Many record labels in the industry primarily focus on releasing music, however some of them have their sights set on bigger and better aspirations. Whether it be connecting with listeners or building a family of artists that share a mutual passion for the music they love. Night Owl Collective is an example of one of those labels. Formed by Texas based music producer Jonny Ha$h, Night Owl Collective is your premiere record label that has been paving the way with some of the most innovative music out there. It releases all types of music ranging from futuristic and hip-hop, to chill and jazz. The label is led by Jonny, but it’s a comprised of a collective of artists that have all contributed to its formation and growth.
In 2015 Night Owl unleashed their Feel Trip Volume One compilation that was met with great reception upon release. It featured tracks from some of the most premiere Night Owl signees like MaxD, Next To Blue, COPYCATT, Modern Vintage, Tekvision, and Keota. Several months later Night Owl would follow up with Feel Trip Volume Two that showcased even more artists with a whole new range of tracks. Night Owl’s unique style of music and family separate it from your average record label. RaverRafting had the opportunity to talk Jonny about Night Owl’s history, goals, and plans for the future. Be sure to check out our exclusive interview below!
Starting with the basics, what is Night Owl Collective all about?
Jonny: Night Owl Collective is a family that I have created. It is a community of my favorite artists from across the globe; beautiful, talented, passionate people that I have met along the years of my musical journey. Each member is special and unique, and we have joined together to help each other grow, and support each other’s dreams. The members are more than just “artists on a record label”, they are my best friends, and I talk to many of them daily. The community is extremely strong between all of us. It all started when me and my good friend Andre (also known as COPYCATT, another artist in the collective) were having a playful conversation about putting together a compilation with a few of our friends.
Jonny: At that moment, it dawned on me that I have a lot of really talented friends, each of them with a style that compliments each other’s sounds, and it seemed like a lot of them didn’t really have a true home for their music – including myself. So what started as a joke, quickly turned into something very serious. I knew I needed to act on it immediately, and it was at that time that I decided to dedicate my life to turning this idea into a reality. I began making plans and gathering my artists, and building a platform that has now turned into something that is changing people’s lives. Night Owl Collective is all about love, positivity, growth, and family. (And of course, good music with good vibes).
You’re currently in the midst of your Feel Trip Vol. 2 compilation. Tell us a bit more about that?
Jonny: Well, I will start by mentioning our Feel Trip Vol. 1 compilation, which was our first release ever on Night Owl Collective. That release was 20 songs from all different artists, and was spread out from December 2015 through January 2016, releasing 3 songs per week. With Feel Trip Vol. 2, I wanted to step things up a bit. Since it was the 2nd volume, I thought it would be cool to double the amount of songs, so we have 40 tracks this time.
Jonny: I also wanted to bring in some new talent, which ended up being some of my favorite artists, such as GEOTHEORY, Audiobot, BENTZ, and a few others. We are releasing a new track every other day, which started on October 2nd, and will end with the last track on December 19th. So far things have been going really well and we’re all excited to continue watching it grow.
Where did the name “Night Owl Collective” come from?
Jonny: I have a bit of an interesting story for this. After I gathered the original members of Night Owl Collective, I created a group on facebook for all of us to stay in touch and communicate easily. Of course, one of the first questions was, “What is the collective going to be called?”, and so together we all brainstormed for a week or so. There was a lot of suggestions, but nothing really felt perfect to me. So eventually there was one night where I was thinking of names all night, and I still couldn’t come up with anything; the sun was rising and I had a horrible headache, and I just laid in bed and thought to myself, “I guess I should probably just sleep… I’m sure something good will come to me tomorrow”. I laid in bed for a few more minutes, and then my final thought was, “Ah, such is the life of a night owl…”, and at that very moment, it hit me – Night Owl Collective. I got the chills, I just knew it was meant to be.
Jonny: You see, I have always been a “night owl” my whole life, starting when I was just a baby. I would escape out of my crib and explore the house in the middle of the night. Then as a young child, me and my friends would always have contests to see who could stay up the latest, or see who could make it until the sun comes out. As I continued growing up, it was something I never really grew out of; when I was a teenager I fell in love with the rave scene and was constantly partying all night, and then after my partying years basically came to an end, that is when I got really serious about music producing, and of course – I work best at night, and most often produce music all night until the morning comes. “Night Owl” is more than just a name, it’s part of my history, and it represents a culture. We are the owls – we are the creatures of the night.
What about the name for “Feel Trip”?
Jonny: This also has a pretty neat back-story to it. Last year, mid-2015, I went on my first (and only) tour, with a handful of artists that, in my eyes, are legends. It was a small week-long tour that took place in New York and New Jersey, and it included myself, GEOTHEORY, Diversa, Ramzoid, Grynpyret, Keota, Covert, and my best friend Berilium (also known as Modern Vintage). When we were thinking of names for the tour, I came up with the name “Feel Trip”. I loved the name a lot, but we ended up going with “Feel Squad” instead.
Jonny: After the tour was over, I couldn’t help but feel like I still really wanted to find a good use for the name “Feel Trip”. Then, a few months later is when I started Night Owl Collective, and when we were putting together our first release, I was thinking of a name that would be good for the compilation – and that’s when I remembered Feel Trip!
How would you describe the style of the sounds you are pushing with Night Owl Collective?
Jonny: There’s honestly a really diverse selection of sounds throughout our releases. One of my main focuses is having a jazz-influence in the songs, but I like to switch it up sometimes as well, and release stuff that is not so jazzy, but still compliments the sound of the rest of our songs. On our current compilation, it’s a bit of a mixture of jazz, future bass, trap, hip-hop, chill-out, house, glitch-hop/neuro, and some experimental stuff.
Jonny: If you listen through the album teaser for Feel Trip Vol. 2, you’ll notice that there are a lot of different genres, but somehow the songs flow together cohesively and work well as a group. Each artist has their own specific sound, but our individual sounds joined together is what creates the signature Night Owl Collective style.
Where do you see things going for Night Owl Collective after the compilation is over?
Jonny: To be honest, I want to take Night Owl Collective higher and higher until we reach the top. And what I mean by that, is: I dream of it becoming one of the leading music platforms in the industry, and I believe we can acheive it, especially at the rate we are currently growing. I want to help artists grow, and I want to get to a point where I can help provide careers for my artists. Ever since I started Night Owl, I have felt compelled to make it my duty to take part in the movement of changing the music industry for the better; putting more focus on the artists and indepedant labels, and really showing care and compassion for the people in our community.
Jonny: I see many changes taking place throughout the music scene and I am trying my best to just ride the wave and make a positive impact. I think Night Owl Collective has one of the strongest communities in the underground scene – not just our artists, but our fans as well. I think one reason it’s doing so well is because I am trying to focus on the idea of spreading love with everything that we do. I notice there are a lot of people in the music industry who seem to be in it for the wrong reasons, and they don’t really care much about helping anyone but themselves. My philosphy is that, everybody has to start at the bottom and climb to the top; we are all the same in that sense, so we should all be in this together.
Jonny: I spend a lot of time interacting with our fans, interacting with my artists, and always doing what I can to help bring people up and spread good vibes. I think it’s important. In the next couple of years, I firmly believe that Night Owl Collective will continue to grow and blossom a lot, and we will make a huge impact on the music scene around the world, pioneering a special sound and pushing a movement that will go down in history. This is merely just the beginning for us, and I am confident that we have a very bright and exciting future ahead.
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Check out Night Owl Collective:
soundcloud.com/nightowlcollective
facebook.com/nightowlcollectiveofficial
Listen to Feel Trip Vol. 2:
soundcloud.com/nightowlcollective/sets/feel-trip-vol-2
nightowlcollective.bandcamp.com/album/feel-trip-vol-2
Check out Jonny Ha$h:
soundcloud.com/jonnyhashmusic
facebook.com/jonnyhashmusic
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