| Six Degrees Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Pat Berry, Bob Duskis |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Official Website | http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com |
Six Degrees Records is an independent record label noted for its catalog of recordings from international musicians and vocalists. It has been described by the journalist and producer Derek Beres as "one of the most groundbreaking labels of the past decade."[1]
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In 1996, former Windham Hill employees Pat Berry and Bob Duskis founded Six Degrees Records with the intention of promoting new trends in world music.[2] Originally affiliated with Island Records, Berry and Duskis achieved their first major success with the release of London-based tabla player Talvin Singh's influential compilation album Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground. Although Singh was not the only artist featured on the album, he was marketed as the focal point of the release. In this way, the media acquired a poster child upon which to lavish its attention, enabling album sales to approach 200,000 units.[3]
With the departure of Island Records label head Chris Blackwell, Berry and Duskis decided to forgo the constraints of major label machinery. In 1999, they acquired an independent status. Looking to carry over their success with Singh into the American market, they began working with the Indian American producer and composer Karsh Kale, establishing connections with what became known as "Asian Massive" music scene, a loose term that can be used to describe any artist working at the nexus of South Asian and electronic dance music genres.[4] The success of Kale's compilation album Asian Massive further cemented the label's reputation as an innovative presence in the music industry.
Beyond its work with the Asian underground, Six Degrees Records has signed and promoted artists from around the world, placing a great emphasis on the promotion of hybrid dance music forms and innovative cross-cultural collaborations. Standout acts include Algerian-born and San Francisco based Cheb i Sabbah, Malians Issa Bagayoga and Vieux Farka Toure, Brazilians Bebel Gilberto and Céu, Egyptian-born and London based Natacha Atlas, and the Iranian Azam Ali. Gilberto's 2000 album Tanto Tempo was a particular highpoint, selling over a million copies and introducing Gilberto, the daughter of renowned musician João Gilberto, to a wider global audience.[5]
Based in San Francisco, the label operates under the motto, "Everything is closer than you think," encapsulating their aim of introducing global artists to the American market alongside an embrace of the increased accessibility of musical media through digitization.[6] Beyond releasing music in digital formats and pursuing social media marketing opportunities, Berry and Duskis strongly promote the licensing of their artists' music for film, television and commercial use.[7] Nevertheless, artistic integrity remains a priority, and in a relatively short period of time, the label has developed a significant reputation by emphasizing creativity before commerce.[8]
Artists under the label make music within a wide range of musical genres, from bossa nova, funk and folk, to electronic music and dubstep.[9] Notable releases such as Cheb i Sabbah's La Kahena, Gaudi's Dub Quawaali, and Niyaz's Nine Heavens are emblematic of the musical hybridity that makes the label's releases difficult to fit within conventional genres.