Jackmode is a one-of-kind agency and label with plans to add a management unit in the near future. Based in Berlin with agents located in other German cities as well as in Bogota, it represents a diverse group of carefully selected artists including Adana Twins, Claptone, HNQO, Monkey Safari, Kruse & Nuernberg, Mercury, Round Table Knights, and KlangKüenstler. Jackmode seeks to find international emerging artists and takes a vested interest in their careers beyond simply record sales. Known for representing talented artists and hosting great parties in Europe, Jackmode plans to continue its expansion into other regions of the world in the future. Adrian Ravelo and Steve Paskovich sat down with Daniel Zedelmair, Jackmode's founder, to discuss more about the unique Jackmode brand, what goes into one of their parties, their plans for international growth, and what sets them apart from other agencies and labels. Be on the lookout for the next episode of SoundPark Radio today featuring four mixes by Jackmode artists.
What is Jackmode? Who is Jackmode? I started Jackmode in 2008 as a booking agency. At the moment I’m about to start a management unit within Jackmode as well. I'm just building up with two partners. We're also thinking about putting out more music again next year. Just feels like the right thing to do after our '5 Years of Jackmode' compilation has been so well received. In the booking unit we are seven agents, four of them based in Berlin, and the others in Zurich, Hamburg and Bogota.
With releases by Kruse & Nuernberg, Adana Twins, Round Table Knights, and many more, how do you feel your catalog speaks to your brand and what you are trying to accomplish? We had a long break from releasing music. We needed to pay full attention to the agency business for a while. In the end, the agency is the motor for all other adventures. The compilation can be seen as a showcase of what we represent. Mostly all artists delivered a track for this.
We tried to give the whole anniversary as much content and identity as possible. Visualism in Hamburg did a really nice design we used for the tour, CD, and vinyl. In the future, we want to build up the Jackmode brand even sharper and put more attention in to design and the way we communicate it. Being only an agency, it didn't feel that important, but with growing into new markets and businesses, it will become more and more important to represent your colors a bit more out there.
Jackmode performed over at a party called "Berlin Beats and Boats" tell us a little about Jackmode's involvement in the event? How do your parties represent what Jackmode is all about? Berlin Beats & Boats is a huge boat parade organized every year by a Berlin based company named “Work Is Play”. We've been invited for the first time to join. We used the occasion to have a nice sunny day with all our friends while a few of our artists played.
We've been really lucky with the boat as well, which was kind of the jewel of the whole fleet. We decorated it a bit with balloons in our colors, had a soup bubble machine as well as a fog machine. The only thing I had to deliver was the lineup. The Boat sold out within two hours. By the time I wanted to promote the event, all of the tickets were already sold! However, it was kind of nice seeing that we have such a great following in Berlin.
Being based in Berlin, it's no surprise the epicenter of your focus is in Europe. Do you have plans to showcase your brand more in other markets around the world? We will definitely have a few showcases coming up in South Central America. One of our agents, Phil Tomlin, is based in Bogota and just started to represent Jackmode down there. We also had a few invitations from other places in Asia and Australia, but I think those things need time, especially in overseas territories. I’m not feeling the urge to overdo it though; things will just grow naturally.
As you look to take your brand & artists into the future, what's the growth strategy you're employing? Are you looking to grow internally, with more releases by your current base, or by bringing in new complimentary talent? I think we're in a lucky position now, where we have enough capacity to try new acts, as well as a good enough reputation to be requested by more established acts as well. Our strategy has always been adding acts in an early part of their career for worldwide representation. We always did that in overtaking not only the booking, but also trying to help in developing the act. There has always been a type of management approach in what we did. This will become an important part for Jackmode in the future, but on a more official level from now on, with some great partners and new people we recently involved.
Labels are a dime a dozen, with nearly every artist starting up their own imprint. What sets you apart from the countless others that co-exist around you? We are thinking about relaunching the label next year. In general, it is not our main business and we never had the pressure to take it too seriously. Because of this, we never had the urge to make money with any of the releases. We always saw the label as a platform for artists to promote themselves and get their tracks out.
Being mainly an agency we have one common interest with the artists, which is increasing the number and quality of shows they play and that is exactly what we intend when releasing music. This might set us apart from many other labels, who concentrate only on the releasing side of things.
If you see how the record market has changed worldwide, the flexibility we have through being a booking agency becomes an important weapon. The goal here is to work on strategies around how to release records with the best possible impact on the increase of booking requests. We also look at ways to combine releases and touring, then offer that package to promoters, creating a unique selling point.
As technology rapidly progresses and dance music becoming more of a commonplace, where do you see the industry in the next five years? I have the feeling that the general boundaries we had in the past don't exist anymore. When I was young, it wasn’t ok to be into techno and rap music at the same time. Today, those limits don’t exist as much anymore. I also think there is a huge synergy on the producing level between different genres. Still dance music seems to be getting stronger and stronger. I feel thankful that we have found our spot in the whole game and run a small but established agency brand in these exciting times.
What can we expect from you in the back half of 2013, any releases, parties, or events that you are truly excited about? We still have a few shows coming up in the '5 Years of Jackmode' tour and we’ve already stopped at Watergate, Social Club, Razzmatazz, Toffler, Whoosah Beach Club, Club Bonsoir, Hive and a few others. In September, we have one night at the infamous Grelle Forelle Club in Vienna, another one coming up at Rote Sonne in Munich, and we're proud to have our first little Jackmode floor at the Rave On Snow 2013. We are also preparing a big weekend in Istanbul, with a massive Jackmode showcase arranged by a promoter team called Gigology, which will happen in early November. I’m also definitely looking forward to the next Exploited showcase at Watergate, September 14th, Clapone playing Sankeys (Ibiza) for Birminghm based TRMNL brand on October 5th and Adana Twins playing The Warehouse Project in Manchester for the first time. I might also join Round Table Knights playing for few shows in some Swiss Grand Hotels together with the Brand Brauer Frick Ensemble, not to forget the all those showcases at ADE... I guess I need to pull myself together to come to an end here.
Listen to Jackmode on Pulse Radio