Mr Intl is the independent New York record label run by techno animal and house music legend, Andrew Butler, a.k.a. Mr Hercules and Love Affair.
Disenchanted by the furiously paced disposable nature of new music, DJ turned entrepreneur, Andy Butler decided to take a stand and dig deep into his own pockets to fund the formation of D-i-Y record label, Mr. Intl. Committed to reviving the classic first wave of 90s inspired house infused dance thrash which has fuelled his passion for music throughout his career, Andy’s mission statement is fully focused on full on techno music, “I want to evoke strictly that sound on this label, so I’ve been pretty hard ass with people in terms of what the output is.”
Working closely with Jason Kendig, one of the original residents at long-running Detroit party ‘Family’ and current resident for San Francisco’s ‘Honeysoundsystem Crew’ the creative duo’s taste in music and label ethos is niche. Totally exclusive of any new music which sounds pre ’85 or post ’94, Mr Intl. Records are adamant that their records must be born from analogue techniques and push the relevance of vinyl format.
In discussions to launch a live tour this summer, Mr Intl has a whole host of exciting releases coming up in 2011, stay tuned for more from Kim Ann Foxman, Aerea Negrot and Shaun Wright via the label. i-D Online kicked back with Mr Intl himself, Andy Butler to find out where he finds his new music fixes and what’s next for the label.
How do you define good music? Emotional, deep, melodically strong, thoughtful.
Who are your strongest musical influences and references? Ultramarine, Chez Damier and Ron Trant, DJ Duke, Steve Reich and Godflesh.
What are your plans for the label’s expansion? Vinyl, full lengths, new collaborations.
What are some of the up-and-coming record labels for 2011? The ones I pay attention to are already releasing stuff; Rush Hour is a good example.
What’s next for Mr Intl? Another Butler Kendig, Mark Pistel with DHS and Jack Dangers from Meat Beat Manifesto and some solo stuff from me.
Click here to listen Mr Intl’s magnificent new mixtape and here to see our D-i-Y Records series in full!
