One Year of Ranger Records: The Story Behind Pelagic Vol. 1
One year on from the launch of Ranger Records, the label marks the moment with its most ambitious project to date.
Pelagic Vol. 1 lands as the first instalment in a yearly compilation series exploring the soulful edges of drum and bass, bringing together 12 tracks from rising talent, established names, and international friends.
We caught up with Ranger Records founder Keagan Miller to talk about the journey so far. From launching the label and building a community, to the story behind Pelagic, the artists involved, and why this first volume feels like such a proud full-circle moment.
One Year of Ranger Records
Q: What does this release mean for you coming up on the first anniversary of Ranger Records?
A: I think it’s a great statement as to how far the label has come in just one year. It really showcases the breadth of what I was going for with Ranger Records, and seamlessly weaves in all the pivotal elements of the label: Oceania-focused, community-driven, nature/conservation, and high fidelity sonics 😉 We’ve got 11 fabulous artists involved, some new and some established names, and it feels like a really strong milestone release for the label.
Q: What has the journey been like founding a drum and bass record label?
A: It’s been a crazy ride already. I’ve been learning so much in terms of distribution, advertising, artist relations, and much more! It’s a lot of fun taking a set of tracks from demo stage to a full-blown release, with all the planning, concepts, artwork, premieres, and behind-the-scenes work that goes into it. It definitely keeps me on my toes for sure!
Miche - Better Days
Building the Label
Q: Tell us about why you started Ranger Records?
A: Well, to be honest, I kinda came to the realization that the region, particularly New Zealand, didn’t really have a premium record label for local artists to connect with and release on. Considering the huge popularity of drum and bass on this side of the world, I thought it was time to fill the void, per se.
Time and time again, I would see local artists releasing on offshore and UK labels. During my time as a promoter with Basilisk Bass, which ran for 10 years, I saw all the dos and don’ts of what labels did well and didn’t do well. I liked and incorporated parts of my favourite labels into Ranger Records, and I hope it can last the test of time and become a staple household name amongst DnB fans.
Q: What’s your process for scouting talent and signing tracks?
A: Initially, leading up to the launch of the label, I did a ton of in-depth scouting on SoundCloud, Facebook pages, and Reddit for upcoming NZ/Aus producers. Also, being balls deep in DnB as a promoter, I was across most of the talent in the region already. But during my scouting, I definitely found some producers I hadn’t heard of before who really caught my attention.
As for actually signing tracks, the biggest thing is that I have to like and really feel the track. I don’t generally think too much about the commercial success, although that is definitely something I’ve been thinking about a little more recently, as the cost vs money back on a small, growing DnB label can be brutal. Don’t worry though, we’re not becoming a dancefloor-only DnB label just yet. It’s very much a passion project at the start.
If a track catches my attention, I generally listen through multiple times to see if it has good replayability. I’ll look at the technical aspect of the track as well, and sometimes I’ll stalk the artist’s previous tracks / SoundCloud, etc. It generally comes down to a gut feeling mostly. Not having a producer background myself means I rely on listening to A LOT of drum and bass as my filter, haha. But I also have Ranger artists who help me when I need to give more technical feedback to rising artists/producers.
Q: There’s a strong Oceanic presence across the release. How important is it for Ranger Records to represent this part of the world?
A: I would say integral. This is one of the main pillars intertwined with the identity of Ranger. It’s a platform for artists and fans to really up the underground DnB on this side of the world, and helping conservation at the same time is such a win-win, especially in countries that respect and enjoy their native wildlife and ecosystems.
Various Artists - Pelagic Vol. 1 EP Artwork
The Pelagic Concept
Q: Where did the name Pelagic come from?
A: Pelagic is kind of a sciency word I learnt when studying Ecology at Uni. It relates to the sea, essentially. Pelagic refers to the different stratum, or layers, of the sea, and at different layers there are different ecological dynamics, species, etc.
Its relation to drum and bass for this release was the analogy to liquid drum and bass. Water being liquid and the sea being water, you get the gist. I also feel like the sea being so expansive definitely fits with liquid DnB. This sub-genre feels perfect for deep thought, getting lost in the music, and giving you room to think, etc. Hence, expansive — another analogy!
Q: I noticed the track names tell a story, how did this come about?
A: Yeah, the tracklist names, when followed through, sound like a bad breakup, which is pretty funny because it came together very naturally. I noticed the artists were giving their tracks all these romantic names like “Everything You Do” and “Each Time You Are Here.” When I had the final tracklist, I tried to arrange them in some sort of order.
So it starts out great with “Better Days” and “Promise,” like the honeymoon period of a relationship, and unfortunately ends with isolation, “ISOL8,” and “Worlds Apart.”
Q: Where did the inspiration for this release come from?
A: Very much from Vandal Records’ Modern Soul Series. I’ve always loved that series on the imprint and thought it was such a cool idea to do a regular, yearly, liquid LP, as it’s one of my favourite sub-genres.
Edan - Each Time You Are Here
Artists & Tracklist
Q: Tell us a bit more about the artists behind the Pelagic tracks?
A: Yeah, so a lot of these artists are “label regulars,” like Miche, Phrase, and Sayless, who I’ve got good relationships with. Others are new additions like Blix and Sal, who are Brisbane-based. Blix has risen up quite quickly in the scene, and Sal I’ve been listening to for years, so it was great to get him on.
Same with Edan, a Melbourne-based artist. I had vibed his stuff for a while, including his releases on Onesevenfour and Celsius, so I naturally reached out after I started the label. Same with Aussie guys Ewol and Manikin. They’re obviously very established in the scene, and I’ve been listening to their stuff for years, so I was stoked when they agreed to jump on!
Iridescent launched our Ranger Radio segment and sent me some stuff last year. He’s a very promising producer, and I thought his “Incandescent” track fitted perfectly as a soft touch to the compilation.
Outer Soul is the odd one out of the bunch, being strictly UK with no ties to the region, but we connected via another artist. When I heard the track, I was looking for one more to sign to make 12, and after the first listen I was like, “Yup, this is the one to complete the LP,” and that was signed!
Q: How did you go about choosing the artists and tracks for the first volume?
A: It all came together really naturally. I basically signed tracks going back into last year with the intention to drop this liquid LP in the summer. Things moved slower than expected, so I decided to go with June as a celebratory moment for one year of Ranger.
There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes, especially when creating a various artist LP with this many tracks, so there were delays, etc., but it came together really well. M A CE’s track, for instance, was part of the original bunch of tracks he sent as demos. Four of those went towards his EP, and this “straggler” was picked up for the LP.
Over time, we got to the beautiful 12 you see here. Manikin’s remix came about from me reaching out and him saying he’d be keen to remix one. He really gelled with Miche’s track, so that’s how that occurred.
Ocean Conservation
Q: The release has a strong ocean conservation angle, with proceeds supporting native tōroa conservation. Why was that important to include?
A: Yeah, I mean Ranger has the conservation element already, and with the launch of such a huge compilation, I thought it’d be really cool to tie in a pelagic animal at risk that could do with some help.
I did some research to figure out what cause would be best and landed on the native Antipodean albatross, which only breeds in New Zealand. These guys are at nationally critical risk, and though they’re not your typical aquatic animal like a whale or fish, they rely on the sea to live, feeding on squid, crustaceans, etc.
Keagan - Ranger Records Founder
Looking Forward
Q: Do you see Pelagic becoming a yearly snapshot of where the label is at creatively?
A: Yeah, for sure. I think you’ll see the usual label regulars, I’m sure, whilst also supporting new and rising artists in the region. This is only the first year, so there’s so much potential growth from here. I think for the subsequent volumes, we’ll just keep pushing the limit on what we can do creatively in the art, sonics, conservation, etc.
Q: Looking back on the first year of the label, what are you most proud of?
A: There are a lot of goals I had, and some we absolutely smashed. Getting on George FM was one, which happened for the first release with Phrase! Building up a solid base of artists was another, and we had bedroom producers come out of the woodwork to send demos, which was awesome.
Also, launching Ranger Radio as an outlet for DJs in the region was a big one. There are some really talented DJs out there who sometimes don’t get the limelight that producers may get, so I really wanted to push and support this side of the scene.
A compilation LP was also a big goal of mine. I’ve always liked the idea of showcasing a bunch of artists and the sonic direction of the label, with all the tracks providing a different vibe, musicality, etc., so there’s something in there for everyone.
Funny story, I actually tried to launch the label with a big compilation LP, but it kind of utterly failed. I don’t think artists were really ready to take the risk on a “soon-to-be-formed label,” and fair enough. So tracks like Ewol’s “Worlds Apart” were originally signed to be part of that compilation, which never happened. The art and everything was done for it, so maybe you’ll see that concept in the future
So, in a long-winded way, this project, Pelagic Vol. 1, is a very proud moment!
I think the Tali LP was a huge milestone. One of Aotearoa’s biggest DnB artists being willing to take a risk and jump on a newly formed label was cool to see, and I learnt heaps releasing such a stellar album. Having names like Nathan Haines and Stamina MC on the label was pretty mad to think about, and really helped cement that the vision/idea was working.
Overall, I’m really happy with the consistency. When we launched, we only had a couple of releases signed, so it was a big risk. It could have just fizzled out and been a waste of time and money, but I’m really glad the scene, fans, and artists are really getting behind it. As of today, we’re like 13 releases deep, including singles. And two albums… insane!
Q: What can people expect from Ranger Records over the next year?
A: Stay tuned, as we’re in the process of some awesome new content ideas! We’d also love to start holding events at some point, so that’s definitely something we’re keeping eyes on. Ranger caps are definitely on the large list of things I’d like to get into the world, and we’d love to start building that merchandise so people can rep it.
And much, much more. I can’t give too much away, as that’d be spoilers, but we’ll continue to be very forward-thinking in our approach.
Q: Finally, if you had to describe Pelagic Vol. 1 in three words, what would they be?
A: Elaborate, expensive, exciting.
Pelagic Vol. 1
Pelagic Vol. 1 marks both a celebration of Ranger Records’ first year and the beginning of a new annual chapter for the label.
Across 12 tracks, the compilation brings together familiar Ranger names, new voices from the region, and international friends, all connected through the soulful and expansive edges of drum and bass.
With its Oceanic identity, conservation focus, and carefully built visual world, the first volume sets the foundation for a series that will continue to grow year after year.
Pelagic Vol. 1 is out now via Ranger Records.
Get the release - Pelagic Vol. 1
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