life is too short to listen to old music
Innovative Leisure
The best ideas are often the simplest. Witness the rise of Innovative Leisure. When the Los Angeles imprint started releasing records a decade ago, most independent labels were mired in the mindset of the past. A generation had been raised on the omnivorous mentality that governed the shuffle era, but few indies reflected this sensibility -- sticking to variations and riffs of a single genre or sound. Enter the label founded by Jamie Strong and Nate Nelson. Alongside their breakout artist, creative director, and partner Hanni El Khatib, Innovative Leisure upended the old notions of what a label could be. Suddenly, the idea of releasing soul and funk, jazz and hip-hop, garage rock and house, disco and punk and a little psychedelic Thai rock, no longer seemed strange. The only sonic principle that mattered was quality.
