advertised with new singles. This gap creates a certain demand in which the listener creates their own image of the artist – the product – based on the other available information – the music. Basically, it’s a mirror that sells people their own imagination and encourages them to be creative.
110100100.global – the back catalogue:
Source: https://www.frohfroh.de/38691/new-labels-on-the-block-110100100-global
