By Emily Herbein

If there’s a silver lining to the uncertain terms of the music industry’s hiatus, it’s most definitely the unexpected collaborations between artists that have resurfaced or projects that are finally being released thanks to this excess free time. Most recently, I’m really pleased to have discovered All Play Records, a platform that promotes artist collaboration by way of curating a brand through fashion, merchandising, promotion, and connection. This is an approach that I haven’t personally seen yet, and I’m really floored by the ingenuity of it. I feel like, if this pause has taught us all anything, whether you work as a performer or as a promoter, the connection between artists and their team and empowering each others’ fluidity to pursue an authentic image has earned a new level of importance. I get the feeling that that’s what All Play is trying to emphasize, and it’s a work ethic I’m completely in favor of.

All Play Records’ debut single, “Time", features a collaboration between Trap Rabbit, Arami, and Martronimous. It’s the perfect blend of all of these artists’ sounds. Arami’s verses are so lyrically commanding and monotonous in the tonality in a really mesmerizing way. “I had minimal expectations going into this but the results were more than extraordinary! I feel like we made a piece that is so intricate and timeless that It’s one of my most proud releases to date. I feel like everything worked out divinely and I gained everything and lost nothing in this experience so all I can do is be grateful. I’m blessed to be around just talented and amazing people and when it clicks it just does. Organic will forever be the driving force,” Arami Davis said of the recording process.

The backing soundscape is extremely typical of Trap Rabbit with their use of purposeful synthetic bursts and percussion that you can’t keep up with. “Honestly because we knew no one and had zero expectations, it felt like we could get weird with things, and this track turned out delightfully weird and surprising. If we had come into the situation with something to prove, I know we would have made something considerably worse,” Trap Rabbit’s Logan Roth said. The track vibrates in a way that demands attention because, while none of these aspects necessarily mesh on paper, if you look closer, you realize that this track is written in chapters and their off-kilter progression is seamless. “I went into this project not knowing anything about the people or really how it was going to turn out, but being in that room and being forced to play and create with both strangers and friends became a very very wonderful experience. We were all able to work really hard and hone in on our best skills, and we made a really great song,” Trap Rabbit’s Arjun Dube said.

The subtle ebb and flow of Martronimous’s trumpeted overlay is also such a spot-on addition. Everyone involved in the recording process brought their own authentic sounds to the table and let them play off each other. The result? A dizzying display of live-tracked fast jazz and poetic, purposeful songwriting. It’s not a collaboration I expected to hear, but it’s one that I’m glad exists.

Following the release, I asked All Play Records’ Matt Lockerman to explain more about this “not label” label. You can read our conversation below and find the single under the cut or wherever you stream music.

What’s the history behind All Play?

Matt: We aren’t really a label in the traditional sense, as in we don’t represent or manage any artists, nor have any formal contracts with any of the artists we work with. I run a Philly based clothing brand called All Play No Work (we currently sell on our site and at Ps&Qs and REC Philly). Music has always been such an important part of my life, so my musical influences naturally inform the brand, whether it manifests in clothing design or the music we use in a lookbook video or short film. I think fashion will always go hand in hand with various forms of art and culture, music being a big part of that. Thus All Play Records is an extension of the clothing brand and was born as an experiment and a platform to get ideas out. I’m not a recording artist myself, so really all I’m doing is curating and connecting artists we love and giving them a space to create without boundaries. An artist is a brand, very much like a clothing brand. You often feel like you can't go ‘off brand’ for various reasons. We hope All Play Records can be the home for artists to be able to step outside that box and experiment either with a different sound or getting in the studio with someone they wouldn’t have otherwise. After the record is done we can also come in and help with art direction, design, merchandising, promotion, and other A&R type stuff. This is our first release so we're still trying to find our groove, but we’re having fun with it.

How did this particular collaboration come together?

Matt: I knew Arami and Marty prior to the collaboration. Arami has been a long time All Play collaborator, and I’m just a fan of everything she does. Marty has also collaborated with the brand in the past. We met through various shows and events, whether it was a Hardwork Movement show or his solo projects. So again we met through me just being a fan of his work. With regards to Trap Rabbit, I saw them perform at a GLBLVLLG jam at Warehouse on Watts and became an instant fan but we never met personally. When we came up with the idea for the All Play Records album, we knew we wanted to have a jazz-influenced track with live instrumentation. Me being a fan of both Trap Rabbit and Arami, it was a no brainer getting them on the same record. So I cold messaged Logan and Arjun, and believe me they took a leap of faith, because like I said we aren’t a record label, so it’s not like we have a huge budget. I don’t know what made them say yes, but I’m really glad they did because they created one hell of a track. So literally all I did was get them all into a room and let them do their thing and we walked out with 98% of the record done and mixed (shout out our engineer Anthony Delgado) in one studio session! The chemistry and the vibe was incredible. Plus Logan, Arjun, Arami, Marty, and Anthony are all very much professionals in what they do. I don’t think “Time” will be the last time you hear them on a track together.

How has quarantine changed the way you work? Are you able to get together in person with artists to book projects?

Matt: Everything just slowed down and got delayed. We tried coordinating virtually with producers and artists, but it didn’t really work out for us. We’re kind of old school in how we operate anyhow. We prefer face to face if possible, which is not always the best option these days. But slowing down allowed us to refocus and take our ‘time’ with things. We still have big plans with All Play Records, so it’s a matter of being patient, adapting to the new world we live in, and sometimes letting go and enjoying the ride.

What about this particular release are you the most excited about?

Matt: Other than being extremely excited for people to hear the record, we dropped a full clothing collection based on All Play Records in the Spring/Summer without ever releasing any music, so I’m very excited to finally release our first single. I also hope we can bring new fans to the artists as well be a catalyst for further collaborations amongst the artist on the record. Lastly, we’ll be pre-releasing some merchandise for the single, in which all the profits go to the artist. So I’m hoping we can make some money for them as well! I’m really excited to also see how this big experiment plays out. I have my fingers crossed but who the hell knows!?!?!

What are your future projects and goals?

Matt: I’m going to put this out into the universe - our goal from the beginning was to release a full-length album on vinyl and throw a benefit concert with all the artists that collaborated on the project. So that was and still remains the goal. Since we don’t know when the next time concerts IRL will be a thing, we’ll continue to release singles and merchandise, giving as much as we can back to the artists, and then one day we’ll release the full length and have ourselves a big celebration with the community!

All Play Records Recruits Trap Rabbit, Arami, and Martronimous for Debut Collaboration, "Time"