Interviews

Canopy is a label to keep your eyes on. With a solid identity, it has built a reputation of quality and authenticity with its consistent release of forgotten and undiscovered ‘nuggets of joy’. Founded, run and developed by Emmanuel Dalton, we get the chance to learn a little more about this exciting label and fascinating label head.

Thanks for taking this time to talk. How are you and where are you today?

Hi, thanks for getting in touch. My name is Emmanuel Dalton, otherwise known by my DJ name Sumosui and I am doing great! Today I am in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Where are you from and where are you based?

I am originally from Aotearoa (New Zealand), but am now a Portuguese resident. I split my time living between Lisboa, Portugal and Ragusa, Sicily.

What do you love most about the place in which you live?

I originally travelled to Lisboa while DJ touring some years ago. While there I fell in love with the atmosphere, humble people, the Lusophone cultures and the vibrant music and party scene, which felt authentic and sincere. I resonated with the audiences there, without the gloss & superficiality that can sometimes be apparent in large metropolises and as a newcomer not knowing where to look for "the realness". While this has changed to some degree with the flourishing of Lisboa's popularity with ex-pats (indeed such as myself), it still has an energy and atmosphere that is totally unique and hard to resist.

I fell in love Ragusa, Sicily when I first took my mum there on some travels together long ago. So many things to love about Sicily of course, the food (!!!), the heritage, the architecture, the climate, the Indian figs, and the atmosphere is one of a kind, truly intoxicating (without even mentioning the Nero d'Avola!).

How long has Canopy been going, when did you actually establish the label?

I founded Canopy in 2020, when my DJ touring had been curtailed by the global health challenges of that era. At the time I felt like I had lost a vital part of my interaction with music and audiences, while in fact this created an opportunity, a space in my life to focus on an idea that had been seeding for some years already. During those stationary years grounded back in Aotearoa I used the time to research the many elements of running a label and more importantly, the time-consuming task of finding artists & label owners or their heirs and ironing out deals with them. Finding the artists and rights holders, as well as discerning who was the correct party to be signing a license proved to be the most challenging and complicated part of starting Canopy.

What were you doing musically before you established the label?

DJing. Before Canopy I was busy touring, mainly around Europe & Asia, although as far out as the Indian Ocean, Pacific Islands, Latin America and of course New Zealand & Australia.

Where and when did your love of uncovered records come from?

Originally it wasn't about uncovered or rare records as such, but rather about amazing and often older music, that was not yet known to me. This started in my younger DJ years, while researching the samples used by producers in the songs that I played. I discovered a whole world of music this way, from lounge exotica to calypso, rhythm & blues to soca to Afro-beat and so on. Once I discovered these sample sources, I was curious to learn, what were the musicians who made the original songs listening to, what were their influences? And I continued back further, like pulling on threads, as far back as I could go.

I love the way Canopy shares hidden gems with the world and makes them accessible to the wider audience. Is this part of your mission?

Yes indeed. Something many people don't know is that the gems released on Canopy all started out in my life as vinyl gems in my record bag. Every song on Canopy I first played as a DJ. Seeing the great response these songs elicited from the audiences and the interest the other DJs had in these records when we played together, showed me that it would be amazing to find a way to help share these rare nuggets of joy with a wider audience than simply the dancefloors I played to.

What are some of the first records that established this love?

Some of the records that really influenced me early on in this tropical direction were lounge exotica, such as Les Baxter & Martin Denny. While these artists and genre can certainly be called a pastiche of the tropical influences which they mimic, they were some of the first breadcrumbs that led me deep into these forests that now make up the Canopy that I call my habitat.

As far as African influences, there were two specific pieces of music that I discovered early on which mesmerised me with their magic and significantly redirected the course of my digging.

Firstly, the enchanting song "La Music En Vérité", from Beninoise musician Gnonnas Pedro, to be found on his LP of the same name, released in 1980 in Benin on the Studio Disques Gnoinsope imprint.

Secondly, the beautiful and timeless song "On Verra Ca" from Senegalese super group Orchestre Baobab, released in 1978 on French label Productions Ledoux. Both of these songs had a meteoric impact on my formative tastes and were truly like the missing link in the evolution of my musical DNA.

What is it that formed your interest in the type of music that Canopy puts out?

I am at heart a very curious person and am driven by a sense of discovery, whether that be for music, food, film, culture, literature, locations... The feeling of first learning of something new that thrills me is something I will never lose. It's what motivates me to search for these glistening jewels and what gives me great pleasure to be alive and roaming the earth. Discovering music that included a sense of something mysterious to me, both sonically and geographically contributed to the sense of wonder that enticed me deeper into these genres.

How do you go about sourcing the labels releases?

I search for the artists, labels, or rights holders to the songs of interest, that I love the most and that also evoked the strongest response in those I played them for.

Your new release is by Eko. Tell us a little about the artist and the history of these two tracks?

Eko Roosevelt is a much-respected Cameroonian singer, pianist/keyboardist & composer. He lived and performed in France for 20 years, in the 1970s & 80s, and then returned to his original home of Kribi in coastal Cameroon, where he took over from his father's chieftainship, an important role which he holds to this day.

In fact, Eko is one of the musical heroes who influenced my interest in African disco music early on in my DJ career. He is perhaps best known for his evergreen classic "Kilimanjaro My Home", although many of his works have been released, edited, remixed and bootlegged, sadly the majority of these have been without his knowledge. We are proud to be releasing "Take Me As I Am Now" and "Phone Me Tonight", with his blessing.

Do you do anything to the tracks before you release in terms of mastering and sound improvements?

I count my blessings for the impeccable finesse of Frank Merritt at The Carvery, London, for restoration, mastering and lacquer cutting. He has worked on every Canopy project to date, which, with the release of CNPY014 - Eko, now numbers 21 releases. In fact, after myself, he has been the most constant force in the Canopy production chain. I can add that his own imprint, Sofrito, was a strong influence in my personal musical development. Frank is adept at enhancing the original sonics of the music with a skill & sensitivity that is perfectly suited to keeping the original tonality while giving the improvements that best fit for the content. I could wax lyrical, but suffice to say that he is in a category of his own. A true master.

Canopy has also had the pleasure to work closely with Dan Elleson, based in Melbourne, who restored & mastered many of the first Canopy releases. Dan is an audio maverick I hold in high esteem who was a key pillar in the formation of the Canopy standard of audio quality in the seminal years of the label. I have much to thank him for and will always think of him with reverence. Having his ear, council and technical precision gave me the peace of mind to focus on the many aspects of production, knowing that the end results would sound to the highest audio quality that we strive for, both on vinyl and digital.

On some of your releases you work with remixers. How do you choose and differentiate?

This is a good question. I select the remixers based on their sensitivity to these specific types of music, which in general means that they already have a body of work similar to the sound I am searching for, which was how I discovered them. They have a taste for these genres and understand the nuances that make them what they are. The producers I ask to collaborate with are skilled at recreating vintage works, without losing the essence of the original, and have the production prowess to do so without stems or multi-tracks, but only the stereo files taken from the vinyl. Restraint is also a key factor. I value producers who can add something new, without losing the spirit of the original. This is the fundamental equilibrium that I strive for with Canopy remixes.

Another key aspect to these collaborations is finding the right fit between the remix producer and the song to be remixed. From the early days Canopy has had a relatively extensive catalogue of licensed original vintage works. This provided the ability to present the producers with a large selection of songs to select from, and therefore to create room for a synergetic match between the original content and the tastes of the remixer. This freedom of choice has provided a fertile ground to seed symbiotic pairings, such as Captain Planet's re-envisioning of Ehi Duncan - Africa My No. 1, and Bosq's take on Alafia - Assanssan, to name a couple.

Your label feels like it has a really strong identity. What is your labels mission in your mind.

To "re-celebrate and re-calibrate" music and artists that might be otherwise undiscovered. To try and hold a torch for organic, positive and timeless music in an age when values are becoming eroded and when so much has become disposable in an era of hyper short attention spans and insta-success prioritisation.

Are you interested in new music too? How do you source new music and find inspiration in new sounds if at all.

Absolutely. I discover new music in all sorts of places, from online searches, charts from peers, from friends, movies, from taxi drivers' YouTube selections or in random restaurants. I just discovered some absolutely fantastic Iranian music in a restaurant in Bukhara, Uzbekistan as well as a whole world of fantastic contemporary Tajiki music from the playlists of taxi drivers here in Tajikistan and also from the donkey handlers in the Fann mountains of all places. (Watch this space, Canopy may pivot!). Thanks to Shazam, whether one loves it or hates it, these days it's easier to identify the random songs we hear in our environments (nod to all the DJs who love to covet the "Unshazamable").

What is the last record you purchased?

I have been focusing more on digging CD format from the 90s and early 2000s lately and discovering a wealth of amazing music. But the latest vinyl I bought was from an Ivory Coast musician "Zakri Noel - Super Yohou". (Look out for a reissue of another Zakri Noel album next year on Canopy).

Who do you think is making great music right now?

Lontra, a Brazilian artist based in Bogota is an amazing upcoming artist that I discovered from a demo he sent in. Since we were first in touch, he has shared a number of projects my way and all I can say is that the temperature is about to get turned up!

I recently discovered an inspiring album by a group called R.A.H. & The Ruff Cats, the album is called "From Orile to Berlin" which was released on Sonar Kollektiv, a label that I have looked to for over 20 years. The album is a mix of authentic Afro-beat mixed with more contemporary urban influences. The horn section is devastating, the song writing infectious and R.A.H.'s vocal delivery irresistible.

Joi N'Juno is a talented and versatile producer whose debut solo album Canopy had the honour to release. He has a sensitivity and adaptability honed from years as a library music producer, which enable him to catch the feel of many different styles with ease. Look out for some exciting forthcoming collaborations with Pat Thomas & Kaleta to name a couple.

While not a producer, Dutch born, now Lisbon based, Mr Chong (Jasper Tjoonk) is an insatiable digger & DJ, with his own unusual methods and channels, who Canopy has recently started working alongside on projects that may well shape the direction of the label. He brought a super exciting project to the table and we are now working on this behind the scenes.

What can we hope to hear next from Canopy?

After CNPY014 Eko Roosevelt, we release the debut EP from Lontra ft Sir Jean, out in July!

After a break for summer, we will be back with two EPs. One EP features works from South Africa & Nigeria complete with 21st century versions from Canopy mainstays Aroop Roy & OPOLOPO. The second EP is a reissue of a Malian musician which will also introduce the veteran Russian producer Valique to the Canopy roster. Valique is someone whose work I have long admired. These are two projects I am very proud of and can't wait to share with the world.

Is there anything else you would like to add about you, the label, your releases.

There are a lot of projects to come. More EPs that dance the line between old school & new, album reissues, a couple compilations and some UFOs that never landed on the internet before and releases of original works from Canopy artists. I almost forgot to mention collaborations with some MC legends of the 90s golden Hip Hop era!

Lastly, thanks to anyone who has supported the label and independent music. It's up to us all to make sure the joyful incantations continue to thrill and delight.

Like we say on our records, "Wild gyrations are encouraged"!

Check out the latest releases from Canopy.