An exclusive Bodytonic Podcast and we get chatting with football manager and record label owner Red D. . .

We Play House Recordings is the brainchild of DJ Red D. Having played at hundreds of parties over the last 15 years it took one listen to San Soda to decide it was time to start a music label of his own

"My house ethics date back to the days where house was just a name for a style of music that was simply there to dance to. There is no such thing as tech house, there is no such thing as deep house, there is simply house music, good or bad. And even that depends on the ear of the beholder. I started We Play House Recordings as an outlet for the music of San Soda, a friend I met in our hometown Deinze. From there on things evolved and more friends of mine got involved and started releasing on We Play House Recordings. The simple goal is to release music I like to play. No hypes, no trends, just good house music."

Red D

Your Name

Red D (Bart Van Neste)

What do you do?

I'm a DJ come label owner, come producer, come copywriter, come amateur football club manager, come record shop host, come general organizer of my own life and the many things that happen in it.

Whats a typical day like?

A typical weekday starts when I wake up - without an alarm call, best part of being self-employed in music. After that it's usually a cup of coco while I wake up whilst checking my emails. Seeing as I have a very old and turtle-like slow desktop I usually do the laundry or put the dishes in or out of the dishwasher while my emails are loading. Mornings are usually spent at my desk, afternoons are either spent in the studio, having meetings or hosting Music Mania, Ghent's finest and only decent vinyl shop.

A typical weekend day involves hangovers, too little sleep, playing football or tennis in between DJ'ing and going out to dinner or rushing from one airport to another train.

Worst part of being the boss?

There is nothing bad about being the boss when you are the only employee :-) I'd probably have to say dealing with slacking artists and other people who never meet their deadlines. Or I'd have to say that I'm annoyed when people cannot communicate properly. But that's about 90% of the world's population, so I don't even bother getting annoyed anymore...

The best?

Giving myself a raise by upping my fee at corporate parties :-p

How many people do you manage?

If you are counting all artists on my label, all players in my football team and all people on the dancefloor: too many to think about. If I look around my office I only have a team of very loyal stuffed animals who give me no trouble whatsoever.

How do you see your industry changing in the next five years?

I think we have seen the biggest change in the last 10 years, while the next 5 years could very well be more of a status quo. Of course the technology freaks will have a new gadget to (not) play with every year or so, but to me that's not really evolution. Playing with Traktor, USB-sticks, DJ controllers and the lot is kind of all the same to me. Those people will always be the ones adapting to new technology, whereas a smaller group (including myself) are sticking to vinyl because it still hasn't been matched when it comes to sound and sexiness in my opinion.

When it comes to running a label and selling music I also think the situation we have today will know less turmoil in the next 5 years. Our numbers haven't fluctuated all that much in the last 2 years, which is already progress in itself, seeing as still more and more people release music in every form possible. That might even be the part that changes in the next 5 years, loads of people are getting fed up with the vast amount of crap that's out there, so I'm expecting a return to sanity, at least partly. But then again, who can tell?!

How do you unwind?

I enjoy basically everything I do to the fullest, so just keeping busy is how I remain relaxed. As long as I have a balance between mental and physical activity it's all good!

What type of boss would you say you are?

A very easy one who takes everything into account and only puts his foot down when the time is right

Where do you go from here?

From my desk to my dj booth...to make a podcast for you lot!

Tracklist

Dynamodyse – Quiet Quality

James Teej – Dreaming Of A Grey Door

Loui$ - Pink Footpath

Mt Beatnick – Sun Goddess

January Tuesday – True Love’s Sake (André Lodemann Remix)

Degustibus – Le Cahier de Occelli

Pépé Bradock – Katoucha

Placeholder – Don’t U Know (Jacob Korn Mix)

Mr James Barth & A.D. – Above The Skyline

Miss Djax – Sexuality

Separate Minds – We Need Somebody

Magic Mountain High – Schnitzelbox Vol 1

Manoo Le Tough – Mountains

Jimmy Edgar – This One’s For The Children

West Philips – Sucker For A Pretty Face

Futura – Feelin’ Hot

Lauer – Trainmann (Tensnake Tranceman Mix)

We Play House Recordings

Soundcloud

Red D