Delmar Records is working to bring the national spotlight to a group of St. Louis musicians.
Cofounder and music producer Sebastian “Tech Supreme” Lee said the label’s roster features St. Louis musicians with strong careers who are looking expand their audience.
Although the label primarily features hip-hop artists, pop music acts appear in its growing catalog as well. The label held a launch party Thursday night, which featured meet-and-greets with label artists Tef Poe, Indiana Rome, James K, Tech Supreme and more.
“We really just want to take their sound and present it to the world,” Lee said.
Lee and Lamar “Finsta” Williams hatched the plan for Delmar Records last summer over breakfast at a Waffle House in Kansas City. The label was founded on friendships and overlapping communities. Lee had been working to develop a studio with Jonathan "Jay Stretch" Sanders, with whom Lee had previously worked in music promotions and management.
The label’s featured artists had previously collaborated on music and performed on the same concert bills. Eventually word got out that the group was planning on taking that next step from collaborators and coworkers to full-fledged record label.
“Once the reaction came back of what we were doing, it really lit a fire under everyone,” Lee said.
He says the group will allow the artists to grow through skill-sharing and managing the business aspects of making it in the music industry. Artists and management meet weekly to discuss marketing, public relations strategy and brand development. Lee said his work ethic is obsessive, and that he’s constantly on musicians to wrap up projects and get promotions material together.
“God bless anyone who works with me,” he said, laughing.
For Lee, the move to label head seemed almost inevitable, almost a natural extension of the group’s friendships and parallel careers.
“It’s something that we know was the next step in our careers,” said Lee.
“Cityscape” is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer and sponsored in part by the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission, and the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis.
