Interview: Label boss Ell Weston on the future of Banoffee Pies Records | LOUD Magazine

Interview: Label boss Ell Weston on the future of Banoffee Pies Records | LOUD Magazine

Posted on: 30 Apr 2020

This article was first published in the second edition of LOUD Magazine, 365Bristol's dedicated music publication. 

 

Read LOUD Magazine, Issue #2 here:

LOUD Magazine Issue #2.

Banoffee Pies Records

 

Label boss Ell Weston has been around the block in Bristol, running parties and releasing a steady string of well-received records for the best part of seven years. Now preparing to move on, we sit down to talk local influences, favourite projects and the future of Banoffee Pies

 

If you’re familiar with Bristol music, chances are you’ve seen – or heard – Ell Weston (aka DJ Autumn) dropping infectious grooves across eager crowds, surrounded by wide smiles and a flurry of moving feet. The pair have been a staple of the city’s party scene since 2013, having gone from hosting 100-cap parties in their early days to running an internationally renowned label from a Bristol HQ.

 

But, as I catch up with Ell on an overcast afternoon in Stokes Croft, I’m met with the news that he’ll be moving on in a few months’ time. Years after getting Banoffee Pies off the ground and developing it into the all-encompassing imprint it is today, a new start in Berlin beckons. “I feel like if I don’t move now, it’ll just get harder and harder,” he says, explaining the motivation for the move. “We’re gonna jump before everything goes full Brexit.”


 

“I think people often try to look for a specific thing that influences you, but [Bristol] for me is more of a feeling. Rather than come here and be inspired by this person or that person, it’s the support and the freedom that makes you feel like you can do what you want creatively.”

 

Leaving Bristol behind won’t be easy, though, and Ell clearly has an affinity for the city that helped him cultivate his genre-spanning label. From early releases that featured a slew of Bristol locals as well Christian Jay, Ruf Dug and Flo Filz, Banoffee Pies have gone on to roll out a collection of sub-labels, featuring everything from no-nonsense party tracks to contemporary jazz, hip-hop and minimal techno.

 

The plan for Banoffee Pies was, according to Ell, to create a platform with a wide scope. He tells me he’s got a lot of admiration for labels that stick to a particular sound, but always wanted to keep things broad on his own project.

 

“I didn’t really like the idea of having to pass up opportunities to work with people because ‘I only do techno’ or ‘I’m only into house-y stuff’,” he says. “It’s good to be a bit different and put out different kinds of records in one place.” A quick look at the Banoffee Pies discography will show you they’ve done just that, combining club-ready records from the likes of Adam Strömstedt and Interplanetary Criminal with their Beats hip-hop series and albums from Mark Nicholas, Ishmael Ensemble and How Du.

Gallegos - Mad As Hell (BP008).Artwork for Gallegos' Mad As Hell, released on Banoffee Pies in late 2018.

 

Having spent so many years operating out of Bristol and working alongside local artists, Banoffee Pies have naturally formed friendships with other people and crews involved in the city’s music scene. “There’s so much talent and so many nice people here that are doing great things, so we’ve always been really keen to support people,” Ell says, proudly adding that you’ll find at least one Bristol artist on almost every record Banoffee Pies has released.

 

It’s not just the artists that Ell has been inspired by over the years, either. He speaks passionately while explaining that the city itself has been a huge influence on his label, home to what he describes as a totally unique atmosphere that gives people space to do their own thing. “I think people often try to look for a specific thing that influences you, but the city for me is more of a feeling. Rather than come here and be inspired by this person or that person, it’s the support and the freedom that makes you feel like you can do what you want creatively.”

 

With a move on the horizon, it’s not clear what the distant future holds for Ell and Banoffee Pies itself. Plans for 2020, at least, are more clear-cut, with the next seven records “lined up and ready to go”. Upcoming projects, including a Black Label VA featuring Alec Falconer, an album from Soulstate Jazz and a 12” from New Yorker Tristan Arp, will take Banoffee Pies over the 50-release mark.

 

 

Ell, an increasingly in-demand DJ in his own right, also has his sights set on a busy summer of parties, not least the second edition of his festival, Headroom, in Wales in late July. Inspired by community-driven events like Freerotation, Ell describes Headroom as an intimate affair, with just 250 tickets available and an emphasis on openness and inclusivity.

 

“It’s about making people feel safe, comfortable and a part of something, and creating that special atmosphere,” he says. Both the lineup and ticket availability are split, slightly in favour of non-males to males, to ensure proper representation across the board. “You see so many male-heavy lineups around, and you think ‘if you just spent that little bit of time digging, you’d end up with such a better balance of people and artists.’”

 

Banoffee Pies fans can rest easy in the knowledge that Ell’s relocation won’t hinder the label’s output, and will likely open doors to new collaborations with a new crop of artists. “It’ll be a big switch and we’ll be back in at the deep end,” he admits, but this is nothing new for a label that’s pretty much done it all in the last few years in Bristol. Banoffee Pies remains one of the best-loved imprints to come out of the city in a long time.

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Article by:

Matt Robson

 

Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
 

Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.