V.A. Preachers Tape

I'm just gonna come right out and say it, this first mixtape offering by the baby-faced Berlin label Fun in the Church is a Huge Flex.

Fun in the Church was birthed somewhat haphazardly by the seminal Staatsakt label as a way to release a soundtrack performed by Manila prog soul stars (+ Strong Side A openers) Bing Austria & The Flippin‘ Soul Stompers, after a mutual deal with Rapid Eye Movies was turfed.

Now, building a label's reputation takes a lot of concentrated time and curation. Staatsakt had worked tirelessly at what they love since 2003 to become the most respected name in the German Indie scene, having masterfully navigated the broad scope of this genre by releasing some of the most celebrated names in modern leftfield and progressive German rock, pop, electro and hip hop. However, in 2015, adding a Philippino beat band to the roster was a little too off-brand, no matter how much they loved it.

The solution? Start a cute, little boutique sub label! Named after a Cannonball Adderly tune adored by labeldaddies Stephan Holl & Maurice Summen, and purposefully created to release all of the music they had discovered from a little further out than the “Indie” idiom, or as they call it, “Outernational music for interplanetary people”.

Five years down the road and Fun in the Church is showcasing their future roster on this marvellous and pukka-as-hell compilation. At a first glance it is hard to understand the concept behind the label, but the crux of it is this: The bands on this label represent hip past and future, and are a testament to the breaking down of borders surrounding the music industry and creativity now. The bands on this compilation mix electronics and classical subcontinental instruments, tag Brazilian jazz's trajectory into the stratosphere, conjure mystical noir thematics, and check in on the authentic re-imaginings of modern krautrock, and much more. Fun in the Church is exciting, fun, and a real music lover's label that displays one degree of separation between musicians all over the world.

(Jimmy Trash)