EXCLUSIVE: Spirit Level Signs WA Duo Feels & Norway's Wauwatosa

Eclectic, exploratory indie label Spirit Level has signed two new acts to its burgeoning artist roster, with co-founder Tim Shiel announcing the addition of WA electronic duo Feels and Norway pop outfit Wauwatosa today.

The new recruits, both of whom are currently working on new music to release through their new label home, join Spirit Level's current cabal of acts that includes multi-talented Melburnians Braille Face and Donald Hugh, Vermont experimental rockers Zammuto, as well as Telling, Shiel's own ongoing collaboration with singer-songwriter Ben Abraham.

Shiel revived the label last year, having originally started it with musician Wally De Backer (Gotye) in 2014, and he kindly took the time to speak to The Music about the new signings and what the blossoming roster means for Spirit Level as it grows in size and continues to develop its ethos of appreciation for the unique and more adventurous side of the musical landscape.

According to Shiel (who would be a familiar voice to Double J listeners, as the host of the routinely excellent Something More), Feels' blend of live percussion and virtual synths are a natural fit for the label and a personal favourite of his "because they have all this energy that comes from when you are right at the start of the creative process".

"I feel like I can palpably hear that excitement of exploring and discovering new sounds inside their songs," he said. "They're inspired maybe by some different things to everyone else making electronic music in Australia at the moment and that makes them feel like a good fit for Spirit Level; they're kind of out there exploring their own sound without being too stressed about fitting in to any scene or sound."

I think sometimes you just know when you've found someone you should work with, and you can't necessarily explain why.

Similarly, when he discovered Wauwatosa — who are centred on producers and songwriters Sigurd Ytre-Arne and Martin Langerød — a couple of years ago, Shiel was "blown away" by their track Feather, he says, and felt an immediate connection to what they were trying to achieve.

"I can't remember how I found it but I just felt like I was hearing a kindred spirit," he explained. "I think sometimes you just know when you've found someone you should work with, and you can't necessarily explain why.

"Getting to know Sigurd, Martin and the extended Wauwatosa group a bit better, it's become obvious really quickly that they are super-great people; we have a shared sense of humour and shared ideas about music. They seem like part of a scene in Norway that feels like it shares a spirit with what the vision for Spirit Level is in Melbourne. It's really exciting to feel like you might have made some kind of connection with a group of people on the other side of the world."

Although Spirit Level's first signing (Zammuto) was also an international band, Shiel says he's still learning the ropes somewhat when it comes to operating outside the relative safety of the Australian music industry, and that working with Wauwatosa in particular within the Norwegian scene will be as challenging as it is rewarding given the extra distance involved.

"Like most labels I know, I'm making it up as I go along," he said. "I guess the main thing is making sure that I'm communicating with Norwegian industry and letting them get to know the label a bit before we launch the band, so that we have support there when we have music ready to go. The internet has definitely made it possible to be based in Melbourne but release music anywhere (or everywhere) in the world — but at the same time, it can be a real challenge not being on the ground. There's only so far you can push a relationship via emails and Skype chats.

"I visited Helsinki late last year for a conference called Slush Music where I was able to meet a lot of Nordic media and artists, and I'm just still deep in research and trying to get a feel for how that part of the world works. There's similarities between Norway and Australia's music scene — but of course some big differences too. I've loved Nordic music for such a long time and feel a real affinity for that part of the world, and I've been telling that people that signing Wauwatosa is essentially just an elaborate excuse for me to visit Norway again. I'm only half-joking."

Everyone on the Spirit Level roster has music just about ready to go.

For those who are itching to hear new works from either (or both) of Spirit Level's newly signed acts, Shiel promises that there's not too much longer to wait.

"I'm sitting on a folder full of pretty amazing music from both bands," he teased. "In fact, everyone on the Spirit Level roster has music just about ready to go. The start of 2017 has been really about planning behind the scenes and levelling up some of the label's structure and processes so that we're ready to support a bigger volume of music and artists.

"It's been good for all of the artists to have time to develop as well. Feels are working right now with Lewis Cancut (NLV Records) on an EP that is close to finished. Wauwatosa's album is a really ambitious project that we've already been working on for over 12 months, with lots of guests and moving parts — but it's getting into its final stages too."

All of which raises the question of what the addition of these two new — and exceptionally distinct — artists means for Spirit Level's overall conceit as a label. Given that the label prides itself on its diversity and eclectic nature, is it still possible for there to be a cohesive, unified vision for what Shiel and his collaborators want it to be?

I think potentially the label's strength is that it's less about what the music sounds like and more about the spirit behind it.

"I've had this conversation a lot recently," he said. "I've had a friend and long-time mentor giving me advice about the label's growth and how to make it work, and they've been hammering into me this idea that it may be an obstacle for Spirit Level if we can't clearly articulate what we're about in terms of style or purpose. Like a brand thing: a lot of the most successful labels, historically, they have a very clear outline or vision of who they are, almost bordering on caricature. But I think potentially the label's strength is that it's less about what the music sounds like and more about the spirit behind it. We all are really excited by the creative process, and by the transformative power of music, especially music that is adventurous and innovates from within an accessible framework like pop music or dance music.

"I'm a big believer that listening to adventurous pop music can change a person — when you find yourself listening to something slightly out of your comfort zone and really enjoying it, it has a flow-on effect (even if minor) on to what kind of person you are in general. That's my personal experience of music as an adolescent and as an adult — music changed me, and still changes me, and that's what I value about it."

"In short: I think being open-minded about what music you listen to makes you more open-minded about how you approach your life and other people," he concluded. "It sounds lofty but that's my imperative across a lot of what I do; that's why I love the music I love.

"So I guess, for the label, I'm drawn to artists who I think make music that can have that impact on people. And the hope is we can build an audience around the label of people who still want that kind of revelatory experience from music."

See Spirit Level's website for more information about their roster and upcoming releases.