About Us/Manifesto:
NOTE: The following manifesto was indited in 2008, and to make it clear, while I still BELIEVE all of this, the “Dark Tradition” no longer directly mirror these beliefs. Due to the conventional trials and tribulations of working musicians, sometimes things cost money now. Check out the "About" section @ www.adarkphilosophyrecords.com for a brief history on this unique label, and please be patient. This philosophy will be updated at some point in the near future. Thanks! - “Knife” Sotelo
A Dark Philosophy Records is in the business of sharing music. Typically, record labels are in the business of selling music. People cease to be people; they become consumers. Records cease to be artistic creations; they become advertisements. Musicians cease to be artists; they become brands, like Mr. Clean or Energizer batteries. Don’t get me wrong, ADP believes in products and Capitalism and all that, the labels philosophy has always been to follow its own path, not current trends; building on rather than emulating the current and historical music genres. It’s just that somewhere along the way, music has all but lost its artistic credibility, in a sincere attempt on the part of the entire music industry to turn a profit. This has been quite a successful enterprise, to such an extent that even the laws surrounding the entire mess exist to support thriving, money-hoarding monopolistic factories (a.k.a. “Major Labels”). Basically, as soon as musical performance could be captured in a tangible, profitable form, music began its slow but steady descent to merely a presence on the shelf in your local big box depot. ADP Records is not interested in lashing out at the state of our modern society. It is well understood that the events that have brought us from 1969 to 2009 are myriad, and not to be reversed nor repented. ADP is not a record label that is trying to compete with - or even criticize - the practices of other record labels, major or independent. It is simply going its own way. Good art, successful art, can include any number of elements, but an implicit sense of humanity is what draws people in; it is what gets into their heads and their hearts and their fingertips; it is what changes and affects. Which brings me back to music. Music provides and propagates culture through a unique sense of connection that cannot be found any other way. Recordings have done well in this respect, bringing sounds and inspiration to places which otherwise would have been lacking. The success, though, has led to a profound imbalance, and now there is a need to cultivate that sense of connection in the most basic way. Cultural exchanges need not be financial in order to turn a profit. So A Dark Philosophy Records is not selling music, for that would be an altogether different pursuit. Listen. Be affected. Be changed. It doesn’t cost you anything, and think of what you can gain. It’s not just the music business; it’s everybody’s business.
Got anymore questions?