An Interview With Power Moves Label
8.12.15 by Mike Haley

Kevin Cahill has been running the Power Moves Label imprint for the last two years, releasing some finely selected tranquility and gloom. I caught up with him on whatever Google Hangouts is to talk about the roots of Power Moves Label, it’s transition into Power Moves Library, and Mark McKinney’s opinion of his brother.

 

I gotta start things off with a totally inconsequential question, but something I think whenever I see a tape you’ve released. Do you say the word “label” or is it just Power Moves?

I do both, but I included it right off the top when I was hammering down the WordPress/Bandcamp. There was a hip hop Power Moves Productions, I think from early the 2000s or late 90’s, can’t remember now, but I wanted to move away from anything that would seem to close to that. Then it just stuck. Sort of weird but works for what I was after. And we started included it on all the tapes, etc.

So if someone said “Hey, what’s the name of your label” what would you say?

I would say Power Moves Label. Haha

Glad that is cleared up. Haha. And how did Power Moves Label come about?

I was working on a few things, some solo stuff as he Row project with my wife, Cheryl (whom is Sealadder, too) and knew i wanted to self-release but wanted to keep the doors wide open to continue to have other things fall into place from outside us, friends, and beyond even. So it riffed from that.

What name do you do solo stuff under?

Running Point.

The first release on the label was “Strachan” by Row, the project you do with Cheryl. Which is older, your marriage or that project?

Marriage by a few years, ha. Relationship by a mile.

Where was the picture on the cover taken?

At this Allan Gardens Conservatory here in Toronto. Has tons of plants and trees and birds housed in different spots in this old building. Used some reflection.

A lot of the material on that tape seems prepared. Am I correct to think that or is it all improv?

It is mostly improvised, just using layers and quick little melodic/tone ideas as starting places, then building little figures on top. But mostly creating on the spot to be exact. It’s more structured through editing and how we treat some of the minimal layers, etc.

So after releasing that tape, in an edition of 50 which is long gone, you did a cassette for your solo project Running Point called “For Guitar And Amplifier”. What is the main difference(s) between the stuff you do in Row and as Running Point?

Running Point is more free-flow and just me and my guitar and amp and a few pedals, just meandering/creating on the spot and sometimes less melodic, more outwardly fingerstyle, more delta/indian influenced, more loner. Row is very much a duo and we come at it differently with starting points and how the instruments play off each other tonally/colour-wise is huge to us. More locking in and riding/zoning mood and texture. With a hair more dreaminess/electronic feeling.

How do you prefer to record? Alone or as a duo?

Alone is much easier and I do it all the time when the mood strikes. Just set up and go and see where it takes me. Row is more letting things/ideas age and blossom even when we’re not creating, it’s much more patient and relaxed and less anxious. Both are wild. I feel like each needs the balance of the other (speaking for myself) as I can go down some rabbit-holes and I need rhythms and other riffs to play off/with.

Looking at a snapshot of all the releases so far, there seems to be an overarching theme of blues and blacks on the covers. Was that done on purpose or just a happy accident?

Happy accident for sure. Just seems to be the way things went. Same with names, lot of ‘R’s and ‘S’s.

Whoa, I’m just noticing that now. Haha. It says “15 release cycle” on the side of your Bandcamp, and your currently at 14 releases. What does that mean?

Means 15 will be the last pro-duped release for that part of the family/record tree, moving into a home-dubbed go-crazy element next. Last album is a compilation coming very soon of all the artists to date on the label with new tracks. Will be for a nepal relief/rebuild foundation, all proceeds. Tapes for sale, pay what you can digital. Really looking forward to putting it all together and happy about the cause and hopefully how it will shape up.

Was that the plan from the beginning? Andy why 15?

The plan was always to keep it sort of manageable as I get busy with other things at home and work and I knew I wouldn’t be in that creative spot forever, so to speak. Also knew I wanted to move/shape it into other things when they came about. Leave some room for exploration and more experimenting. 15 seemed like the perfect number with how all the tapes were flowing and what projects were left/could turn into the new home-dub smaller run direction.

Will operations continue under the Power Moves Label name or move on to something new?

Seguing into Power Moves Library. Always felt like I should have nailed that name down but missed it. Ha.

Putting an expiration schedule on that one too or just letting it go for now?

Letting that one go for now. It’s all me at home, no other piece needed, so it’s easier/looser with how it all will come out. Costs way down now, more fun thinking about putting releases together with art, and I have some other surprise-type stuff that should fall into place too, like mixtapes on the other side of the tape. Did that on this first Running Point. Some art/writings I’ve started with Ryan Waldron (Talugung, an awesome artist). Etc, etc. Loose, just getting going, more laidback and even more out of the spotlight. Ha.

What kind of edition sizes are you doing for Power Moves Library?

This first one is only 15 copies, with a mixtape from vinyl on side b. Second one is by a fellow named Derek Baron with a great audio collage album up on his Bandcamp currently called ‘The Man I Love’ and I have his next project all dubbed and ready to go. Releasing it when he gigs here in town with another group he plays with called Causings (whom are rad too). Super amazing work and can’t wait to let others hear it. Crazy good field/percussion/drone/documentary vibes.

That’ll be Sepember 20, and it’s 25 copies. I’ve been dubbing on a single deck using a WAV-rip on CDr in real time, so it takes time. Though it did go faster than I thought.

What kind of deck you using?

Using a Luxman and loved how it performed. Turned out way better than i thought.

Is the logo for Library going to be the same dudes as Label? And what move is being performed there?

New logo! Both are by Ryan Waldron. New one he did was of a guy climbing over a guy on a ‘corporate’ ladder motif, but couldn’t get the whole piece to fit my specs. Ha. First one is a dude in a suit flipping a ‘potential’ robber over his side/back. Can’t fuck with the power moves. Love the corporate office type riffing too, just a funny inside joke with Cheryl and my brother. So new one is a dude climbing the library stacks, so to speak. High shelves. Hidden. Or the corporate ladder.

You guys dig the “Crushing Your Head” character from Kids In The Hall?

Love Kids In The Hall. Funny story, my brother Pat was eating breakfast in this tiny little coffee shop/all day breakfast/sandwich place and Mark McKinney was sitting behind him and he (my bro) didn’t know he was there and was just riffing on how some (almost most) of the music in The Last Waltz is shitty “cause they’re all coked up and sort of banging their way through the tunes like ‘look, i think i got this!'” type debaucery. And then my bro leaves and his friend was saying Mark was listening and laughing the entire time Pat was holding court. And he nodded to Pat when he left.

Haha. That’s so great.

So will every incarnation of Power Moves have the PML initials, or is that a happy accident too?

Happy Accident, too. You’ve figured me out though.

Going on that happy accident streak, how many of the non-you/your wife releases on PML are random demos you’ve received?

No demos released actually. I reached out to Phong (1/2 of The Shouts From The Sea) way back. I came across Tristan’s (Missing Organs) Bandcamp and loved it before I knew who it was. And I reached out to Ian (Shredderghost) too, as I love his work. The others are my friends, brother/family thing. Baron was introduced via Pat Cain (the other half of The Shouts From The Sea). All great people I deeply respect. Been lucking out, man.

Full Disclosure: Shredderghost/Ian Franklin is a member of the Tabs Out crew. Where did you first hear him?

I heard his work on Bandcamp, and just brief interactions through Twitter, so I asked about releasing something new and trading tapes.

I see you took the picture for the cover of his tape, “Golden Cell”. What is that a pic of?

I spray-painted an older inner record sleeve. It was folding up/curling under the paint and we took the camera out back and shot it live action styles trying to get the paint passing the lense. It looked super neat. Plus I knew he wanted something in the ballpark (loose of course) in the blue colour based off the painting by Odilon Redon, the Golden Cell painting, which Ian had showed me and is beyond incredible.

Gonna end this interview with a question I end all label interviews with. Right off the top of your head, name a project you’ve never done a release for that everyone should check out.

Shit. Love Ravi Padmanabha’s work.