We had a chat with label owner Leila who started Vivid Sounds in 2014.
Who are you?
I’m Leila, I go by the artist name Detour.
I absolutely love the name Vivid Sounds! How did the idea about the label and name come about?
Thank you! I’ve actually been making music for a very long time. Was around in the 90s making stuff, approached a few labels and had the success of being with a pretty major label, but I never really quite did things satisfactory enough for myself. I had a mental block to completely go for it. Fear of rejection was there even though I wasn’t really rejected, I had to be alright with different opinions. If that makes any sense?!! Life got busy I had children and that stopped me from carrying on with my love of music and being a mother was the new me. Fast forward 11 years and moving out of London, I had to do decide what I was going to do work wise. I don’t do well at working for other people and decided to do the label. The idea came to me towards the end of 2014. I tried to figure out a way that I can make it not just about music if I want to see any financial return and being an artist I figured I could use my talents of design to do clothing alongside it. The name was a brain storm of about half an hour. It came to me, then I thought it sounded familiar.. Vivid Entertainment is a porn production company lol.. So I kept the name!!
What’s the hardest part with running your own label, and what’s the best part?
Everything I do is a learning curve. I’m learning as I go along really. Everyone runs their label differently and even though it’s about music primarily. I want this to be my livelihood and so I take everything about it really seriously. The hardest part for me is finding the time to focus on the most fun and best part – making the music, because you need to market yourself effectively, network with the right people to build the correct audience for what you’re trying to achieve, find other artists who believe in you because you’re new, and that can only happen the trust is built up. You have to be honest and sincere, develop relationships with people and treat them with respect instead of a meal ticket to the next hit!
I think it depends what your strengths are to run a label. I have complete control over the design of everything, there’s very little I don’t do, the art work, look of my website, social media marketing, research, networking, I do all of it. I do have people do things for me that I can’t do, like the actual building of my website, and some graphic design work, but I design everything really. All the visuals are my concepts and most are my actual work. So, if you do it all yourself, the hardest part is being able to keep on top of each element daily with the time they need. You spread yourself pretty thin.
How do you find music to release? 
I don’t tell people straight away what I do. I’ve built up a huge friends list of like minded people. Quite a few are doing exactly what I’m trying to which is market themselves, so they’ll inbox me with their soundcloud links or post something on my wall. If I like it I investigate further and then let them know what I’m doing. I do get interest from people, especially being female and after they hear what I have on my soundcloud page, but as I’m new and my first release isn’t due out until July, I don’t want to start taking more people on without having an idea of what to expect from what I have good to go so far. I’m always listening to what other people do. Even if it’s just to support other people making music. Because I make music myself I can always fall back on what I do to keep putting music out, but I have a few people at the moment and they are hot hot hot!!
What IS the sound of Vivid Sounds?
It’s what I like :) I do like the dark side of d’n’b, hard beats, heavy sub basses, atmospheric sounds etc. But for me to want to put the track out, it has to have me bouncing in my seat when I hear it. Or my head nodding because I’ve just gone into it deep. Lot’s of different styles of d’n’b can do that to me, but hard beats, or just a hard hitting track in general is a good start to understanding Vivid Sounds.
Threshold has a forthcoming release on Vivid Sounds in July, what can you tell us about that?
The Sticky Planets EP is an awesome four track EP! I’d say this is a good start to understanding Vivid Sounds; soundcloud/vivid sounds
The EP is out on 24/7/2015 and can also be preordered in iTunes. Threshold and I have been friends for around 15 years. We met at Reinforced Records and we’d see each other weekly there. I always loved his style of music, he always did what he liked regardless of what the current fad in d’n’b was. He’s true to himself, and all the tracks in his EP are things he wanted to do, no direction from me about how they should be, you’d just be getting him in your ear!
I understand that you are also busy designing merchandise and clothes?
I have t-shirts, hoodies and ladies slouch tops on sale already with a few more designs almost ready to be made up.
Can we except a Vivid Sounds event soon?
I would love to do events. But right now I want to get some tracks out, get more awareness and see how it all goes.
If anyone would like to send music to you, how can they go about?
They can send it to me via email: detour@vividsounds.co.uk or message me in Facebook through facebook.com/vividsoundsuk, or twitter.com/vividsounds80
Who would you say is your favourite drum&bass producer?
That’s tricky because I tend not to have favourites about anything really. I can reel off a few producers that I love in no particular order. Dillinja, Tech Itch, Decoder, Lemon D, Digital, Spirit, Ed Rush, Optical, Jonny L, Dom and Roland, John B, Dylan.. there’s more but you get my drift.. From that list you can see what era I come from!
What’s next for Vivid Sounds?
My first release Inceptive EP, a two track EP is out 14/8/2015, and there’s a special four track EP from a great producer – hush-hush for now though! And yet another EP coming out after that one. I’m all EP’d up!
I’m always happy to listen to what people do so I’m constantly (and secretly) on the hunt!
Any famous last words…?
Just pay attention to Vivid Sounds. Girls can do it too!
Thank you!
