Eric Denis is a French born, former Hip Hop producer, former Economics student, and is just starting his internship for the UN in Geneva. He is also the owner of successful, niche and quality YouTube channel, CMYK. Music is his passion, which transmits clearly through the tracks he uploads, which is partly why he managed to garner such a loyal following. Opting to upload good quality tracks instead of sticking to one specific genre, his YouTube library ranges, including genres from groovy house to microhouse to any eclectic musical style. Tracks include Leon Vynehall’s ‘It’s Just (House of Dupree)’ to Meoko’s track of the week, ‘Love’s Translation’ by Domenico Rosa. Ever tried to listen to tracks on Discogs before buying the complete vinyl? If yes, chances are you've played a track that Eric has uploaded, before. He makes buyers fully confident that they like the vinyl before spending their lunch (and sometimes dinner) money on it. Thanks, Eric!
His open minded view of music comes from his extensive musical background, and his heroes include Thom Yorke, J Dilla, Tom Waits, Pierre Schaeffer, Can, Noir Désir and Erik Satie. He studied musical theory and clarinet, and taught himself how to play piano. He has travelled extensively around Europe and on the web, making contacts with music fans and talented individuals, and digging for great music along the way. His philosophy is that “music is good, regardless of the genre or whatever categorisation”. He gives us his tips on how to manage a successful youtube channel:
- Individuals: be confident in your taste, only upload the music for which you care the most, and avoid reuploading music that is already on youtube. It's annoying for the original uploader and quite useless.
- Record Labels: upload full versions of your tracks in low quality e.g. Fathers & Sons Productions. It is hard to buy tracks by listening to just snippets (by the way, record stores let you listen to full versions of tracks).
- Avoid copyright infringement by asking permission first.
- Upload (good) tracks with known artists to get exposure in hopes that those who like these videos will also dig deeper and like other, less known videos.
- Make your tracks personal.
- Make your videos known by posting them in music sharing groups.
- Build interactive relationships with labels, producers and other music fans online.
- Be an actor of your scene, get involved and be supportive :)
Read on for his explanations, his top 5 tracks at the moment, and how he started his youtube channel…
How and why did you start your Youtube channel?
I started the channel in December 2013. I started collecting records in the beginning of 2013 and basically I have been living in a couple of cities for my professional life and couldn't carry my records with me, so I was ripping them and out of boredom (I was living in Brussels at that time and it was rainy and shit) I thought I could upload the stuff that was not already on youtube.
Do you upload rare tracks on your channel?
My best records are the ones I buy for 1€ with 50 sellers on discogs, that's the one people don't know.
The thing is, once I upload something on my channel I don't consider it rare or unknown anymore. If you see me mixing live or even listen to my mixes, there's not much stuff that is from the channel.
In the past I received hate mails when I uploaded the Ringrose Records tunes from people who were telling me "these records were kept secret for all of these years and now you make it available blablabla”, but these tracks were played by Villalobos, Zip, and people in the know knew about it.
So for me, it was nothing secret. It seems secret but the big djs play it and there are videos on youtube of these guys playing these tracks. Mark, the owner of the label, was writing himself on the youtube videos that it was his tracks so somebody who digs and follows these DJs would know. it was a fake secrecy. So that's the kind of "secret" stuff I upload, when it's actually not really secret.. that's what I call "hyped" tracks.
Real rare records are the ones that no big DJ is playing and they are worth nothing and anybody can buy them... but it's just that nobody found out there are good. They aren't rare they are just lost in the mass if you know what I mean. Example: http://www.discogs.com/Real-Debbie-Does-Deptford/release/166340.
How did you manage to gain 3000+ likes and 5000+ subscribers in 9-10 months? Is there a particular track that after you uploaded it you got a lot more likes?
I remained quite anonymous until I uploaded a Leon Vynehall LP that are still my most viewed videos by far, and then the Head High brought me another bunch of people. And then I guess a lot of people subscribed as they might have checked my other uploads and liked it.
It's quite often like this actually, when I check out my youtube uploader colleagues they often have like 2-3 videos with a lot of views that gave them exposures and then 200 videos with less than 5000 views.
And then I have a rather important online presence. I comment on stuff on SoundCloud, post my videos in some music sharing groups, etc.
I did it mostly at the beginning so people got to know me, but It's also just a support thing... I know I'm happy when somebody puts a comment on my mix on SoundCloud or whatever, so I do the same for other people if I like their work.
So you build sort of a relationship with some labels and producers and you support each other's projects somehow. There's Samuel André Madsen, Cabaret Records, Imprint Records, Slow Life Records... I started following them since the beginning and have uploaded their music and now they are played by the big guys of our scene like Villalobos or Arpiar.
What makes your channel unique?
I think one of the things that make CMYK work compared to other webzines that share music is that It's a personal project. Each time I share a track, I give a piece of information about my experience with this track or whatever, and in the long run people get to know how I write, what I live etc.
It's a personal thing and maybe that's why i have a more trustful fanbase than some webzine that shares qualtiy tracks but without that personal, intimistic feel.
What type of music do you upload on your channel?
You can find some rather cheesy groovy house like Max Graef or something very dark minimalistic micro house like Project London Records or Gua Camole Music.
What are your 5 favourite uploads now?
1) There's this track I really like that I uploaded a couple of days ago:
Fish Go Deep - Work True
I captured a video at the sunwaves afterparty with this music, I posted the video on my page but none of my followers knew about the track... Then we were chilling at a friend's place in Romania and somebody gave me the ID, I was super happy! It's actually a release on Brique Rouge, I know this label quite well. It’s a French label run by David Duriez who took back activity less than one year ago.
2) Mark Nicholas O. - Deep Groove
This is the upload that got me hate mails... I really love this track. It's very unique and It's actually not the track that Zip and Villalobos play on this record, but I find this one better. Mark is a very lovely man and he was super happy that I helped him to promote his music. He sent me many CDs and records of released and unreleased music. I could do a Ringrose Records only set haha. There are some serious gems!
3) Plastic - Untitled
This is a sublabel from Thule, a famous dub techno label from Iceland that was active at the end of the 90s/early 2000's. They started this new label called Strobelight Network to release new music and they are also repressing most of their catalog... I actually hooked up Exos (one of the two founders) to make us a mix for CMYK Harmonics. It's these kind of guys we'll get on our mixtape series (we're also planning to ask Mark from Ringrose for a mix). This track is so deep...
4) Auji - Conclusion Came To You Part 2
I couldn't believe this track wasn't online! it's an Aniara Recordings released in 2012. Auji is a Japanese artist who only released another (dope) EP on Panrecords in 2011. This track is very deep and smooth, but on the flip there's an Aniara remix that is very club friendly and that I play at almost every set.
5) NWS - Next to Real
NWS aka Samuel André Madsen. This EP is released on Courtesy of Balance Recordings and was one of my first uploads. I remember listening to the snippets like every day for a couple of months until it came out. I was in Brussels at this time and It's the kind of records that reminds you of specific moods and memories. I kinda stopped playing it as I had it in my bag for like a year but then very recently I re-listened to the B-Sides and found out they are actually very good too. So now I play its B-sides sometimes to change (B2 has a cool break with a vocal sample of Hitchcock)
Do you ask permission before uploading tracks?
For the new releases I always ask to the people involved before uploading their music. Also, I have 2 copyright infringements that I had in the first months (it expires january 2015). One more and my channel is gone, forever. So I don't take any risk and I always ask, it's a good thing in the end. Sometimes you start discussing with the people and then you keep in touch.
Who filed the complaints?
Sushitech when I uploaded the latest Makam and Visionquest when I uploaded their Villalobos remix. Sushitech was a newby mistake because they have a youtube channel, so it was easy to know that it was something not to mess with. Now i know..I didn't have troubles since january 2014 and fingers crossed that nothing happens for the next 4 months!
What are your views on copyright?
I'd like to quote a YouTube uploader colleague called Hurfyd, who belongs to another musical niche that I categorize as analog UK techno - whatever that means:
"Copyright is a delicate flower it must be treated with care and respect and you must softly stroke its petals and whisper kind words in its ear even though it is a flower and flowers don't have ears or do they I don't know much about flowers to be honest".
He had a big YouTube account before and got it deleted because of 3 copyright infringments... He came back stronger though, and is a true YouTube hero now.
So yeah I have 2 copyright infringments that I had when I started in December and January, and now I am very careful because if I get another one my channel and all of this work is lost.
I find it kinda mean from labels to just make a copyright strike to somebody that took the time to rip and upload their track and usually makes it for promotional use. It's not very complicated to send an email to the guy and ask to remove it or something.
Getting your music uploaded on YouTube is today, want it or not, part of the lifecycle of the musical product. It's not exactly legal but it seems that nobody really cares, youtube isn't very strict about it neither as it's their business model to have contributors uploading videos and public to watch them.
I don't really understand some labels who don't want their music online... music is a special good. You don't just buy it like that without knowing what it is. It doesn't really make sense from a commercial point of view to me.
I guess most of them are scared that people are going to rip it, but I always upload in very low bitrate 128kbps so any serious DJ won't be able to play a youtube rip on a proper sound system. If somebody rips it just for listening at home purpose, then he probably wouldn't have bought the record anyway...
But then maybe he'll play it at his place during a house party and his friends will ask what it is and the music will spread... I think making music accessible is essential today, as anyway producers don't make money from releasing music, especially those who press vinyls. It’s all about the bookings.
What would you recommend to label owners if they don’t want their music uploaded by individuals on the internet?
If a label wants to have full control of its music and is bothered by people uploading their tracks without asking, they should own a YouTube channel so it's explicit that they will upload it how they want, when they want, instead of striking random enthusiasts who geek the interwebz and make their advertisement for free.
Fathers & Sons is a good example:
The unkown artist is Samuel André Madsen by the way.
They have their own channel, they upload their music with a cool video, in low qualtiy so people can't rip it and actually have to buy the record as it's vinyl only, and boom, prices get crazy on discogs as it's the only way of getting this music... That's what I will do for sure once I open my own record label.
Do you think that music is meant to be shared?
Well, I think that music is made to be shared, and I'm very happy to have found a public that enjoys the music I share with them.
I've always been into music but I didn't have many childhood friends to share my passion with. I think nobody was as involved as me into this music search and discovery thing - I want to know EVERYTHING.
In the end of my university years and as I was starting to get into this whole House Music thinggy, I started to meet people who were really into it, who were better than me, and I was really super excited about spending the whole day discussing Kraut Rock and J Dilla and Pierre Schaeffer and Moodymann with these people.
But I was changing city on a regular basis for my studies and work and always losing these people so I guess I felt the need to share it on the internet too... It's sort of a first need to me.
Now wherever I go I do my best to find some music people to hang out with... Don't get me wrong though, you don't have to be a music geek to be my friend and most of my childhood friends are still my best friends even though we don't share these kinds of interests.
What is your philosophy on vinyl culture?
Vinyl culture is also very important in my philosophy. I don't buy records for that long to be honest, like less than 2 years but I'm a bit of a compulsive buyer.
I work on the computer during the day and I spend a lot of time on social medias, so it's good to be able to disconnect. You turn off the computer, and you just play records.
It's also a whole organization when you are moving out often, as I do but I kinda enjoy it. I have a stack of records at a friend's place in Frankfurt, and another big stack in Paris... It's a good excuse to travel and visit friends.
I think the main point with vinyl is that it makes music timeless. If a release is limited, and you're one of the lucky 300 owners, you can play it your whole life if it's really good... It won't get overplayed or something.
I also buy a lot of old music for this reason. If it's still good and it was produced 10 years ago, it will still be good in 10 years.
The problem with mp3 and the big Beatport charts is that after 2 weeks the music has expired... In the end it means that music isn't good enough to pass the test of time.
Also, pressing records is a complicated and expensive process, so people who do it must really believe in their music and are most likely truley passionate.
Thanks for being so honest and open about your work, Eric. I hope that readers can learn a lot from reading what you have to say, and use your channel to learn more about good music.
Eric will keep on uploading timeless tracks on his channel, from talent such as Samuel André Madsen, and records such as Imprint Records and Cabaret Records. He has chosen to buy less of new records, and hopes that "my public will follow me and enjoy the stuff I will upload in the future, even if it's maybe not the latest hot tracks”.
He has many future projects brewing, such as "CMYK Harmonics" where he is collaborating with individuals like Julien Aymé, the owner of channel, Call Me A Pineapple. He also plans to start his own record label. Watch this guy! In the mean time, subscribe to his channel here and like his Facebook page here.
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