Felix White of The Maccabees has launched a brand new record label called Yala! Records, along with an accompanying bimonthly club night.
The label is aimed at helping emerging artists establish themselves in the industry, with the club night serving as a networking platform. Brighton newcomers The Magic Gang will headline the first Yala! Records club night on August 5 at the Bermondsey Social Club. The bill will also feature DJ sets from The Maccabees and Mystery Jets, as well as some special guests to be revealed on the night.
A limited number of tickets for the night will be available to purchase via a ballot by registering at www.yalarecords.com. Successful applicants will subsequently receive a link to buy a maximum of two tickets per person.
White founded Yala! his friend Morad Khokar - a publicist at Warner Music. As part of the project, the pair will utilise The Maccabees’ own studio in Elephant and Castle.
“We thought this could be a nice opportunity to bring this community together, whether it be producers or designers or promoters we have known for a long time, working together on helping new music find its own way, and after that, the sky’s the limit," said White. “Everything starts with the club night though; it will be the focal point of what we do going forward, and with this opening line up we’ve set the bar suitably high for future nights.”
With regards to the choice of name, White explained: “My grandmother was Palestinian and she used to cross between speaking Arabic and English, and it’s something she used to say all the time: ‘Yala! Hurry up! Let’s go!’ It’s always stuck in my head and it felt like it fitted – let’s stop talking about it and try to make it happen.”
