Polaris finally had enough.
Known as Vlad to those who know him best, the talented Toronto producer has dropped an impressive string of music on such imprints as Hospital, Med School, Technique, Liquicity, Pilot, and Drum&BassArena among others.
Like so many other artists, he is well versed in the waiting game that often comes with releasing on established record labels. While he had long ago decided to start up his own label as a platform to release his music to the world, Vlad needed a catalyst to finally put his intentions into action. That would come when I received a message from DRS which would set into motion a tumbling of dominoes stretching out in multiple directions:
Gonna be spending a few days in the city, so maybe we can record while I’m over?
I first interviewed the Manchester MC in 2019 on my former Kool FM show The Vocal, where we bonded over skateboarding and Ray Barbee in particular, a skater who we both idolized. His part in the legendary Powell Peralta skate video Public Domain left a huge impression on me as a young skate rat, as did the music in that part, by skate-punk band McRad.
I would go on to interview DRS two more times, and we circled each other endlessly about collaborating, but we could nail down neither the right tune or timing. Eventually, a Polaris-produced instrumental with the working title Time would change all of that. On a chilly, sunny day in April 2024, I walked into Toronto’s P6 Studio with DRS and Polaris, along with LSB and T.R.A.C., who would be our de facto audience. It was then that serendipity began to reveal itself for both Polaris and myself…
Valiant Emcee: Let’s talk about your new label, Highland Recordings. What made you decide that you needed your own release platform? Was there a particular moment, or was it a culmination of circumstances?
Polaris: It was a slow buildup of circumstances. I had released a lot of music with Hospital/Med School, and I came to expect a certain standard of quality for myself. Hospital is one of the most high-profile labels in the world, so I kind of became a perfectionist about every little element in every tune. When Hospital ended the Med School label, it was a chance to see what I could do my own, and I learned to “let go” a little bit, to not be so obsessed with perfection or concept. I started creating from a more relaxed mindset. As a result, I found myself experimenting, trying new things, letting the music lead me. I found myself with music that wouldn’t necessarily be a good fit for labels that had an identifiable sound, and a lot of labels tend to schedule their releases really far in advance, sometimes a year or two, or more. Since I had already been toying with the idea of my own label to put out my own music, I could feel that the time was coming to finally make it happen.
When I sent you Time (the Keep Pushin instrumental), you asked if you could send it to DRS. I never expected him to jump on, and I was a little awestruck it when it all finally came together. Even at the studio, when we were all talking about how it should be released, the plans for Highland weren’t solidified. When Del casually said that Space Cadet had tunes lined up for more than a year in advance, it finally clicked in my mind: “why wait?” And don’t get me wrong, I love working with those labels, and I’ll continue to. But I have a lot of music that I want the world to hear, and it takes a lot of time to find the right label for each tune. And to be honest, some of them are hard to find a home for, ya know? So why not create my own home?
Valiant Emcee: So the label will primarily be a way for you to release your own productions?
Polaris: Yeah, definitely. And collaborations, of course. Keep Pushin’ is definitely a crash course in how to release music, with royalty splits and all that. I can’t imagine how tough it would be to deal with so many different people like other labels do. I’m going to keep it simple.
Valiant Emcee: Where did the name Highland Recordings come from?
Polaris: Anyone who knows me can tell you how much I love to ride my motorcycle. There’s a stretch of roads in Ontario called the Highland Loop. They go by Algonquin Provincial Park, through a bunch of little towns and countryside, and there’s even a website resource called Ride the Highlands. It’s so beautiful, and it really takes a few days to see it all. It’s one of my favourite places, so it seemed fitting to name my label after it.
Valiant Emcee: The instrumental was originally titled Time. Were you thinking or feeling anything in particular when you originally produced it?
Polaris: Honestly, I just didn’t have much time when I wrote that tune, so I called it Time. Haha.
Valiant Emcee: It’s funny, because the instrumental has a really dreamy, nostalgic feeling, so Time would totally work.
Polaris: I know, right? So let me ask you something…
Valiant Emcee: Sure
Polaris: Why did you and Del settle on skateboarding as a theme for this tune?
Valiant Emcee: Well, with this song, a lot of things come full-circle for me. DRS and I are two drum-n-bass MC’s who bonded over a skate video which featured Ray Barbee, an iconic black skater who in turn inspired Del, and both of them I totally emulated in my younger days. And Chuck Treece, another legendary black skater who wrote and performed the music for that video part with his band McRad, spoke words of introduction that tied the whole thing together. And you made an incredible piece of music that became the foundation for our words. I did the artwork myself to look like a skateboard wheel. Creatively speaking, it doesn’t get more gratifying.
Polaris: Yeah, that’s crazy.
Valiant Emcee: For you, I imagine it was a little weird to be investing heavily in this tune, about an activity you don’t do yourself.
Valiant Emcee: For you, I imagine it was a little weird to be investing heavily in this tune, about an activity you don’t do yourself. Polaris: Yeah, kind of. But at the same time, I understand what it’s like to be passionate about stuff. I’m the same way about music, motorcycles, science fiction…I know that feeling. I’ve known lots of people that skate, too, so it’s not like it’s totally unknown to me. And it’s been interesting getting to know the culture more. It’s like, when you drew the artwork, you did a skateboard wheel. I knew wheels had graphics on them, but it was cool doing a deep dive and checking out wheels over the years and seeing where you got inspiration from.
Valiant Emcee: Yeah, that was fun for me too. In fact, I showed that artwork to a lot of people over the past few months, and so many of them were like “Hey, it looks like a Slimeball”, and that’s the brand that I was directly paying homage to, which is weird, because I never rode Slimeballs. But I loved their wheel graphics.
Polaris: I can see why
Valiant Emcee: So, let’s talk about our upcoming mix, Outer Reaches Vol. 2, which unfortunately took four and a half years to complete, and drops in January. You and I became friends partially through our mutual love for atmospheric drum & bass from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, as well as generally deep, futurist D&B, and Outer Reaches Vol. 1 is a clear reflection of that. What is your approach to song selection for these mixes?
Polaris: When we did the first Outer Reaches, I had been listening to a lot of LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad mixes, like Promised Land, Vol. 1, the BBC Essential Mixes, and of course the Logical Progression and Progression Sessions mixes. I was really drawn to the immersive experience of those mixes. They’re so evocative. They’re not just mixes, they’re real journeys into the mind. I wanted to capture that same kind of musical odyssey, by mixing deep drum-n-bass selections through the years, ya know? Old stuff, new stuff, stuff in between. Atmospheric, liquid, futurist jungle, odd downtempo breaks. And your lyrical approach is perfect. You have a long history with that kind of drum & bass anyway, so it’s second nature for you. I’m super proud of Outer Reaches Vol. 1, and I’m excited to release Vol. 2.
Valiant Emcee: Me too.
Polaris: What took you so long anyway?
Valiant Emcee: Ok, yes it’s basically my fault. Haha. People should know that I’ve been sitting on the Vol. 2 mix for eons. A lot of life stuff happened, medical stuff, mental health stuff. I have obsessive compulsive disorder, and that makes me obsess in really unhealthy ways over music. It’s been a lot to overcome. But, I’m excited for it and it won’t take nearly as long for Vol. 3. I’m really proud of Vol. 1 too. I think it’s one of the best mixes out there. I love the whole “journey” aspect of it, which is why I lyrically focused on making the metaphorical outer reaches about the inner workings of the mind. I think we really achieved it in a way that made MC Conrad super proud, and he told me several times that he really liked it. Man, losing Conrad was a heavy blow for D&B, wasn’t it?
Polaris: Yeah, it was. But, we keep going forward, and I like that we keep that spirit alive.
Valiant Emcee: You and I have been hosts of The Prophecy (on Toronto’s CIUT 89.5fm) for quite a while now. This is the show’s 30th year, longer than any other show in the world. How do you feel about your place in the legacy of such an iconic show?
Polaris: It’s amazing, obviously. The funny thing is, most people around the world know our show from the legendary Shy FX/Skibadee/Fearless episode. But there have been so many guests over the years, and so much incredible music. You’ve done some really big interviews. All the hosts bring their own flavour to it and we’re continuing to evolve. We’re taking our presence to new places, too. Whether it’s radio, events, or our new livestream, Prophecy is a bonafide legendary brand, and I’m happy to play a role in that.
Valiant Emcee: Well said. Any words to leave the people with?
Polaris: Yeah, follow Highland Recordings on Bandcamp and Instagram. We will always be exclusive to Bandcamp before rolling it out to other platforms. Also, follow me and ProphecyFM on Twitch to stay up to date on our live streams. And you and I are both hosts on Prophecy Radio, which is the longest running D&B broadcast in the world. There’s lots more in store all around, so stay tuned.
