Hi, Who are you?
- Memory Palace (Label Name)
- Tyler Coombs (Of The Trees) – Founder
- Jay Rogovin – General Manager
- Blake Coppelson – Label Manager
- Maya Nauriyal – Assistant Label Manager
What’s your ethos?
We strive to bring a higher standard of quality to the North American bass music scene and beyond, and to provide a platform for our artists to take creative risks and work with them to actualize conceptual releases and build worlds together.
Tell us your origin story...
I’ve had a lot of wonderful experiences working with labels throughout the years, but also a lot of not-so-wonderful experiences – and I think many of my peers would agree. I wanted to consolidate everything I have learned and apply it to my own approach while taking the opportunity to carve a new stylistic lane that I had always imagined and wanted to see in our scene. The concept for Memory Palace arose during the pandemic, when a lot of the music industry experienced a universal standstill, and all of that free time allowed me to zoom out and view everything from a nice safe distance. It wasn’t until last year that I was really able to start putting things into motion, having the support and team to bring everything to life.
Where are you based? Tell us about your local scene.
I’m currently based in Colorado and have been for the last 5 years. The scene here doesn’t need a whole lot of introduction; most would consider it the epicentre of bass music in the United States. I would certainly say most of my solo project’s growth snowballed after gaining a larger following in the region, and I’m hyped to be headlining two nights at Red Rocks this year – which is obviously a legendary venue.
Do you have a specific sound or vibe?
I wanted to be careful to avoid pigeonholing Memory Palace into a specific “sound” or genre. The biggest qualifier I look for when reviewing demos comes down to two specific factors; it has to be musically interesting and distinct amongst current trends of dance music – and to be exemplary of an artist’s ability to make all-around sonically remarkable compositions. I love the way electronic music sounds when it is polished and carefully crafted for sound systems, and I take that into consideration with every release.
Do you have a regular artist roster?
Nahh…
Tell us about your A&R process…
To qualify for demo submission, we typically request the artist sends us a vial their of blood to our compound and a bundle of their preferred herbs for the ceremonial burning. The listening room is unfortunately located in our headquarters deep within the Rocky Mountains, so it typically takes a few weeks for me to make the hike to the summit.
What makes you different from other labels?
Magic and Crystal Balls.
What does it take to run a bass music label in 2024?
I’ve been told it would be a massive undertaking, especially starting an artist-run label when I’m in the midst of a pretty busy schedule myself – but I think I wasn’t able to fully grasp that until we were already a few months into the initial rollout. It seems every step of the way is met with new challenges, especially when trying to break out of the more common methodologies for running an electronic label. The roadblocks never stop. That being said, I’m incredibly fortunate to have a dedicated and talented team alongside me, helping every step of the way – and sometimes that help is simply keeping me from losing my head from stress. I’m grateful that they’re down to dive in and take risks, meeting difficulties head-on; and we’re learning as we go. With every obstacle, the other side is waiting, and the reward of accomplishing something I’ve always wanted to do is unparalleled.
What have you got coming up we should look out for?
Our biggest objective at the moment is to move into larger-scale Memory Palace events. We’ve done a few festival stage takeovers and a pop-up event in Denver, but the goalposts keep moving. Now more than ever, I think a lot of people are looking to attend more intentional gatherings for music, which is exactly what we want to be doing. My dream is to eventually have the wherewithal to throw festivals in that sphere, with a large focus on fantastical engagement and immersion, activities outside of the typical party-forward environment of many events, and to build a super solid community over time.
Follow Memory Palace Website / Instagram
