Today we’d like to introduce you to Augustus Watkins.
Hi Augustus, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
GIVE/TAKE was the idea of my business partner Joshua Lexvold, who lives in Minneapolis. J and I had already had a couple successful musical collaborations (including our band DEATHDANCE) and tours. We have similar musical tastes, aesthetics, and values. He called me one day and said he was thinking of starting a label and asked if I’d want to join. I said yes immediately. We determined early on what kind of music we wanted to focus on, what our shared goals and ideals were, and how we would use those to guide what we do. That was in 2017, and since then we’ve released closed to 40 projects from bands all over the world in vinyl, cassette, cd, mini-disc, and digital formats. We’re proud of how far we’ve come and excited to keep the momentum.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The music industry doesn’t have a reputation for being easy. We deal with the kinds of things anyone in the industry does: artists, executives, overstuffed egos and wounded ones, missed deadlines, miscommunications, weather, manufacturing delays, pandemics, and the list goes on. People think there’s a lot of money in the music industry, and that’s often not true. Many of the artists you love that you hear on the radio and see at your favorite venues go home and work day jobs, which is why it’s important to directly support them by buying their music in physical formats or on Bandcamp, paying for tickets, going to shows, and things like that. Lots of people have heard of the delays and strain on the vinyl supply chain, and that’s impacted us as well. The pandemic was challenging for us because we were planning on artists playing shows and touring to help support our releases. We also faced the challenge of how to talk about art and work during the marches and activities of 2020 in Minneapolis. We believe Black Lives Matter, and we knew it was right to reduce our activity and promotional efforts during those events. No regrets there. The true obstacle in that situation is the need for justice in our communities.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
GIVE/TAKE is a boutique record label focusing on auteur-driven music with an electronic approach. We believe that music is a sacred art form. We feel that music is meant to be engaged with and listened to actively, and not just background noise. Everything we do comes down to the mindset the music belongs on the same dais as fine art.
Our strong commitment to beautiful and enduring designs definitely sets us apart. You can see when you look at our catalog how much care we put into the visual element of everything we do, which carries forward to the actual experience of listening.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I think our audience is surprised at the breadth of the kind of music we release. Our repertoire features artists who make everything from dance-oriented house music, synthwave, harsh noise, industrial, indie pop, and more. People often hear one artist’s work and think they can predict the rest of the catalog. We’re proud of the diversity of our artists and the work they make.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@givetake.life
- Website: https://givetake.life/
- Instagram: @givetakelife
- Facebook: @givetakelife
- Twitter: @givetakelife
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/user/u97qdvi60kphiem6hyxtcspkd?si=d17b799ea6fb4aa7
Image Credits
Joshua Lexvold
Augustus Watkins
Clarence Reed
GIVE/TAKE
