Similarly to artists themselves, from the perspective of a record label, the choice to sign an artist can side with the artists rising popularity- their potential to bring in the money, or, side with a belief in the style of music that the artist is channeling. And when it comes to Tri Angle Records, the latter is true (though the former has been a perk).

"I think I had a relatively clear vision for the label pretty early on and that definitely helped me wrap my head around everything." reveals Robin Carolan, the label's founder, in one interview. And this is all the more apparent when browsing through the family of artists signed to it- a list which includes names like How To Dress Well, Holy Other, Balam Acab, and perhaps most notably, Clams Casino.

In addition to the fact that their music has generated a lot buzz, the element these artists have in common is their inclination toward a pulsing, intricately controlled use of reverb.  A technique which has come about from the rise in digital software and hardware for making music and a technique that allows for the effect of stacked, yet indistinguishable layers hammered in with heavy rhythms. Atmospheric layers that sort of melt right into one another. That faith in the powers of almighty reverb  maybe best describes why these artists fall under the same family. Put that reverb together with a preference for making music under 100 BPM and you have the two ingredients that make up the recipe for the Tri Angle sound. That slow drone with the deep beat.

But as the artists under Tri Angle prove, this formula leaves a lot of room for variation. How To Dress well puts the reverb emphasis on his r&b vocal melodies while Clams Casino samples vocals in a way somehow indicative of the second-coming Christ. Aside from their similarities regarding the technical side of song construction, all these artists under Tri Angle evoke that indescribable something in a song that gets us feeling. Instead of seeking artists that make tracks which get us grooving, Carolin has opted to seek out artists who are fueled by highly personal emotions derived from the condition of permanent isolation.

I first took notice upon the label after the startling realization that it was the name behind many, it seemed all, of the new artists that I was listening to. And as I found upon further investigation, this pattern was too much of a coincidence to be an actual coincidence- if I have it right, it was actually something that had been calculated by one man, Robin Carolan, who detected the ingenuity of these artists before the rest of us did- "I was always a fan of labels that seemed to exist within their own world. The ones that appeared to know what they were about, like 4AD in the 80s, Warp, Ghost Box, Rephlex, etc. I think very carefully about everything I release, almost as if I’m trying to create a narrative for the label with each release."

To hear more of what Carolan has been after and learn more about the inventory of the artists under Tri Angle Records, check out their website and/or soundcloud. And for a taste, here's a song from Holy Other.