Get to know: Ears Have Eyes

‘House. Techno. Weirdo. Bass. Cartoons. Odd. Punk.’

Looking at the tags Ears Have Eyes Bandcamp, you get the feeling it’s a label that doesn’t restrict itself to any one genre, sound or a particular approach. Digging deeper into the archives, an intriguing mix of trippy, dreamy, spacey and squelchy creations from burgeoning talent make up the imprints back catalogue, leading to a rabbit hole of uncategorised loops blending one into another. 

Founded in 2009, Ears Have Eyes was born in South East London and has acted as a platform to release material from the label’s creators, Miles and Joe, as well as a myriad of local artists including FYI Chris, Tilman, Chocky, Murun B and more. 

Coinciding with its releases, Ears Have Eyes regularly host their own events in the depths of south east London from The Bunker and Rye Wax to the east of the river at Grow Hackney and Ransom Note Records. 

Joining Omar-S, Pariah, FYI Chris and Phonica's residents at the club on July 28th, Ears Have Eyes are billed for a showcase in the Loft, headed up by founders Joe and Miles alongside fellow EHE affiliate, Corporeal Face aka Joe Roberts. We caught up with Miles ahead of the event to catch up with the label’s latest news, recently signed artists and what else is in store for the rest of the year… 

Going back to the beginning, why did yourself and Joe set up Ears Have Eyes? 

We’re both from the same town originally and knew each other a little bit there, but when we each moved to London at similar times we naturally hooked up and hung out. We started going to a little under the radar venue in Whitechapel that had the best parties and were so excited by the place we instantly asked the owner if we could do a rave there (which was a bit daft seeing as we barely knew anyone in London at that point!). That led to us throwing regular parties there for over three years and really started to get the ball rolling. After a while, doing a label seemed a logical next step and we just went from there really. 

What’s your advice for anyone in London looking to set up a label? 

I feel like we’re the ones who need advice! I think the best pieces of advice we could offer is; always focus on putting out the best music possible, don’t put anything out that doesn’t quite sit right with you because you think it’s what other people would want you to do. 

Also be nice to your artists – and communicate as best as you can. 

You also run your own Ears Have Eyes parties around London. Would you say running label parties is intrinsic to running a solid imprint? 

100%. The label was born out of the parties. It's where everything begins. The party never stops. 

What do you guys look out for when releasing new material? Most of the releases on Ears Have Eyes are quite diverse, it’s hard to pigeon-hole the sound of the label under a particular genre. Is that intentional? 

Yes, you’re right that we’ve put out some fairly diverse releases so far, covering punk to techno and everything in between. I think we’re always looking for something that has an instant connection with people, but also a weird edge to it. 

Mainly, it’s music that we both connect to. In fact, we were sitting down together last night listening to demos we’d been sent and we just instantly knew when we were both feeling the same buzz of a track. If one of us wasn’t feeling it for some reason then no questions asked – it goes in the bin. 

You’re both based in Peckham which currently seems to be a hub for electronic music at the moment with Balamii Radio, Rye Wax, Bussey Building and Tola all acting as a base for burgeoning talent. Who have you seen/heard in Peckham recently who’s caught your attention and why? 

We're strong believers in supporting local talent. I'm happy to say there are too many to mention BUT I would say the Tasty Treats boys (DJ Morris & Tea Es G) JAY, Iona and Proteus are the most inspiring DJs on the scene at the moment. 

What plans have you got lined up for Ears Have Eyes throughout the rest of the year? 

We’ve just sent off the next release for mastering and we’re really excited about this one. It’s the next in our compilation series “A Throng of Orbs” with some very talented artists on board. We’ve got a track from Violet and Elles who are really killing it at the moment.

 Then we’ve got a lovely piece of broken beat – come –acid from Contours, a solid deep house cut from Chocky and finally a great track from Irish artist Replete. 

It’s all come together nicely, with a nice balance of working with mates and totally new people who have reached out to us. After that, we’re focusing on getting our next couple of releases sorted and have got some pretty cool stuff lined up. So exciting stuff all around. 

Leave us with an Ears Have Eyes track that left a particularly lasting impression on you and why? 

All of the music we release is equally forward-thinking and long-lasting. I don't think I can choose just one. This one is nice to play on a hot day. 

Get tickets to Egg LDN presents: Omar-S, Pariah, FYI Chris & Phonica Dj's: Here