MK837 Label Feature
MK837 Label Feature Zone Magazine Issue 048
MK837 is a record label that specializes in unique house and techno music. It was founded on January 2, 2010, by Kevin Oneel, Dave Richards, and Chris “Deeflash” Reiche.
The label’s mission is to be a proving ground for new artists and to focus on quality, originality, integrity, and respect. It is not a slave to trends and aims to bring listeners a variety of breaks, house, and indie dance.
The label’s founder and label boss is Dave Richards, a producer and DJ from Atlanta, GA, who was born near Chicago. He was influenced by electronica in the 80s and artists like Moby and Oakenfold in the 90s. His productions are known for their “unrelenting percussion, techie baselines and progressive top ends,” and they are often a mix of the Chicago house sound and a “darker force” from Atlanta’s urban and tribal influences.
MK837 has a reputation for taking chances on new artists. Its releases have been featured in sets by well-known DJs and have been recognized as “Beatport Hype releases.” The label’s motto is to create music that is a “soundtrack to your life” and “speaks to your soul.”
Founded: January 2, 2010, by Kevin Oneel and Dave Richards, with the aid of Chris “Deeflash” Reiche.
Mission: To be a platform for new artists and a label focused on quality, originality, integrity, and respect, rather than solely for the founders’ material.Style: Not tied to the latest trends, but aims to release high-quality breaks, house, and indie dance music from emerging artists.
Growth: Continues to grow with close to 40 releases worldwide and features over 40 artists.
Analogy: Described as “kinda like your crazy Uncle Eddie with the lazy eye. You have no idea why you like him so much, but without him, the family would have no character.“
Notable Artists: Includes artists like Antonio Vendone, Coco Street, Dave Richards, Deeflash, Kevin Oneel, Micfreak, and others.
Origins and Vision:
What was the initial spark or motivation to start MK837? What gap in the electronic music scene did you aim to fill?
When I first started MK837, it was with two friends of mine – Kevin Oneel and Chris “Deeflash” Reiche. All three of us were producers and we knew a fairly large number of producers worldwide who like us were struggling to get a foot in the door.
We set MK837 to help new artists, like ourselves, establish themselves and refine their sound. We wanted to put out quality electronic dance music that other labels weren’t giving a chance. By taking this approach, we started off with a very diverse and unique sound. In the beginning, we were open to anything that could be filed under house, techno, or breakbeats.
How did you come up with the name “MK837”? Is there a story or meaning behind it?
I have a strict policy of not of not telling anyone unless they ask about it. Since you asked, here’s the background.
I ran an online community and zine back in the early 00’s called Tastyfresh.com. Believe it or not, it was a community of Christian ravers or EDM lovers. Most of us were DJs or producers. Depending on the year, we probably had over 1,000 members on our message boards. We had a LOT of debates there and sometimes some brush fires. There was at least one debate that was reprinted in Mixmag at some point. I don’t even remember what it was now, but I’m sure it was out of context and it’s a great badge of honor. Many of us are still hanging out today on Facebook or in person depending on where people are located, but the advent of social media and other changes eventually led me to close the site down (mostly) by 2014.
We had four podcasts running a month back then. One of them was Tastyfresh Presents which I abbreviated as TFP. When we were looking for a name, we eventually decided that it should pay homage to the site and our work there. I was looking at a phone on my desk (this was in 2010 by the way) and realized that I could take letters and convert them to numbers. TFP was an obvious choice to run with and well, that transposed to 837. One of us then recognized that it looked a bit like a Bible reference and well… we started searching for verses than seemed like it would fit.
Mark 8:37 is what we landed on, and it’s become kind of a double meaning verse for the label’s mission statement.
“For what can a man give in return for his soul?” – Mark 8:37
What do I mean by a double meaning? Well, in context Jesus is talking to his follower about the importance of trusting in him for their salvation and how his death and resurrection is the only way any of us can find forgiveness and the beginning of new life.
For us though, as a label, it also is a call to quality. It’s a call to not selling out for fame or fortune. It’s a calling to treat our artists with respect and to do our best to make sure they get paid rather than screwed over as is so common for anyone in this industry. I’m not perfect in my label management, but I do my best to hold true to this standard.
So, just to take things further. Our logo has a winged lion on it. Some might think it’s a griffin, but nope… winged lion. The lion’s full name is Mark the Winged Lion. He loves prime rib and other fine cuts of meat. He’s a total carnivore and honestly, he’s completely responsible for any social media screwups. Never me. But we have a winged lion as a mascot for similar reasons as our name. Early Christian church history gave each of the gospels a personification based off the prophet Daniel’s vision in chapter 7. In the case of the Gospel of Mark, that personification was a winged lion. And that’s why we have a winged lion as a mascot and one of the odder label names you could ask for.
Just to be clear here though, the label isn’t a Christian label. You wanted the backstory, so that’s what you got. The label did start off mostly with Christian artists. Today, it’s diverse as far as what people believe. Over the last year, I think I’ve probably released music from about three to five Christians. Our philosophy is rooted in Christian values, but that’s not necessarily the totality of what we represent – if that makes sense. I don’t want you to make assumptions about our artists that might not be true.
What was your personal background in music before founding the label? (DJ, producer, promoter, etc.)
Oddly enough, I was always more of a fan than a clubber. I have a professional background in graphic design, early web design, and well… I played alto sax until high school. My first exposure to electronic music was through Vangelis, Future Bach, Ray Lynch, and video games. Eventually sure… Depeche Mode, The Beastie Boys, C&C Music Factory and others broke into my life, but I was pretty sheltered. My first real exposure to techno was a little know band called Jyradelix, which later became an industrial band called Mortal. One of the founding members is now a member of Switchfoot. The Prodigal Sons, Prophecy of P.A.N.I.C., Scott Blackwell (the legendary NYC and Florida DJ from the 80’s), Dance House Children, and the Echoing Green quickly came into my life after that. I was hooked. Oh… and then was Moby and more…
But I was a fan.
Around late 1999, I became curious about how this music was written and I started to teach myself using an early version of FruityLoops. I posted my first tracks on Mp3.com on December 31, 1999, and spent New Years Eve in the ER trying to get antibiotics for strep throat. I did a few self-released singles from there with various remixers and had my first compilation releases by 2001.
I started DJing finally once I had some money together. My first set of gear was CDJ-100s and a DJM-300. I was terrible. I just didn’t get it. I eventually bought Traktor and learned how to DJ on it using various midi controllers. I’m still on Traktor today and produce my music in Ableton, but I did use Sonar during its early years.
In 2007, I was asked to take over the EDM stage at the now defunct Cornerstone Music Festival, which literally was run by Jesus hippies from the 70’s (Chicago’s JPUSA). For years it had been run by DJ Scott Blackwell, but music industry politics eventually ended that, and it was passed to another friend before it was handed to me because Tastyfresh.com. I didn’t have any experience as a stage manager or a promoter, so I asked Kevin Oneel to help. He had years of experience both as DJ and had contacts for sound and lighting.
So, from 2007-2011, we ran the stage. Every year it was a new set up. We took it from almost no crowds to being packed in no time. We printed up a series of mix CDs and gave them away for free and we invited both known and unknown talent to perform each night on a budget of $10k. Over the years, our list of performers included Shiloh, Stryke, Topher Jones, Kenneth Thomas, Ashley Jones (before he was Treasure Fingers) and more. The stage ran for four nights each year, and people came back just to see us and to get the new CD. It was a blast.
And it was out of this, that MK837 was born. We started it there. Well, we talked about in in July 2009, but in September, we decided it was the right move. By January 2010, we had our first release ready to go. It was free EP by Kevin, and it was a solid beginning.
What were your biggest challenges when first starting out, and how did you overcome them?
Finances, ignorance, ourselves… there was a lot to be honest with you.
We thought that $750 was enough to really start the label in 2010. We also didn’t have the cashflow for more than that. We did amazingly well on so little, but to be honest with you, the label still isn’t profitable today. It’s simply a labor of love.
We knew how some of this worked, but we were still largely ignorant when it came to marketing. There wasn’t an ads budget and even if there were, we didn’t have a clue about how to run them. We also started out on MySpace rather than Facebook.
When it came to anything technical, I was a real luddite and kinda bucked against it. Kevin kept falling asleep at our weekly meetings. Both of these things pissed Chris off, and he eventually left the label. He eventually came back, but then he left again. Kevin didn’t take care of his health and well, eventually died from pneumonia because he wouldn’t go see a doctor. We were a disaster in some ways without drug and alcohol problems. Chris eventually helped to found another label, Southern Exposure and has since moved on again.
I’ve been running the label solo since about 2017. Since then, I’ve been focused on trying to help our artists get to the next level in their careers, figure out this marketing thing, grow an actual fanbase, improve sales, get some actual recognition from Beatport (this happens regularly now), and even more recently I’ve been focused on automating things to free up my time. Ironically, the process of automation takes a LOT of time and brain power.
How has the label’s vision evolved since its inception in 2010?
That’s the funny thing. After 15 years, the vision is still the same. I want the label to be the first steppingstone for artists in their careers. I want to help them get their feet wet. I enjoy that excitement. I do wish they realized how much work it takes to get sales and that it in no way can all be on the label though. I encourage the label’s artists to learn everything they can about marketing their music, to build their own email lists, to film video content and so on.
I’m also still focused on running a label that treats their artists with respect. I try to remove myself as much as possible from being a roadblock to them being paid – that’s mostly automated except for our Patreon. If they ask me for advice, I give it to them honestly.
The irony is that my desire to help new artists is also one of the main reasons why we’re probably not better known than we are or more profitable.
Philosophy and Identity:
MK837 emphasizes “unique, quality, and often underground sounds” and “music with meat on the bones.” Can you elaborate on what these phrases mean to you?
Our tagline for years now has been “Unique house and techno for your soul.” That’s pretty much the mission statement, I guess. Unique – you’re not really going to hear anything like it anywhere else. House and techno – it’s what we tend to release for the most part. We’re probably heavier on the house side to be honest. For your soul – because music is good for your soul. It can be refreshing. It can change your attitude. It can be nurturing and uncorrupted. You’ll notice that we don’t have a lot of foul language, drug and alcohol references, derogatory treatment of men or women in sexual or non-sexual ways. We’re… “Clean”.
That doesn’t mean that something doesn’t slip through every now and then, but I really feel like there should be labels out there that are… to borrow a horribly overused phrase that irritates me a bit – safe for the whole family. It’s not about being puritanical, it’s about not dumbing down the music, so it takes the lazy world of conforming to whatever trend is hot right now or bending to concepts or language that is legion in culture today.
How do you define the “MK837 sound”? What are the core elements that tie your releases together, despite genre variations?
I like to describe our sound as having one foot firmly in the past and one in today. What I mean by that is that you’ll hear old skool sounds or production techniques in a lot of our tracks, but you’ll also hear something is fresh in sync with what’s happening today. It’s a bit like layered nostalgia.
For example, I’m a sucker for a 303 and a bit of that acid sound. You’ll hear that a lot in my music. I don’t make acid house though, so it’s in there as flavor or texture might be a better word for it. Tracks from Francisco Samuel tend to have samples taken from old hip hop records.
Honestly, one of my favorite labels is Hooj Choons. There older tunes are massive classics today. If our music is even half as good as what they’ve put out, I’m happy. And honestly, when I DJ, I tend to mix our tracks right up against their and others with the intention of showing that our music does stand up to theirs. I can’t stress that enough.
What values are paramount to MK837 as a label? (e.g., artistic integrity, community, innovation, artist development)
Probably the most important thing outside of having that unique sound is helping that new artist with their first release. Just getting it in the stores and seeing their excitement is an amazing rush. I’m constantly trying to temper expectations though to prepare them not to expect a Beatport Top 100 their first time out. Beyond that it’s treating them with respect and making sure they’re not screwed over by myself or the distributor or something else.
One area that I wish I could be better at is artist development. I’m honestly still learning how to develop myself, and frankly… if an artist isn’t read to put the time in that they need to, there really isn’t much I can develop. I don’t always know this though before I get their first release in stores.
How do you maintain authenticity and avoid “empty, soulless music” in a rapidly changing industry?
Great question. I wish I knew. I think I’m doing it, but the method is pretty much listening to the demos that come in and prioritizing releases for returning artists. If I gain the trust of an artist, they’ll send me more music to release until they are able to launch to the next level.
I honestly like to think of us as the proving or training ground for the new artists in that “rapidly changing industry”. Since our inception, we’ve had several artists take off. Our biggest success so far has been MicFreak. He’s been working with Quantized Recordings for the past several years and even has shared a vinyl with the great Carl Cox. J Lauda had a ton of early releases with us and today has a broad catalog with several well-respected labels. Francisco Samuel has also put in the time and has a growing fanbase. He’s been working closely with DJ Dove for the past year or so and that’s taking off – but he started just about from scratch with us. Not all our artists have this kind of story, but I believe most of them could.
Operations and Artist Relations:
What does the A&R process look like at MK837? How do you discover new talent?
Given that I’m a one-man shop, I don’t have a lot of time to really recruit new artists like I should. I rely heavily on the demos we get in. I don’t always get to them in a timely fashion, and so I miss out on some great tracks. That said, I also get a lot of junk. Almost everyone gets at least rejection notice. Those who send me rock or rap though… they pretty much get a bit of hate mail back. I actually have a checkbox disclaimer on our demo page that states the following:
I pinky-swear that I have read this entire page and that my demo fits the musical genres of house, tech house, deep house, progressive house, minimal / deep tech and / or techno. If my demo does NOT match these genres, I understand that I may receive a rather rude email explaining how I have wasted my time and this label’s A&R department. I also understand that this is not a joke.
I’m always amazed by the rappers who respond to tell me that me not signing them is why my label isn’t doing well. Meanwhile, these rappers have under 100 followers on any social media site.
I’m sorry, I think I got a bit off topic there and described a guilty pleasure.
What are you looking for in an artist or a demo that makes you say, “Yes, this is for MK837”?
It really depends, but the quick and dirty answer is that I want to hear that your music fits within what I believe the current MK837 sound is. And that sound is reflected by what we’ve been recently releasing. So, if you know our catalog and your music sounds good up against it, you might be a good fit.
I am starting to look more at social media now to see how the artists are promoting themselves today. Not having a previous release on Beatport isn’t a showstopper, but don’t send me to your Instagram if you haven’t posted there in weeks. In fact, I have a field on our demo form that specifically asks what you’re doing today to promote yourself. Simply saying “I’m pushing my music on social media” isn’t what I’m looking for. I’d like to hear that you’re actively engaging with fans, running ads and I’d like to be able to verify that. But, to be honest with you, even a lack of marketing evidence doesn’t mean that I’ll reject your release. It all just depends. There’s no strict grading rubric behind my decisions.
How do you support your artists beyond releasing their music? (e.g., mentorship, promotion, networking)
I’m told by my artists on a regular basis that I do more than most of the other labels they work with, but honestly… I’m not doing all that much. With a regular day job, a family, and a horrific Call of Duty addition, it’s a miracle that anything gets done.
I do my best to make sure releases are sent out to our promo list. That list isn’t necessarily filled with high profile DJs, but there are some and we do find regular radio and podcast support. We also get Shazamed a decent amount, so we’re also in the clubs and other wilds. I email our mailing list regularly about new releases. I do my best to submit feature requests to Beatport. I keep the artists informed of feedback, sightings of their music and so on. I also email our artists on a regular basis when I find videos or books on music marketing that I think they should read. Outside of that, I’m posting promo videos to Facebook and Insta. I’m running ads to find new fans and then to moved them onto our mailing list. I have a radio show on Proton Radio where I feature all our new releases and another podcast on our Patreon for our artists to DJ for a small, but loyal crowd.
I always feel like I’m missing something in this area.
What is your approach to artist contracts and royalties? How do you ensure a fair deal for your artists?
Since we’re a small label that isn’t profitable at this time, I can offer my artists a higher percentage than other labels. Our standard split isn’t 50/50, it’s 60/40 in their favor. I don’t know how I could be much fairer than that. Remixes are handled as 30/30/40 with the artist and remixer getting 30% each.
How do you foster a sense of community among your artists?
I’m still working on this one. Not every artist is looking for community like that. I think it would be beneficial. I’ve tried Facebook Groups, Messenger private chats and even discord. I also have artists from all over the world (USA, UK, Russia, Japan, Australia and more), so language barriers are sometimes an issue too. This is something I’d like to resolve. I think it would make the label even stronger than it is now.
Industry Landscape and Challenges:
How has the electronic music industry changed since 2010, and how has MK837 adapted?
In 2010, the technology and infrastructure were just starting to mature so that the whole sphere of label ownership could be democratized like music creation had been about a decade earlier. Physical media was essentially dead. Social media was starting to really take off allowing for new, cheaper ways to find and reach an audience. This seems like it started a “gold rush” of sorts of labels launching with hopes of becoming the next Defected, Vandit, or Bedrock. Most of these labels, like MK837 weren’t equipped for sustainability in this environment and well eventually shutdown. Honestly, I almost shut MK837 down several times but kept pushing on anyway.
The biggest shift happened though when SFX bought Beatport. I foolishly thought that this would help matters, but I got that wrong. Under the new management, everything became focused on arena sized festivals. There’s nothing really wrong with that, but the effect it had on Beatport was highly disruptive. Genres were bastardized and redefined based on SFX wanted to push at the festivals. At least, that is my interpretation of it. Progressive house was the biggest victim where it went from the sound the well-defined sound of Bedrock and Hooj to what I honestly would call commercially driven tech-noise. This caused a cascade in where REAL progressive house should exist. At one point it was kinda under tech house or deep house or… well… it didn’t really fit anywhere. And then tech house had issues for a while and so on. Fortunately, Beatport has a mainstage genre today and things are mostly back to they were before SFX’s bastardization of the site. Since Beatport was (and still is) where 80-99% of all track sales happen, this was a huge problem.
Today, we have a struggle between streaming and digital sales. It’s like a never-ending treadmill. DJs are largely the only ones buying the digital music today, but they now also have the option to essentially “rent” it through Beatport’s streaming service. This further complicates sales. Fans are typically streamers. They’re not going to buy from Beatport – even if they are aware of it. So, marketing to them and to DJs really kind of splits how you need to reach your customers. When you’re a small label with just one guy running everything as I am, effectively reaching both audiences isn’t an easy task.
Last year, I started a Pateon for the label. This was my first attempt to stop some of the bleed, build community, and build on the idea that both fans and DJs want to ensure that the artists get as much money as possible. I’ve got a solid base group of patrons there now, but I’m looking to engage and grow a larger audience.
I also recently did a survey about direct digital compilation with our email subscribers. From that I learned that many of them would be interested in these. I also learned that CDs are a possibility and of course vinyl is as well. I’ll be testing the digital packs and CDs out soon. With such a diverse label, putting together the right vinyl and handling the expense of it is a bit much right now. By the way, did you notice that the mix CD never really died out? Global Underground has been pumping them out all this time.
The bottom line is that today I am working on ways to ensure the label isn’t constrained to just streaming and DJ stores. There’s hope in direct-to-fan marketing, which really should come as no surprise to anyone.
What are the biggest challenges facing independent electronic music labels today? (e.g., streaming economics, market saturation, piracy)
Well… I’m not sure about piracy anymore. At some point a lack of sales and streams kinda makes piracy a moot point. If I sell just 2 copies of a track, it’s unlikely that anyone who has pirated my music would have ever purchased it in the first place. Paying for things isn’t their mode of operation. The problem lies with people who pirate and then resells what they have stolen as though they have a right to. I see this a lot, but I have no idea how much they make from it.
The longer I do this, the more I’m starting to believe that there’s almost no way to win in the digital arena. This is especially true if you’re fighting in stores that your label personally do not own.
Under the most favorable conditions, a label is probably making 34% of the sale price that customers pay. So, for exclusive tracks on Beatport, that’s roughly $0.85 out of $2.50. For their older tracks, that’s about $0.50 out of $1.50. If you spend $300 to get a decent remix done, $50 for mastering, and $300 for PR/Promo work, you’re looking at $650 before we even start talking real advertising. So, to break even on that, you’d need to sell around 1,000 tracks just to break even. I’ve never gotten close to that on a single release. To break $650 on streaming, you’d probably need closer to 200,000 streams. To be honest with you, the streams are probably more realistic over time than the track sales for most labels. Keep in mind that the average number of streams on Spotify is less than 500 per song.
All of this gets back to the fact that you are marketing to two different audiences: fans and DJs. As others have said, charting on Beatport is just marketing for gigs and other income sources.
I’m not sure if that fully answers the question or if that merely shows how conflicted I am on this issue, but it is something that I am personally trying to crack.
What role do platforms like Traxsource, Beatport, and SoundCloud play in your strategy?
As I explained a moment ago, it’s almost like these sites are more for promotion than anything else. Beatport by far gives us the most exposure. Our releases are regularly featured as Hype Picks in their various genres. We also seem to be added to their various “Best New” editorial charts as well. Getting into the sales charts doesn’t happen often enough, but that’s honestly probably more of a failure on my part than Beatport. They can help people to find you, but pushing their customers into a purchase isn’t something they can do well.
Soundcloud should probably take more of a priority for the label. We see a lot of mixes posted with our music in them. Unlike Mixcloud, you can search and as long as the DJ has a tracklist, you’ll find sets with your music in them. This lets us collect and share every mix that features our music. In fact, we have a playlist of them: https://soundcloud.com/mk837/sets/featuring-mk837. We also host the archives of our Uniquely Yours there and LOVE receiving demos that are posted there. We could find ways of using it better and expanding our engagement there.
Regarding Traxsource, they’re great on curation. We do get features over there, but not as many. Despite their support and reputation, we simply do not sell much there and haven’t made them a focus of our strategy.
How do you approach marketing and promotion in the digital age?
Often out of profound ignorance, unfortunately. I think a lot of us do and I’m speaking as an artist. Many of us are learning as we go. I’m lucky enough to have a design background, so I can at least create compelling imagery, but I sometimes lack the written skills to create the ad copy or time to produce slick videos featuring our artists playing in the clubs. Even if I did, I wouldn’t have the budget of Defected to really push things forward even those Meta Ads are cheap.
So, I rely on word of mouth, Meta Ads, and mostly keep my expectations in check. It’s also why I want to shift more to direct to fan for 2026. Starting a Patreon in 2024 convinced me that I could truly stop the bleeding. I just need the right type of product (digital releases, DJ mixes, or Physical versions of them and so on) to make that happen. What’s funny is that I’ve been taught this from various sources for years and just haven’t been all that serious about implementing a strategy like it until now.
Future and Legacy:
What are your long-term goals for MK837?
Right now, it’s to break even without compromising the core values we discussed earlier. I would like to have a similar fanbase as Defected, Dirty Bird, or Anjunabeats. I don’t mean in size here, but loyalty to the sound and brand.
My focus hasn’t been on events, so I honestly thing this is one limitation with the label. I also don’t really want to expand into events as I’m already stretched to the max here, but having a series of live events would be fun.
Are there any new genres or sub-genres you’re looking to explore in the future?
Honestly, no. Because we’re already covering everything from house to techno, we’re hitting a LOT of genres. It’s possible a new one will pop up at some point, but I’m not going to speculate on that. You will of course see us on occasion release a track that isn’t within our normal wheelhouse and that’s ok. I don’t stress over such things. If it’s MK837, it’s MK837. It’s not that hard.
How do you envision the label’s legacy in the electronic music scene?
I’d rather leave this to historians. This isn’t really about fame, it’s about helping new artists get their break. From that perspective, nobody should remember MK837, but they should remember our artists. We’re just in the background enabling people’s future. That’s all.
It’s kinda like a Marvel movie. Everyone knows the heroes. Almost everyone knows Stan Lee. How many know about Jack Kirby? Who knows who Martin Goodman is? What about Timely Comics? More importantly, who bankrolled Timely when it first got started?
Obscurity isn’t always a bad thing if the legacy is good. I don’t need credit. It would be nice, but seeing our artists opening for my musical heroes or becoming someone else’s hero is the legacy I’m building.
What message would you give to aspiring independent label owners?
Do not start a label because you want the money. Don’t even start a label just because you haven’t been successful at getting your own music signed. When you run a label, it’s about the artists you work with and more times than you will like, your personal music will be slowed. You cannot simply release music; you must learn how to market it yourself and be able to fund that marketing. $750 is enough to get established, but it is not enough to even start building a loyal fanbase. No matter what you do, at some point you’re going to get beat down and depressed. You will have to decide if you’re going to push forward or give up. Listen to what your artists are telling you in that situation, but it’s always a good moment to re-examine your motives, expectations, and to realistically adjust them.
General Feature Article Questions:
Can you highlight a few seminal releases or artists that truly embody the MK837 spirit?
There have been a few.
Let’s start with Joe Rowe’s The Pursuit of Loneliness. This was released back in 2021and was our first track to ever reach the Beatport Top 100. Joe has followed up with several releases since then and is a stellar producer.
Another one to check out is MK:RXMD01. It’s a simple remix EP, but it’s frankly killer. Don’t miss Deep Dementure’s remix of my track – Secrets of Life. I don’t think there’s a bad track on there.
If you really want a solid overview of what MK837 is, check out the 15 Years Unique series of compilations that we’ve been releasing this year. Each one focuses on a genre and pulls tracks from our 15 years of existence. All of them represent the best artists and tracks in our catalog.
What’s the story behind the “Uniquely Yours” podcast? How does it contribute to the label’s identity?
It’s literally a vehicle to ensuring our new music is heard next to other up and coming or classic tracks by other artists. I want to showcase the quality music that we release, and this show allows me to do that.
Beyond that, it’s a great outlet for me to have some fun. Each show is unique and made with love. In fact, the logo is essentially a play on the classic Cupid’s Arrow through the heart. Very on the nose, but who would use a medical illustration of a heart for that?
You can catch it on Proton Radio every first Wednesday of the month at 5PM EST. I also post it as a podcast. You shoud be able to find that on most podcasting platforms – outside of Spotify. Soundcloud.com/mk837 is another great place to get it. Where ever you check it out, please rate, review and share.
Are there any behind-the-scenes stories or memorable moments from the label’s history you can share?
In our second year of existence, one of our favorite artists, Rikki, named an EP after his fiancé. Shortly after it was released, I woke up one morning to about 500 sales on iTunes. That had not happened before, nor after this time. We even had some reviews; however, they weren’t very positive.
It turned out that Rikki’s fiancé’s name was… Adele.
The bad news is everyone was upset. The good news is that they all blamed Adele. After all, it was Adele’s EP.
What do you believe sets MK837 apart from other electronic music labels?
I hear it all the time from the artists I work with. I do more in the support of the artists and their releases than any other label they work with. I don’t mean that as a brag though. I’m honestly just doing what I feel like needs to be done and how I’d like to be treated as an artist.
What are some of the most rewarding aspects of running an independent record label?
I think I mentioned it earlier, but it’s simply seeing the artists I work with hone their craft and eventually graduate to other labels. That truly excites me and I’m happy to see it happening. I’d love to keep them around, but I’m happy to see them grow.
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Questions for an Artist on MK837:
Denats
How did you first connect with MK837, and what attracted you to the label?
I’ve been connected with MK837 for quite a while, originally through the promo list. What really drew me in was the variety — there’s a proper range of sounds across house and techno that actually speaks to the stuff I love. It’s not just one flavour on repeat, and that suits me perfectly (because I usually don’t know what I’m making until it’s finished).
What has your experience been like working with the label and its team?
I’m 100% biased here — MK837 was the first label bold enough to sign one of my EPs, back in March 2023. Since then, it’s felt like a genuinely supportive place to be. The team’s been nothing but encouraging, and what really stands out is how transparent their systems are. I always know where my tracks are at, which — let’s be honest — is sadly rare in this business.
How do you feel MK837 has supported your artistic growth and career?
Well, first off, by actually agreeing to release my music! That alone gave me a huge boost. Dave’s been brilliant with feedback — honest but constructive — and most importantly, he actually listens to what I send. That sounds like a low bar, but it means the world. I’ve been lucky that some of the tracks have resonated, and he’s always found a place for them.
How does the label’s philosophy resonate with your own musical vision?
“Unique house and techno for your soul” — I mean, that’s basically the brief I give myself when I open up a project. The label’s approach is about substance and soul, not just surface-level hype, and that lines up perfectly with what I’m trying to create.
What’s your favorite aspect of being part of the MK837 family?
It actually feels like a family. I’ve had the chance to have tracks remixed by Serwus and Cogollo, and now I’m working on collabs as well. Because the label covers such a broad spectrum, I end up working outside my comfort zone a lot — and that’s where the good stuff usually happens.
Djordje Vorkapic
How did you first connect with MK837, and what attracted you to the label?
I remember hearing one project for the first time from MK837 and thought, wow, it would be really great to join such a creative team since the track I have heard gave me goosebumps.
What has your experience been like working with the label and its team?
I am thrilled with the professionality and creativity I am seeing in MK837.
How do you feel MK837 has supported your artistic growth and career?
I experienced so far significant effort from Dave to enhance my creative side and spread a word about the release to as many as possible.
How does the label’s philosophy resonate with your own musical vision?
This is the main reason why I, after my first release, got back to the family of MK837 and continued the cooperation.
What’s your favorite aspect of being part of the MK837 family?
Keeping the high quality of music while being representative of underground style and not mainstream, which is in my opinion rare to find nowadays.
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Serwus
How did you first connect with MK837, and what attracted you to the label?
I was following an artist who released a song i really liked with MK837. I looked up the label and saw they released high quality music and made it my goal to join them.
What has your experience been like working with the label and its team?
I think Dave runs a very professional label and is very engage with us artist and teh fans. It feels like a small community where everybody gets to be heard.
How do you feel MK837 has supported your artistic growth and career?
I think MK837 has been able to showcase my music to and wider audience. I know they believed in my music, and it has pushed me to be an even better producer because of the high-quality content my music is released with.
How does the label’s philosophy resonate with your own musical vision?
I love this label because this is where “underground and techno” lives. You don’t have to follow a specific label style, genre or worry about if it or isn’t mainstream enough. If its good, its good and MK837 will make sure it has a home.
What’s your favorite aspect of being part of the MK837 family?
Honestly, I love that it has a community vibe and that Dave is so engaged with us. We can ask questions, feedback… I feel like we can ask for anything and the rest will do their best to help out. Big love 🩶