Middlesbrough artist and Paradiso Records label owner REES looks back on his experiences post-lockdown and shares his plans for the future.
Adam Rees aka REES, has certified himself as one of this generation’s flag bearers of the New Wave Italo sound. Hailing from the industrial town of Middlesbrough, his ear for 80’s inspired synth splashed disco cuts instantly made him stand out in an area normally dominated by house and techno soundtracks.
He spent the early phase of his career cultivating his reputation in the north of England playing local events such as Shake and RiffRaff*, hosting his own label parties in Newcastle as well as releasing on Man Power’s ME ME ME. He also saw early success with a US tour in 2019 playing in cities such as New Orleans and Detroit.
The following year he would release on a host of labels, mostly outside his area this time including Permanent Vacation, Shall Not Fade, NIEN, Love Attack and Aeon in addition to featuring on BICEP’s seminal mix series.
The young artist had a lot of early highs and things seemed to keep getting better in 2022 where he saw remixes from the likes of Prins Thomas, as well as securing releases on Palm Trax’s CWPT and Amsterdam’s premier Italo imprint Bordello A Parigi. Sat in his studio/office surrounded by a vast collection of synths, REES explained how targeting specific areas with his music helped him get going again. “I made a point to target Europe just after the lockdown due to the style of music I make, which has resulted in me seeing bookings in Amsterdam, Paris and Lithuania this year. I just kind of set a plan for everything opening up and it’s nice to see it actually paying off.”
I want it to be a bit more than a label. I want to create more of a community!
After finding success in the Italo scene, REES’ musical curiosity has led him down different creative avenues. “I’ve been listening to a lot of Chicago House stuff lately, as well as world disco music. Especially stuff from the Middle East and South Asia. I’d quite like to tie more of that into my music like I did on the record for Palm Trax’s label.”
This approach of trying out new ideas is something he has worked into his record label too:
“We are going for a less is more approach now. There was one point, around 2 years ago, when we were releasing about 3 EP’s a month, which is a lot of music. This time I think we are going to take it down to around 3 or 4 releases a year. I’m also releasing a new label that will run side by side with Paradiso. The plan is to just release stuff as and when it feels right.” The new label named Magic Ritmo will aim to be more fluid with its music selection.
“I don’t want it to be fixed on a style like Paradiso is. Paradiso is very New Beat/Italo but for this I just want to find and release all round great music! I want to have parties and collabs with non-music related brands just to keep things interesting. I want it to be a bit more than a label. I want to create more of a community!”
Check out more from REES here
