Published:
December 20, 2016
Here´s a new cool collaboration that crosses music & underground fashion, with the Julius Runway show in Paris, showcasing his Spring/Summer 2017 collection ‘Knives’ in collaboration with Downwards Records, where Samuel Kerridge & Autumn performed during the runway.
Julius Runway, the Japanese fashion designer who has already collaborated with underground electronic music labels and artists as Stroboscopic Artefacts, Samurai Horo, and Paul Jebanasam & Tarik Barri, now collaborates with Regis and Downwards Records.
Julius upcoming ‘Knives’ collection is inspired by and features Karl O’Connor aka Regis and his ''track lyrics and titles'', which designer Tatsuro Horikawa highly respects. The collection’s motif is based on his uncompromising attitude and spirit throughout mid 80’s punk, break beats, rock n roll, and post-new wave industrial noise.
The text featured in the collection is drawn form the roots of Downwards: Birmingham [ DUST; ] , the insanity of the material world [ HELL; ] , and lyrics from O’Connor’s early work, Sandra Electronics’ “her needs” [ I enjoy luxury.. ]
Downwards, it’s safe to say, can be counted among the most important record labels in techno. Largely that’s due to its role in shaping the sparse, steely strain of industrial techno that came to be known as the Birmingham sound, through releases from Surgeon and label co-founders Peter Sutton, aka Female, and Karl O’Connor, aka Regis. But Downwards was never simply a techno label. For O’Connor, it represented an escape from the mundanity of the suburban Midlands, and an outlet for the realization of his own singular vision. Regis is one of techno’s great individuals, a producer who—from the remorseless Jeff Mills-influenced churn of his early work through to the abrasive theatricality of his British Murder Boys collaboration with Surgeon—has proven that dance music can stand for much more than simply getting bodies moving. His Downwards releases were, and are, darkly stylish, witty, often confrontational, but never dull.
The inspiration for O’Connor’s particular brand of sonic provocation comes from the challenging electronic pop of his mid ’80s youth, and it’s arguably his insistence that music should be more than simply functional—more, even, than simply music—that has maintained the label’s relevance through its two-decade lifespan. From the first ever Downwards release—Antonym’s thorny, discordant Shattering Of An Illusion 7”—through to his recent championing of bands including Tropic of Cancer, DVA DAMAS, and The KVB, O’Connor has consistently embraced the unexpected. This year marks the label’s 20th anniversary and the launch of Downwards America, run by O’Connor’s long-term collaborator and partner in Sandwell District, Silent Servant.
Angus Finlayson caught up with O’Connor to discuss the label and some of the artists who have helped shape it.