Over the past year or so joint owner of Infrasonic Recordings, Michael Smith, has helped forge a brand of successful trance releases to the digital world. As time has gone on the Infrasonic Recordings label has since grown in stature and is now a recognised label within the trance music industry with a lot of support from the superstars such as Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, Judge Jules, Ferry Corsten, Simon Patterson and a whole lot more around the globe.

With an artist roster including a lot of more recognised talents such as Andy Tau, Sean Truby, Mike Nichol, Hensha, Deep Care and Acute, the label looks to be seen as an established brand offering a lot of ’stepping stone’ opportunities to the up and coming trance pr0ducer, more-so with the invent of Infrasonic Future.

Always gaining top chart positions on the usual digital download stores such as Beatport, Audiojelly etc, the label certainly seems to be heading in the right direction even recently gaining top spot for tune of the week in the UK’s Mixmag.

Not only does Michael take a lot of time with new faces and future prospects from the promotions he gets sent every week, he also works very hard on his own productions, remixes and releases under the name of ‘Solis‘ along with DJ gigs through the ‘MK X‘ signature.  Read on for an insight to his worth of Infrasonic…

We thought we would catch up with him and his world of Infrasonic, the producers and their tools and what he sees for the future of trance productions and releases…

What will be your next addition to your current studio setup?

MS. I am currently saving for a Virus Polar. It has taken quite a while to build up my studio buts it’s nearly there now and I think the virus will be a welcomed addition.

What software do you think is the most responsible for producing the tracks available through your label today?

MS. It varies from producer to producer to be honest. A lot of my guys are avid Logic and Cubase users however I am finding more and more guys we sign using Fruity (FL Studio) which always comes as a bit of a surprise such is the quality.

What about VST’s and Virtual Instruments, which are the most popular your artists seem to use?

MS. Again it varies but the two that the majority of them seem to use a lot are Sylenth and Nexus both of which I use a lot myself.

Do your Artists use any hardware at all?

MS. Quite a few of them either own an Access Virus or have access to one much to my annoyance, haha. Other than that I would say it’s soft synths all the way. Really surprises me how many of them have never used a piece of hardware.

What made you start your own label?

MS. Bit of a long story so I’ll keep it brief. I met Seb, my partner at Infrasonic on the Net, after stumbling across his website. I started supporting his music on a regular basis in my sets all of which were unsigned due to various labels not taking them on. I was so surprised at just how many great tracks were in circulation that could not find a home and that’s when the idea for the label was born.

How successful do you think you have been since starting out the label?

MS. The label has been a success no doubt but I don’t necessarily think it has had a major impact on my own profile. As long as the label is doing well then that is all that matters. To be recognised as the face of Infrasonic is enough for me. Its makes me a very proud man indeed.

Have your DJ bookings improved since the success of your label?

MS. Again I don’t think it has really helped me out. People are more aware of what I do now and who I am but I don’t think a promoter has booked me for that reason alone. I have however seen a big difference since I started to produce my own work which has been fantastic. I just wish I had started earlier.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to setup their own label from scratch?

MS. Unless you are going to do it properly don’t bother. Harsh words I know but the amount of mediocre music flooding the industry at the moment is so sad. A lot of the big stores like Beatport have really clamped down this past year making it very hard for a new label to distribute on their site and I am all for it. I blame the digital age and I am not alone. Bring back vinyl is what I say!

Where do you see yourself as a DJ and label owner in 5 years?

MS. As a DJ i just want to keep my diary as full as possible. I have been fortunate to play for the likes of Godskitchen, Gatecrasher and Goodgreef this year as well as making my debut at the fantastic Digital Society in December so if I can continue in the same manor over the next couple of years I will be very happy. As for the label more of the same really. We have been running for 3 years now and it has been a long hard slug to get to where we are today. To be recognised from our peers this year as one of their favourite brands has been amazing so if we can continue to develop our sound at the same rate, in 5 years who knows. I think we are heading in the right direction and as a company now have everything in place from bottom up over which will no doubt help the cause.

So can you tell us more about Infrasonic Future?

MS. Infrasonic Future is the latest edition to be added to our staple. When we first started the label our sole goal was to help bring through talent that were not necessarily getting the breaks they deserved elsewhere. Things have changed somewhat over the last few months with more and more recognised artists wanting to join the team now that we are an established brand. The idea behind ‘IF‘ is to continue to nurture that talent and give them a platform to our main Infrasonic label in time. That has been our policy from day one and will continue to be.

Many thanks to Michael for his time, and you can check out his latest own release, Solis – Empire E.P. here or visit the Infrasonic Recordings website for more information on his label and other releases.

You can find out more about Michael  and offer your support at the following:

http://www.myspace.com/djmkx
http://twitter.com/MKXSolis
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1446500600
http://www.infrasonicrecordings.com