Label Focus: Love Not Money Records

Love Not Money is the Leeds based deep house and nu disco label run by Luke Pompey. Releases and remixes from the likes of David Garfit, Dariuis Syrossian, Alcatraz Harry, Ali Scott, Matt Fear and many more have all been well received so far, with plays from Sasha, Solomon, and Radio One - as well as a number of high chart positions on Beatport and RA.

Love Not Money deliver a unique underground music experience firmly dedicated to the support and development of the finest cutting edge electronic music. The label thrives on creative, like-minded people armed with initiative and something new to say.

Ahead of their showcase at Cable on November 24th for Connected, they talk us through the hows, whens and whys of running a label.

Why did you decide the time was right to start a label?
There is so much young talent here in Leeds and a lot of the up and coming producers I am friends with had nowhere to put it out on. It was an obvious move to set up Love Not Money Records, so we all had a home to release on. I’m just glad it’s all been received so well.

What were the ideas behind it, what were you looking to release?
Just good music in an array of styles from young, enthusiastic producers breaking onto the UK House scene.

Have any labels have a big influence on you, that you would aim to be like in the long run?
With the label I’ve not intended to emulate any pre-existing label. In fact I’m trying to do things a little different in the fact that there are no boundaries to our sound - but labels like Defected who have been at the forefront of House for years will always be a good influence.
 
Will you look to build a family or are you more concerned with the music?
It’s a real family vibe. Right from the off everyone releasing on the label were producers I knew in Leeds. That will always be the foundation but of course we are always looking for good music no matter where you’re from. The music always talks if it’s good. We actually have a lot coming up from overseas artists.
 
What’s your thinking with remixes… to bring a new name in, or a new style or…?
With remixes we try to cover the cross-genres of House and ensure the release has something on there for everyone. That’s the secret to a strong release in my eyes. Sometimes we fork out for someone established like ‘Hot Since 82’ or Darius Syrossian and other times we’ll bring someone undiscovered to the helm. On our next release from Hot Creations' signing Denney we’re going vinyl and have remixes from Robert James, Tim Weeks  and Electricano. All of them are wicked artists in their own right with an amazing back catalogue on some very big labels. We’ve covered all styles, from Sleazy Deep House to Techno. It’s going to be a strong release!
 
What have been some of the biggest challenges so far with the label?
Financing it all! I’ve literally done the whole thing on bare minimum, doing absolutely everything myself - from artwork to editingYoutube videos, promotion, marketing… you name it, just to try keep the costs down. Not many people believe me when I tell them that but I put everything to one side last year to make this happen and thankfully the hard work is paying off.
 
And the proudest moments?
There have been so many so far. Our second release going No.2 on Beatport's Nu-Disco chart kick started it all and goes down as my personal highlight. We’ve had eight top 100s since then, plays on Radio One, toured the UK and done parties overseas. It’s been a bit of a crazy year to be fair.
 
Are you looking to releasing any full lengths do you think?
Yeah of course, we’re gonna do an artist mix compilation soon and also I’m looking at asking one of my good friends Rick Hirst to do an album. He’s super talented and makes music with so many influences thrown in there.
 
How much of an influence has Leeds had on the label and you as a producer/DJ?
I’m very passionate about this city for so many reasons. There’s something about Leeds that you can’t explain until you’ve lived here and immersed yourself in it. It’s home to some of the UK’s best clubs and a hot bed of musical talent. People move here from afar just to be part of it and where you’ve got people who are that passionate about music you’re going to find people who are that passionate about making it too. It’s like a breeding ground for quality music and with some big names coming out of the city in the past year or two - the likes of Burnski, Miguel Campbell, Rob James etc - it’s all on my doorstep and I’m lucky enough to be good friends with most of the guys involved in the scene.
 
What should people expect at Connected?
I’ve never been so I’m not sure what to expect but I’ve heard amazing reports! Every time I’ve played in London I’ve had an amazing time and I know Jesse at Connected is a guy who’s been running parties for years, so with his experience it’s nailed on that it’s gonna be an amazing night! Really looking forward to it.

facebook.com/LoveNotMoneyRecords

Love Not Money hosts The Red Room at Connected, Cable on November 24th. Tickets are available below.

Tickets are no longer available for this event