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Toby Andrews, President of Astralwerks Records, talks philosophy, label roster, and the year ahead [Interview]
If you listen to pop, dance, house, or any reach of the electronic music spectrum, then Astralwerks Records probably rings a bell. With an artist roster of Alesso, Alison Wonderland, Chris Lake, Marshmello, and many others, Astralwerks Record label boasts the most well-known and enticing names in music. Dancing Astronaut sat down with Astralwerks President, Toby Andrews, to discuss the success of the label in 2022 and what the future holds.
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Owned by Universal Music Group, and a sub-division of Capitol Music Group, Astralwerks is tied to the biggest music conglomerate in the world. With over 30 Grammy nominations and six Grammy awards over the label’s history, Astralwerks has secured behemoth releases from the likes of Swedish House Mafia, The Chemical Brothers, Eric Prydz, Fatboy Slim, and many more. In 2023, Astralwerks will celebrate their 30-year history with a slew of special surprises.
When asked about the diversity of music within the label, Toby Andrews explained that they “have always been the home of a wide range of alternative electronic artists of above ground and the underground.” In addition to the household names, Astralwerks looks to bring up-and-coming names to the American people. In March, London-based duo Arctic Lake signed their alternative-pop and melodic EP, side by side we lie awake to Astralwerks. Another artist that is valiantly securing more recognition in America and is signed to the label is Mathame. The Italian brother duo has a massive following in Europe due in large part to their popular releases on Afterlife. With three back-to-back releases on Astralwerks, Mathame is helping lead the rise of melodic-techno in America.
The early albums from Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and Swedish House Mafia are a big part of the label’s history. Toby Andrews believes that Astralwerks aims to be at the forefront of more hellaciously repeatable trends in the present era of electronic and pop music. Andrews went on to say “If you look across the spread of the roster, you’ve got Bob Moses, SG Lewis, The Avalanches, representing the alternative electronic live experience in the same way as the Chemical Brothers and others before them.” Andrews doesn’t outright parallel Bob Moses and The Chemical Brothers, but more so zooms in on the imprint’s ability to select and woo the electronic avant garde.
Outside of the live scene, Alesso, Alison Wonderland, and Chris Lake represent a handful of the DJs that will regularly grace the mainstage at festivals. Under Astralwerks, Alesso released “When I’m Gone” with Katy Perry and “Words” with Zara Larsson, both performing phenomenally well in the US and around the world. Very proud of the work that Alesso put out this year, Andrews remarked that the club releases “really helped elevate his profile for the whole year.”
One of the main reasons an artist like Alesso is loyal to Astralwerks is the autonomy and support system the label says they provide. “If Alesso wants to have a pop radio campaign and he wants to have a big pop moment of the year. I know that we can deliver that. But I think it’s safe in the knowledge that you know that we will be equally as excited about any of the club releases that he wants to put out,” Andrews says.
Rather than demanding strictly pop singles for streaming numbers, Astralwerks is there for every style of release. One of Andrews’ favorites singles of 2022 was Alesso and Sick Individuals‘ single “We Go Out.” One of Alesso’s most energetic and unique sounding progressive house tracks, the record was an ID for what seemed to fans like a lifetime. After months of playing the unreleased version, Alesso turned in one of Dancing Astronaut’s top tracks of the year. The selling factor for Astralwerks is that the label is a team that supports one another and acts as a family. The label doesn’t need to have every song follow the same genre road map or for every artist to put out a copy-paste marketing campaign.
Andrews noted that Astralwerks fosters a community-based feeling and that they have artists who support each other. “If you like one person on the label, I think you could find five or six others that you’d appreciate at the same time,” he says. All the artists feel like they’re coming into a group of people that understands the world in which they come and with that, all the ambitions each individual possesses. The label can put out great music with Mathame or Alesso—depending on the day—and work with styles of music and artists that they’re excited about. Taking the creative and the visual side really seriously, they want their artists to win. The goal is to be the face of all different styles of electronic music so that everyone feels like there’s a path forward in their respective lane.
When looking ahead to the future, Astralwerks has plenty of exciting projects in store. In 2022, the label first began working with SG Lewis, another standout artist in the live electronic space. In January, SG Lewis will release his first album with Astralwerks and second of his career. Titled AudioLust & HigherLove, this project will be a double album and explores “the differing ways in which we approach love and relationships, and the cyclical nature of those feelings.”
Outside of the SG Lewis album, Astralwerks will continue to roll out plenty of singles. Alesso, Topic, Surf Mesa, and ZHU all have been confirmed for 2023 with plenty of more to come. When asked about which Alesso IDs would be released as singles, Andrews couldn’t really comment on Alesso’s plan. After a leak had already surfaced, “Be Free” with Alesso and Dillon Francis will hopefully come at some point in 2023. While this news is exciting, many of Alesso’s fans are still wondering if his “Interstellar” remix will ever see official release. Fans can also speculate if the upcoming Martin Garrix and Alesso collaboration will be featured as an Astralwerks record. In July, Martin Garrix released “Loop” with DallasK as a joint release from STMPD and Astralwerks. If Astralwerks is able to pick up this potential single for release, they would have one of the most highly anticipated collaborations in all of dance music.
With the music landscape ever in flux—so much so that it can seem too amorphous to keep up with at times—Astralwerks continues to lead the charge with their unique tapestry of projects. Since he took over in 2018, Andrews believes “The roster from when I started five years ago to where it is now is in a completely different place in a great way.” One thing remains certain heading into 2023, the label certianly has a track record of betting big on winning horses from all corners of the musical macrocosm.
Featured image: Astralwerks