Since Mad Decent was es-
tablished as a three-person
upstart in Philadelphia, the
label has grown to a staff
of 20, most of whom work
out of an office in Los An-
geles’ Arts District. In the
beginning, their only way
to spotlight global micro-
genres was through posts
on the label’s blog, but
everything changed when
Baauer’s “Harlem Shake”
went viral in 2013. “It was
a huge moment for us as
a label, and it was also a
turning point for dance
music,” says label president
Jasper Goggins, citing the
festival boom and flood of
dance-pop crossovers as
additional paths to prof-
itability. “Suddenly there
were just more platforms
to make money on.”
In addition to a new
Diplo EP due out this fall
(“think Brazilian and R&B
samples,” teases Devro),
Mad Decent plans to
continue releasing roughly
one track per month,
including a forthcoming
Afrohouse record from
Angolan producer G Jeff.
They’re not abandoning
American dance music en-
tirely — Dillon Francis and
Valentino Khan both have
upcoming projects — but
it’s in the label’s DNA to
think ahead. “People look
to us for what’s experi-
mental and up next,” says
Diplo. “That’s the best part
of the label — whatever
people’s preconceived
notion of what a Mad De-
cent record is, we’re never
going to stay there.”
BACKSTORY
Mad Decent is tight-
lipped about what’s to
come on Higher Ground,
but expect a range of
melodic, deep and tech
house. Much attention is
being paid to breakout
producer Dylan Brady,
who Devro first contact-
ed in 2016 and signed
to Decent Distribution
last year, as well as his
Dog Show Records and
100 gecs project with
Laura Les. Meanwhile,
in hip-hop, the label
is innovating its Good
Gas imprint with FKi 1st.
“We’ve been doing these
world compilations
where we infiltrate the
rap crews in local scenes
or cities and have them
make beats and do EPs
with us,” says Goggins.
THE ARTISTS
The decision to launch a
new imprint reflects a larg-
er label strategy: In order
to appeal to house music
purists, Mad Decent had
to soften its reputation for
mainstream EDM. “That
stigma still exists,” says
Goggins, “so instead of
operating like a Pangaea,
we’re starting to spread
out, giving each piece the
room to do its own thing.”
The label has developed a
new distribution services
team, expanded the un-
derground-centric Good
Enuff imprint, signed a
joint venture deal with Big
Deal Music Publishing and
brought neoperreo (Miss
Nina), indie pop (Sebastian
Paul) and Japanese foot-
work (Foodman) into the
Mad Decent family.
EXPANSION WHAT’S NEXT?
Devro (left) and
Goggins.
SIGNED
Tiwa Savage
LABEL MOTOWN RECORDS
After releasing her 2013 debut
album, Once Upon a Time, on
Nigeria’s Mavin Records and 323 Enter-
tainment, Lagos native Tiwa Savage es-
tablished herself as an influential voice in
Afrobeats — her fans have even crowned
her as queen of the genre.
Now, thanks to a global recording
agreement with Universal Music Group,
she’s eyeing a U.S. crossover. Savage,
who signed to Mavin in 2012, left to join
UMG in May. Two months later, she
signed a recording contract with Motown
Records, a move orchestrated by Capitol
Music Group executive vp Ethiopia
Habtemariam.
Despite singing and writing songs pro-
fessionally for a decade, the 39-year-old
says, “I see myself as a new artist again
who’s hustling. That’s my mentality. I
don’t walk into a room expecting anyone
to know who I am. I’m just here to get a
seat at the table.”
Habtemariam insists that Savage has
“already gained the respect of so many
creators around the world,” and now sees
her job as supporting her already-strong
brand stateside. “People are excited
to learn about their heritage, so there’s
a hunger for music from the African
continent to exist here in the U.S.,” says
Habtemariam. “[Afrobeats] is really break-
ing in a big way, and it’s beautiful to see it
happening in real time.”
So far this year, Savage was featured
alongside fellow Nigerian star Mr. Eazi
on Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift
soundtrack album and released “49-99,”
her debut single for Motown and first
taste from her as-yet-untitled third album.
“The good thing about Afrobeats artists
is that most of us have 10 million followers
already,” says Savage. “We just need that
engine to push our music to territories that
normally wouldn’t have access to it.”
—BIANCA GRACIE SA
VAGE:^ DOMINIKBINDL/GETTYIMAGES.^ D
EVRO:^ CARTER^JUNCAL.DIPLO:^ STEVEGRANITZ/WIREIMAGE.On Sept. 22, Diplo and Mad Decent Records will take
over Brooklyn Mirage to toast their new house music im-
print, Higher Ground. Unlike the label’s long-running EDM/
hip-hop block parties, the showcase will strive for clubbier sounds
to reflect the sublabel’s focus, with U.K. producer Paul Woolford and
Brooklyn duo Walker & Royce (who will release the imprint’s debut
single) receiving top billing. “We respect house music so much,” says
Paul Devro, who has led Mad Decent’s A&R since its 2006 formation.
“We didn’t want to do it if we couldn’t do it right.” —MEGAN BUERGER
Diplo
LABEL
LOOK
Mad Decent
100 BILLBOARD • SEPTEMBER 21, 2019