Q&A With Heavy Mess
4.27.16 by Bobby Power

Braeyden Jae first released his solo material a mere two years ago, with a run of frayed but beautiful cassettes issued via some of the international tape scene’s heaviest hitters, including Patient Sounds, Phinery, Hel Audio, Spring Break Tapes… the list goes on. But the SLC-based musician has been active in the tape scene since 2010 with Inner Islands, an imprint Jae founded with Sean Conrad. Now, Jae seems to only be getting busier, having just released his first work on vinyl via Whited Sepulchre and launched Heavy Mess, a self-described “discrete cassette label.” We caught up with Jae just after the release of two new tapes to talk about the beginnings of Heavy Mess, where it’s at, and where it’s headed.

When did you decide to start Heavy Mess, and how did the label first come together?

It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, like late 2013. It was initially going to be called Soft Etc. I had the first release lined up, it was the Gossimer tape “Across That White Plain” that Absenter ended up putting out. I was finishing up my gender studies degree at the time and it was something I realized I couldn’t take on in a sincere way, so I put things on hold. But the urge to get back into running a tape label kept creeping up, so I eventually came back around to it and re-dubbed the label Heavy Mess.

You initiated Heavy Mess with “soft launch” that included a release of your own, Broken Punk. Do you plan on releasing your own future work on the label?

I do have plans to release my own stuff with the label, but am giving priority to releasing other peoples work right now. So probably won’t see anything from me on Heavy Mess until sometime next year.

And now you’re returning for a true launch with two tapes: one by Sister Grotto and the other by Orra. How do these releases represent Heavy Mess?

I want Heavy Mess to be flexible in the type of sounds it can release. I had previously started Inner Islands (which Sean Conrad of Orra is currently running, and doing such a great job with), and got bogged down by how specific the zone was. Kind of like, feeling trapped by it’s aesthetic parameters. Heavy Mess will have a lot more freedom with what it can be. So more than an indicator of the type of zones Heavy Mess will stick with, I hope the Sister Grotto and Orra tapes will set a good tone for the quality of releases people can expect from the label. I really adore Sister Grotto’s and Orra’s work. And everyone involved with those projects are the kindest folks you could know. Really honored to have their trust in lending me their sounds for the label.

You’ve worked with a number revered cassette labels now. Did you learn anything while working from these labels?

Totally, I’ve been really fortunate to be able to work with so many honed in labels, and I’ve for sure learned a bit from each of them. I’ve been super impressed with Joe who does Spring Break Tapes. I really respect his process. He’s super involved and communicative and just really pumped on the stuff he puts out. He’s also a really good dude. Like, I haven’t released an album with him since late 2014 but he’s still actively supportive with what I’m doing. We text back and forth on a regular basis and he’s always making time to check out my new sounds. I’d like to have that type of interaction with the artists I work with, having it be more than just “I put out your album”. I’d like there to be family vibes ya know?

Are there other tape labels or artists who directly inspire you?

I’m consistently blown away by Orange Milk and make it a point to keep up to date with what they are doing. Also really into Astral Spirits, I have a pretty hefty collection of their tapes at this point. My fav label that popped up last year though was Lime Lodge, all three of the records they put out are top shelf stuff, and their minimal visual aesthetic is so honed in. But yeah, there’s so much great stuff going on right now. It’s really inspiring to see the overwhelming amount of quality work being put on a regular basis.

Where does Heavy Mess fit into the SLC music scene? Besides your own material, do you see the label issuing local sounds?

I guess it doesn’t. I’ve always been really shitty about figuring out how to integrate into the Salt Lake music scene. I’m also not too concerned with Heavy Mess having a geographic identity with the city it’s based in. I’m a pretty big introvert and honestly my deepest musical connections have been formed via online interactions and with folks that I rarely get to communicate with face to face. I’m also planning to move this fall, so Heavy Mess will be vibing elsewhere. Though, I do have plans to release a tape from a Salt Lake artist, Blush Stains. It’s a project by Taylor Christian who recently put out a self-released album with his band Seven Feathers Rainwater, as well as a tape on Phinery, with a drone duo he’s in called Iconographs.

Do you have final say on the audio and art of each release, or do you leave it to each artist?

There is a simple formatting for the j-cards that will be consistent for each release. Other than that, the artist has plenty of say in helping curate the visuals for their release, I like to keep it an open dialogue and get to a point where both sides feel good about it. As far as audio goes, I’m working with artists that I really adore so not a lot of input on that end. Just little things I guess, like suggesting which track worked better for the “a” and “b” side on the Orra tape.

What’s next for Heavy Mess?

I’ve got things planned our for the next while. It’s all on the site. The next batch will include albums from Blush Stains, Christian Michael Filardo and Teasips (Ang Wilson from Electric Sound Bath). After that will be two double cassettes from Ashan and Gossimer, both are solo projects from the folks involved in Orra. Than later on, stuff from Heejin Jang, Macho Blush, Padna and Amulets. I’m keeping myself busy.