George Smeddles is a name that has been on everyone’s lips the last few weeks – his new single is being championed by the likes of Marco Carola and is racing up the Beatport charts as we speak. But with a unique sound that is unmistakably his, he’s one of the few producers who can let the music do the talking for him, so ahead of several key festival and summer dates, we caught up with him to find out a bit more about the new music, the label he co-runs with Max Chapman, and that video from Music On…
Hi George, great to speak with you at such an exciting part of your career, can you tell us what you’ve been up to in the last few months?
Hi guys! The last few months have been amazing. I’ve been getting lots of really cool gigs, building a new studio and recently signed to Kaluki management along with some other huge artists.
Your new EP ‘How I Feel’ has just dropped on ‘Under No Illusion’ and is already climbing the charts – was there a particular vibe you had in mind when you started the EP? Was it an easy process in the studio?
Not really no – I never really have set out to make EPs, I just make what I’m feeling at the time to be honest. These tracks are about a year old and are mainly just a mixture of cool vocals with a nice groove underneath. I just had lots of fun making them which is what it should be about I think.
Fans of your music say you have a very unique and signature sound – what are the main elements that give you that ‘George Smeddles’ sound?
Yes, I’ve had so much amazing feedback lately about my sound – like I said, I never set out to make a certain style of music, it just happens. Even when I seem to try and make other styles, I sometimes end up in that same groove which has been a massive help for me. I think now it’s about mastering that style and trying new things with it that no one has heard before.
Whatever you’re doing in the studio seems to be working, you’re receiving crazy support from the likes of Marco Carola – how does it feel to be praised by someone of his stature, especially at a night as iconic as Music On?
It’s been a dream of mine for Carola to play one of my tracks on that terrace, since before I even started producing. I would’ve been happy with a 4 second video just so I knew he actually played it, but to wake up to a full video that the Music On official page uploaded on all of their socials is more than a dream come true for me.
The video of Carola playing your track at Amnesia is pretty special and we’re seeing more people finding new music through live videos on social media, a far cry from the record shop days! Do you think that this is the future of music discovery?
Definitely! So many people get slated for furthering their careers through videos on social media and it amazes me. Look, if we achieve something, now we have the opportunity to share it with the world and the potential reach is endless. Why not? It’s definitely the way forward.
You also run Resonance Records with Max Chapman, have you had to adapt the way you release music to take things like Spotify and streaming into account? How does an indie label grow in today’s industry?
Yes of course, we’ve had to sit down and talk about changing our approach to most things. Every day for me, running a label, you learn something new and a lot of the time you’re faced with change – it’s all about adapting and keeping up with the times, something everyone knows my partner Max is an expert at. Resonance has really stepped it up a gear these last few months, our last two releases have both hit the top 10 tech-house singles on Beatport, and we have a crazy rest of the year lined up too.
And as an artist, what do you think is the best piece of advice for newcomers who are trying to get themselves noticed on the scene?
Networking is a huge part. It’s never been my strong point as I’ve always been quite shy and reserved… unless I’m on the tequilas, and that never ends well! I’m not saying go and lick arse, don’t do that, just introduce yourself to the right people and just being yourself. It makes things 10,000 times easier for when you want to send your tunes to these big artists, because they will open that email and you will get a response – then let your music do the rest of the work.
Finally, what else can we expect from George Smeddles over the next few months in terms of music and gigs? Any big ones that we should keep an eye out for in particular?
The next few months are looking crazy! I’m playing Fabric’s main room, Junction 13 Festival, Abode in the Park on the Viva Warriors Stage and a few more to be announced. Releases – all I can say right now is I have a VIVA release coming out in August with Will Taylor, the rest I don’t want to say too much about for different reasons.
The ‘How I Feel EP’ is out now…
