“Artistry has no bounds and each approach is valid as it is defined by the individual,” says TT label manager Maya Vika. Although they’re speaking specifically in relation to one of the releases they’ve chosen to highlight as part of the imprint’s 10th anniversary Selections special, it’s an ethos that echoes across the imprint’s vast catalogue. Since launching in 2014, TT (fka Tobago Tracks) has championed artists with a singular vision: their music might make a mercurial swipe at the dancefloor; it might explore feelings of yearning and loss with ghostly ambience and fractured beats; it may fuse dreamy lo-fi pop with luminous video game sound designs, or abstract beats with acoustic guitar loops. The connective tissue between every release is their delight in experimentation; a disinterest in adhering to the accepted conventions of any one sound – electronic or otherwise.
TT is celebrating its 10th birthday this week with the release of ‘TT 10: A Place Outside Time’, a compilation of tracks from the label’s “friends and family, past, present, and future” including Organ Tapes, 8ULENTINA, GOMID, Iceboy Violet and label founder DJ Pitch in collaboration with Sasha B.
They’re also hosting two parties to mark the occasion. Tonight (26th), at Amsterdam’s Garage Noord, corecore will present sets from Aircode, DJ Pitch, Madjestic Kasual, Maya Vika and Organ Tapes. Then, on Saturday (27th), TT will touch down in London’s Corsica Studios with a stacked bill of DJs and producers who’ve either released landmark EPs and albums on the label – object blue, BFTT, ex.sess, AF85 – or who’s approach simply resonates with their own, like aya and DJ Python. You can get your tickets for that here.
In the meantime, Maya Vika and DJ Pitch have each selected five key releases from TT’s history, spotlighting the breadth of sounds and adventurous ethos that have made it such a beloved cult label over the past 10 years. Dive in below.