Soul Quest Records is an independent record label founded by long time friends Max Sinàl, Slxm Sol & Leon Sweeney. Originating in Hackney, East London in 2023, they’ve honed their signature blend, weaving deep soulful house with jazzy undertones.
With a focus on collaboration and community, SQR offers a platform to both emerging and established artists, fostering an inclusive and supportive atmosphere.
Since its inception the label has been supported by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Laurent Garnier, Danny Krivit, Glenn Underground, Kai Alce, Crazy P, Antal, Kid Fonque, Soul Clap Marcia Carr and featured by Mixmag, DJ Mag, BBC Radio 6, Rinse FM, Mi-Soul and more. The Video ‘Fortnite’ also synced Max Sinàl – Let Your Hair Down
Hi Soul Quest Records, Good to meet you! Who is behind the label?
Hi, there’s three of us, Max Sinàl, Slxm Sol and Leon Sweeney
When was the first idea to create the label?
We were at We Out Here Festiva together in 2022 and went on a little side quest for something. Leon said it was more like a Soul Quest. We all looked at each other and said the name was too good not to start a label with it. And here we are…..
Do you have any statistics since the label was created—how many releases, how many vinyl, and how many units have been sold?
We are 18 months in now and we just had our 8th release today, 3 of them being small runs of 100 vinyl which are nearly all sold out and we have had almost 400,000 Spotify streams altogether.
From which country do most buyers come from?
UK, American and Germany are the top 3 but we have had Bandcamp buyers from every continent bar Antarctica.
Which release are you most proud of?
SQR001 will always have a dear place in our heart as it was the first release so was very significant to us. SQR002 has performed really well, the vinyl sold out pretty quickly, it got played by Gilles Peterso on his BBC Radio 6 show and has has support from a lot of big players.
Can you describe what a typical office life means for you?
This week has consisted of, a lot of back and forth with our digital distributor, developing a new database with all the metadata for our catalogue and finalsing designs and plans with our vinyl distributor for a V.A we’ve got coming up.
Do you produce yourself or are you a DJ?
Max Sinàl and Slxm Sol are DJ/Producers
Which distribution channels do you use?
For vinyl we have just signed a deal with Most Favoured Nation which is co-owned by Jimpster. We have just had a really bad experience with our distro deal so we are in the process of finalising a new one as we speak.
Where do you find young, hungry, and ambitious artists?
I found artists for our forthcoming releases from hearing other tracks they have done and reaching out via instagram and email. We are all for discovering new and exciting talent.
What impact does Spotify streaming have on the economic location of an indie label?
It’s a tough one because on the one hand we have had loads of new fans discover us through Spotify’s algorithmic playlists but at the same time it is criminal how little we as a label and as artists receive for our streams while Spotify and it’s CEO’s make billions every year.
If you’re looking for new music, what are the key elements and factors you’re looking for, apart from the fact that it’s obviously a great track?
We have quite a specific vibe at the label sound wise and don’t compromise from it. We like it deep, soulful and jazzy
How would you describe the label’s style and vision?
We have had some really nice animated visuals for some of our releases and our eventual aim is to have really cool visuals to accompany each release. Our music has quite a classy feel to it and we like our artwork to compliment that. We are now starting to branch out into more artistic artwork moving forward, away from our simple yet effective design we’ve been using up until now.
For the producers out there who send their demos via email, what tips would you give them if they send their tracks?
Most importantly, please research labels beforehand. Does the music you are sending fit in with the stuff they put out already?
Make your email personal, everyone can spot a generic copy and paste from a mile off.
If the demo is rejected but you receive feedback from it, don’t take it to heart but use the feedback constructively and keep it moving.
Sending them to one label at a time is good practice. If you send to multiple people at once and they all want to sign it, it doesn’t look good to the labels who you then turn down. I feel like when you send a demo to a label, it should be thought out and intended that that is who you want to sign the record with.
