Banoffee Pies

Banoffee Pies is a British record label from Bristol, founded in 2014 by Elliot Weston and Sandy Hagenbach. Weston and Hagenbach met each other in 2012 via a common circle of friends and got on well together not only personally, but also instantly on a musical level. Their collective project Banoffee Pies also derives from their common surroundings. »Except for us taking care of the label, bookings, and parties, we have build a great network of people, who have stood behind us since the beginning«, explains Weston. »I myself had really no trust in us, but here we are«! To follow a goal was not their thing, they wanted to rather contribute their part to the diversity of club-culture. »We hope to maintain a certain degree of organised chaos and strengthen the openness of the dance floor, whilst we diversify ourselves.« Indeed, Banoffee Pies proudly puts on the banner, that they have no »signature sound«.Techno and House yes, niche existence no. So no wonder, that mini compilations especially appear on Banoffee Pies. Hence, on the one hand this supports the idea that Weston and Hagenbach only want to see the best of the best on their releases. On the other hand it shows that they are seeking experiments. »We want to try out new things, to play around with sound variations, which we like and to bring together acts, whose music complement each other. Hopefully, we surprise a couple of people in the process«. This means that the individual sub-series is brought together on one record, in part six tracks by six different artists from six different countries, which the two notorious online pals found on their forays through Discogs or Soundcloud. Is it not only a question of the quality of music, but rather at the same time a refusal of publishing conventions. »Nowadays, in the course of the vinyl renaissance, a great deal of focus is put on individual artists in order to sell records with their names. Is that not strange«?, questions Weston and of course the question is meant rhetorically. Because with their all together seven releases, it is exactly about removing themselves from those market constraints and simultaneously enabling a stringent as well as diverse musical experience with a personal touch.