Jesse & SCOTT

J：聊聊為什麼黑膠對你如此重要？

S： 對一個自小就想學習DJ的孩子來說，學習那些啟發我的人，並用「真正的」方式學會這件事，對我來說是最直接的方式。我也非常熱愛挖掘（digging）的過程，無論在唱片行花上數小時尋寶，或在自己的收藏中挑出合適的唱片，透過音樂勾勒出每個夜晚的最佳氣氛。這種方式對我來說，比起在筆電螢幕上點擊檔案、把音樂丟進USB，來得更加真實與直接。

J：什麼契機創立黑膠發行廠牌？「Afterhours.」的命名有何特別含義？

S： 其實一開始根本沒有打算要創立黑膠廠牌。我在2015-2017年間住在雪梨，當地有兩個廠牌 Mantra Collective和Lokomotiv，他們所策劃的Podcast與派對活動，在音樂上給我很大啟發。當時我很幸運的獲得為SASH工作的機會，也因此接觸到不少合拍的人。後來純粹為了好玩開始製作Podcast系列，結果一路發展下來，到了某個時刻，我也深深覺得自己應該要做更多。

「Afterhours.」的靈感來自那些派對最後，尤其在清晨時分，舞池裡的音樂感覺更深沉、更黑暗、也更親密的時刻。

J：什麼原因讓你從倫敦搬到里斯本？聊聊兩座城市的電子音樂場景對你來說有何異同？

S： 老實說，像倫敦這樣混亂的城市，六年對我來說真的太久了。雖然有時還是會想念倫敦源源不絕的優質活動和多樣性，那裡的確有更多事情在發生。近年里斯本的音樂場景，確實比較缺乏那種魔力，許多人偏好深夜酒吧或音樂祭，而非夜店。但現在情況開始轉變，像Between、Anexo、Andco、Hubble 等當地小型活動策劃單位，開始帶動氣氛、設定標準，舉辦一些更具創意、更有質感的前衛派對。

J：Podcast的系列是「Afterhours.」一直備受關注與肯定的內容，你對發行DJ mix podcast的目標與想法為何？

S： Podcast系列是一切的起點，初衷至今沒有改變。我依舊親自挑選想邀請的藝術家，這個原則始終如一。這個系列的唯一目標，就是給藝術家和朋友們一個平台，透過他們的set來說自己的故事。一開始我嘗試每週更新，但那根本不可能長期維持，所以現在是以質量為主勝過數量。除了這點，一切都和當年一樣沒變。

J：在經營「Afterhours.」的過程中，你遇到過哪些挑戰？這些經驗如何影響你對音樂或廠牌發展的看法？

S： 最大的挑戰就是跟上社群媒體的節奏（而我拒絕迎合這一點）。可能有人不喜歡這麼說，但我真心覺得像Instagram這樣內容導向的平台，正在摧毀地下音樂場景，讓一切變得過度商業化。內容越多 = 曝光越多 = 流量越多 = 錢越多。

從音樂角度來看，為了迎合這些平台所定義的「潮」聲音，品質和標準都大幅下降。從活動角度來看，這導致舞池上滿是拿著手機拍攝的人，大多數人只參加那些被這些平台標榜為「酷」的廠牌或藝人的派對。很多在做很酷事情的小型主辦因此陷入困境。

在我看來，唯有那些堅持自己願景的人才能長久，而我也打算一直以這樣的方式經營下去。

J: Why is vinyl so important to you?

S: As a kid who wanted to learn how to DJ it was a no-brainer to learn the craft the “real” way like those who inspired me did. I also really love the process of digging, whether it’s spending hours in stores wherever trying to find gems or digging through my own collection to pull out the right records to tell the right story for the right night. It’s far more raw and real than just clicking through tabs on a laptop screen and moving things on to a USB stick for me.

J: What inspired you to start a vinyl-focused label, and why did you choose the name “Afterhours."?

S: It was never really a thought to start a vinyl label in the first place. I was living in Sydney from 2015-2017 and there were two local brands “Mantra Collective” & “Lokomotiv" that heavily inspired me musically from both of their podcast series’ & events. I was fortunate enough to also be working for SASH, which gave me a platform to meet a lot of the right heads at that time. I started a podcast series for fun and things just snowballed to the point where I felt like I needed to do more with it. The inspiration for the name “Afterhours.” came from the later night / early morning moments on the dancefloor where things got a bit deeper, darker and more intimate.

J: What made you move from London to Lisbon? How do you perceive the differences between the electronic music scenes in these two cities?

S: Honestly in a city as chaotic as London, 6 years was just too long for me but I definitely sometimes miss the endless quality and variety of events in London, there was far more happening. Lisbon has been missing that same magic for sure over the last couple of years with far more people opting for late night bars and festivals instead of nightclubs, but things are starting to really shift for the better with smaller local collectives such as Between, Anexo, Andco, Hubble and a couple of others really starting to set the tone and a new standard for forward thinking, good quality, creative, go-to parties.

J: The podcast series has been a well-recognized and appreciated part of "Afterhours." What are your goals and thoughts behind releasing DJ mix podcasts?

S: The podcast series is where things began and nothing has really changed in my mindset behind the series. The ethos of hand-picking the artists I’d like to have on the series hasn’t changed at all and there really is no other end goal that giving artists and friends a platform to tell their stories through sets. I started things with weekly uploads which was impossible to keep on top of long term ~ so now it’s very much based on quality > quantity, but other than that everything remains exactly how it started.

J: What challenges have you encountered while running "Afterhours."? How have these experiences influenced your perspective on music and label development?

S: The biggest challenge is keeping up with social media demands (which I refuse to give in to). People won’t like this but I truly believe that these content-focused pages on platforms like instagram are part of what’s killing the “underground” scene and turning things more business-minded. More content = more eyes = more traffic = more money. From a musical standpoint, the quality and standard has dropped massively for the sake of what the “cool” sound dictated by these pages is. From an event standpoint it’s led to dancefloors filled with phone cameras and people (for the most part) only going to the events with the “cool” brands and artists also dictated by these pages. A lot of small promoters pushing really cool things are left struggling as a result. In my eyes, the ones that stay true to their vision are the ones that will last the longest and that’s how I plan to keep things with what I do.