I’m not sure how many people know this, but when I’m not slaving away on Latest Disgrace, I work in advertising. My job is to build brands and, when possible, motivate consumers to action. So while I have an intense passion for a wide variety of music, I also maintain a healthy interest in how artists and bands market themselves. Call it professional curiosity.
Music is certainly first and foremost an artistic pursuit, but the moment someone tries to position it within any sort of marketplace, either real or virtual, it becomes a product subject to all the same market and consumer forces as, say, a can of soda. No matter how good your product/music is, you still have to have a solid strategy in place to sell and support it. It never ceases to amaze me how few artists in this town actually get this.
Far Out Ventures gets it. Centered around the eclectic trio NightMeetsDay and rappers Glenn Saddler and BiAS, the Atlanta outfit is a loose collective of musicians, writers, photographers, graphic designers, cinematographers and editors that continually collaborate of Far Out projects. While so many bands limit themselves artistically by focusing solely on their music, these cats have come together to offer their listeners a far more immersive and visually rich experience. I’ve been following Far Out for months and there doesn’t seem to be a single piece of music released that isn’t accompanied by it’s own artwork and a full-fledged music video. Their Tumblr page is constantly updated with snippets of new music, demos, videos, photos, live performances and previews that all serve to lull you deeper into their musical universe. With a motto like “Fuck the in crowd,” you had better be prepared to come hard and these guys have a work ethic that could only be described as relentless.
Recently, I got the opportunity to sit down with Far Out’s inner circle and talk to them about a great many things including their history, their approach to the artistic process and their thoughts on the state of the music industry. In this first installment of a multi-part interview, the crew discusses the origins of the collective and how Glenn and BiAS got their start rapping.
Huge props to Terence Rushin of Chasing Squirrelz (@chasinsquirrelz) for all his hard work putting together this piece.
More Info:
Web: www.fartherout.com
