Glancing in my rearview mirror, I see the major-player record labels standing alone, looking confused and clunky. Maybe they’re just that far away, but from where I’m sitting, they look like those schoolyard bullies who were too busy stealing lunch (tour) money and shoving kids (bands) into lockers (genres) to see how incredibly uncool they were — and everyone/thing passed ‘em by.

Joshua Adams and Paul Katcher are both members of the Detroit-based soul/funk/house band Exchange Bureau and, as the story goes, “We were just politickin’ one night and decided to just go ahead and create a digital, independent record label.” But, as always, it’s easier said than done. “Paul and I really wanted to work hard to make this label, and we’ve done everything from building the Web site to handling all the business side to remixing artists ... just everything,” notes Adams, who’s been making music in various forms for the past 20 years. Considering where he’s been and what he’s done with music, the fact that he’s co-founded a label comes as no surprise.

At last year's Winter Music Conference in Miami, Adams and Katcher talked with a lot of labels, especially digital labels, and noticed most digital labels were run the same way: a fifty/fifty split with their artists. “After that, we started thinking of just doing this in-house instead of going through people who we don’t know whether or not will really push our material,” Adams said. “I started calling a lot of people I knew and started compiling a roster of people in the area that represent all areas across the 'dance music' spectrum: funk, hip-hop, house, techno, electro and more.” Not surprisingly, most of these artists were friends that Adams knew, which was a definite advantage, but working with friends in business can always prove … awkward. “There’s always that weird factor when you’re dealing with your friends in business, especially when you email them a contract for them to sign in blood,” laughed Adams. “Luckily, the people we’re working with, I really trust and believe they trust us. We just want everybody to do well." 

After they got the Web site up and running, and started to receive and compile tracks that people were sending in, the fact that they’d truly have a platform to release music on their own terms started to sink in. “What really sealed the deal was talking with DJ Godfather (who runs Electrobounce) and getting him behind us with the distribution. All of a sudden, we had 150 different (online) stores all over the world, from Switzerland to South Africa to Brazil, that are going to sell Exchange Bureau Music material. We were like, ‘Damn, now we got a label.’”

And in true record label fashion, Adams and Katcher were intent on doing things right, with a big launch, offering eight completely unique releases. “We’re intentionally putting out releases that are drastically different. We do have a ‘sound,’ but at the same time, when you have an electro remix by DJ Godfather next to an Alton Miller remix next to a joint with Snowman Jack and Guilty Simpson, you can see the broad spectrum we’re covering,” noted Adams. “We’re reaching out to people that might be hip to one of the tracks then start to look through the rest of the catalog, which, in turn, would open their ears to some broken-beat or house stuff.” The first eight releases include two full albums, some EPs and singles with remixes. “We have a lot of stuff in the bag, but we didn’t want to launch without eight releases to start, just to get the word out there. In a month or so, we’ll start to release more material, like the Daz-I-Kue remix and a John Arnold/Recloose single,” Adams told me.

Exchange Bureau Music will launch the label at famed Detroit music venue, The Shelter. “The party is a great sampling of the different sounds found on the label,” Adams said. “I’m going to DJ at the beginning, playing the funkier things from the label while mixing in some old funk and disco-boogie, which will lead into E. Spleece, who’s a bit more hip-hop oriented; after Spleece comes Ibex, who does more of the Detroit-techno/Detroit-house sound, and then John Arnold will do his crunk/broken-beat/house thing,” said Adams, with ramping enthusiasm. “We’re bringing in one of the broken-beat originators and innovators, Daz-I-Kue, who’s coming from the U.K. to close it all out.” Live percussionist Jared Sykes will also be playing throughout the evening, while your host, the one and only Paul Randolph, will be singing live with the DJs.

Exchange Bureau Music is a collective of incredibly talented musicians and producers brought together by a couple of Detroit’s gifted music makers, who are all intent on making world-class “dance” music on their own terms. Dig that.  | RDW

EXB Music Launch Party • 11/6 • The Shelter
Check out www.exchangebureaumusic.com

Paul Randolph is easily one of the Motor City’s most talented and diverse musicians. Randolph’s played alongside some of the world’s best musicians (Brian Setzer, WAR, Buddy Guy) and made a name for himself as a one-of-a-kind bassist, while also heading-up Mudpuppy. More recently, Randolph’s made waves with the internationally celebrated Lonely Eden release. RDW caught up with Randolph who’s releasing a single with Exchange Bureau Music and is set to host the Launch Party at The Shelter.

Are Detroiters spoiled brats, in that we have such a strong and diverse music landscape?
I used to wonder about that … Detroit is rough on a band, if we don’t like you, we’re going to let you know, because we got it made. If you can make it through Detroit, you can get through any town. No matter where you are, you gotta do your thing, man.

Tell me about putting Lonely Eden together.
I had a vision of where I wanted to go. My previous record, for all intents and purposes, was a house record …

Or more electro-soul, perhaps?
Yes, thank you, indeed. But I never looked at it that way, I was writing music, trying to say something, lyrically, and I was like, “I’m going to do four-on-the-floor, but I’m going to put all this other stuff on top of it." I was trying to make everyone happy, I was trying to have fun by making something you could sing and dance to and that DJs would dig. That’s not what I’ve done with Lonely Eden.

Where’d you go with the new one?
Well, I was working with Jazzanova, I did three tracks with them, and when I got around all these heavy-hitters who do remixes really well, I saw that when I did them, it drove me crazy because I wasn’t accustomed to trying to split myself three or four ways. I went back to doing what I think I do best — writing lyrics, writing a melody and just having fun with it. I wanted it to be really special.

Any last words, Paul?
I know I’m good at what I do and I’m worthy of being heard. It’s taken a lot of years, work, sacrifice and shit to get here. I don’t like talking about myself, but it’s nice to stop and smell the flowers every once in a while. I can see the light coming my way.  | RDW