Follow + Connect with Backroom Records
[The San Diego-based] multifaceted mind of Cameron Neuendorff is a surefire creative, moving, and pioneering one. This gentleman has his red-hot irons in the fire for the local community, thriving scene, and ultimately his music industry at large. The dedication, support, and effort is all here and he plans to execute these factors on a large scale with Backroom Records, serving the up and coming talent of the southern California region.
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[Interview with Cameron Neuendorff]
Q1. Welcome to our downpour, Backroom Records! We are always stoked to get some Californian influence in the storm! What can you tell our readers and soon-to-be fans about the fruition of this label? The how, when, and why of who you are, if you don’t mind.
A1: Hello everyone and welcome to the Backroom family! My name is Cameron and I have a huge passion for electronic dance music. This year has been a challenge and forced a major shift in how the industry works, I found myself with lots of time on my hands and decided to finally take the plunge and create this project. We have spent the past three months working really hard and are ready to unveil this project to the world. We want to be the landing page for all electronic artists’ coming out of San Diego.
Q2. Supporting and helping others is paramount to the success of any and all respectable companies in the music industry. In what ways can you describe how these altruistic efforts are going to supplement these artists in your area? What can they expect?
A2: Backroom Records is really looking to be the landing page for a lot of artists in the San Diego and Southern Californian region. Our goal is to find unheard talent that has not hit the mainstream scene and help nurture that artist and their project. A lot of young artists don’t know how to navigate the music industry and it can feel extremely overwhelming. We want to bridge that gap. Our goal is to teach artists how to market themselves/music, learn about record label contracts, and build a support network that they can always return to if they have questions or need help. In addition, our art director, Ryan, has put together some amazing concepts to help visualize the music we are going to release this year. Expect a full-fledged record label and a cohesive marketing plan including live stream gigs and potentially live show bookings when those return next year.
Q3. San Diego is a gorgeous city. Bustling with vibrance and refreshing environments for the mind to run freely. How does the area contribute to the local scene? As a vessel to inspire and a foundation to grow, is there a platform for the up and coming in addition to BRR?
A3: San Diego is an incredible city. From the beaches, to the mountains, to the heart of downtown, and all of the surrounding smaller cities. There is so much and an incredible amount of diversity which is really great to see. The city really thrives on tech house & techno + other variants of the slower house genres which is great. The CRSSD Festival that takes place twice a year at the waterfront downtown is an incredible melting pot of house and techno artists that really encompasses what the city is all about. I think the environment really impacts a lot of artists and their creativity in a really unique way. But outside of the house and techno scene there are quite a few young artists breaking into the music scene that don’t fit in that specific genre category. The SD Water Boys are a perfect example of that and have been crushing it with their individual projects.
Q4. What sort of routine can we expect from you folks? Where and when can we expect to see artists’ music being released?
A4: Our first release will be “Set Me Free” by Dialyup which will be releasing on Friday, February 12th. Once the track is live we will be hosting a remix competition open to everyone (not limited to the So-Cal area) and releasing a remix pack in March. After that our 3-4 week release schedule will come into effect and we hope to hit the ground running for the rest of the year. You will be able to find these releases on all major streaming platforms with links through our social media and website!
Q5. We briefly spoke about your background in the San Diego music scene. Can you expand on it for our readers and the outlying audiences to fortify what excitement is to come?
A5: My background in the local music scene started about 6 years ago when I started spinning tracks in high school. Eventually, I played a few gigs and found myself a resident at the local nightclub Bassmnt. As a resident, I founded a DJ collective and started building a community to help with show promotion, marketing, and production help. Around that time is when I started producing electronic music and from that day on my path was set. For the past year (pre-pandemic) I have been working at Bassmnt assisting with marketing and artist hospitality. It’s been a really cool opportunity to work with and listen to a lot of the artists who have come through and hear their stories. One really important thing I have taken away from these conversations is that you have to work hard to get where you want to be but someone has to be willing to take a shot with you along the way. That’s what I am trying to build with Backroom Records. We want to be “that shot” that allowed an artist to really jumpstart their career.
Q6. Are there any particular genres you will be focused on?
It’s so hard to say because I and our team really enjoy everything. I personally fall into the idea that good music is good music regardless of what genre it is, similar to the “death to genres” thing that GTA (Good Times Ahead) has. We are looking to release great-sounding electronic music, whether it’s dubstep, tech house, or commercial dance music. We want it all. Good music is good music bottom line and that’s what we want to push.
Q7. In what ways has 2020 been advantageous and beneficial? Even when it seems any and all hope is dim, where have you seen light this year?
A7: 2020 has definitely been a challenging year for a multitude of reasons but there has been some good that has come out of it. I think it’s been really awesome to see how our industry has adapted to the changes and restrictions. From Insomniac hosting weekly live streams with incredible production to all of the different artists and companies throwing socially distanced drive-in events, it’s really inspiring. I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands which allowed me to really pursue this record label. I have been sitting on this idea for a few years and this year has allowed me to bring this project to life.
Q8. Who do you see putting in the time and energy these days? Give them a healthy shout out for their grit and sweat!
A8: Oh man absolutely everyone. I can’t thank my team enough, they have really stepped up to the plate and quite a few people have really put some extra time into the project. I also want to give a big shout out to our art director Ryan. We are really pushing his boundaries and it’s incredible to see what he has been able to create. Outside of the record label team, I want to give a big thank you to everyone at the Backroom SD DJ collective for rocking with me the past few years, our friends over at Substation X, and our friend Stephen who manages our live streams at the moment. He was picked up this year by Gareth Emery‘s team to run lighting for some of their drive-in events and we are incredibly proud of him. Outside of our small circle I want to give a shout out to the boys Knock 2, Isoxo, and RemK for putting in work and pushing the SD music scene into the national spotlight. These guys have been crushing it and it’s really awesome to see them get the attention they deserve!
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