Interview: Geographic North

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—01. Sketch for Winter III: Green Sleeves by Night Cleaner.

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Geographic North is an independent record label based in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2008 they have built an impressive roster, releasing limited edition tapes and records from both established and new artists in genres ranging from dream pop to dance, bridging electronic and analog. Inspired by record clubs and subscription series, the old school model encourages fans of the label and its aesthetic to discover new music easily by bringing collectible physical products into a world that is going more and more digital. Each release from Geographic North has a very consistent and interesting look, spearheaded by co-founder and designer Farbod Kokabi. I spoke to Kokabi about his design inspirations and what the future holds for the label.

What inspired the look you created for Geographic North? It's really consistent.
In album art, I’ve always appreciated a single curatorial mind at work. It helps maintain a dialogue and narrative which, with fine-tuning and balancing, lends itself to longevity. The Designer’s Republic for Warp, Kim Hiorthøy for Rune Grammofon, Jon Wozencroft’s Touch covers and to a lesser extent Peter Saville’s total lack of style for Factory come to mind. There’s often no single look to these releases, but you know one when you see it – a complete aesthetic experience. Wanting to apply this cohesive approach to Geographic North was instinctual from the get-go, but to actually execute it took a deeper level of understanding in regards to art and design.
We began the label in 2008 during a very formative period for me. I had graduated design school a year prior and taken a position with Armchair, an interactive design agency I continue to work at today. From that point on, my creative director, Stefán Kjartansson and art director at the time, Kevin Byrd, both played pivotal roles in shaping and navigating my tastes, exposing me to art and design movements I had only marginally explored, let alone considered on anything other than a superficial level. I was always pretty good at understanding things on a cosmetic plane and creating a facade based on that surface interpretation (which served the pursuit of cool well enough). But these gentlemen helped me understand how to truly decode visual languages, which goes a long way in helping you create one.

I won't make you pick one, but tell me your top three GN releases from a design perspective.
To be honest, and without sounding too dour or hollow, I’m not one to reflect upon my album art with much admiration for one over the other. I’m proud of the totality of it all, but they’re each a moment that has come and gone and is no better or worse than the moment that precedes or follows. They all have birthmarks and scars, neither irredeemable or breathtaking. They just seem to be.
That said, the tapes are fun in that they’re a system within a system. While they’re all kind of cut from the same cloth, the challenging caveat is to think anew for each season and design something that will be as visually alluring with the first release as it is with the last. Separate them from the pack and they’re able to survive on their own. Put them together and watch them shine brighter.

What releases are on the schedule for the rest of the year?
On the horizon we’ve got the solo project from Dope Body’s David Jacober, which is composed entirely of marimba tunes; the second album from my project Lyonnais which features Geographic North co-founder Farzad Moghaddam, Algiers guitarist Lee Tesche, and touring member of Lotus Plaza, TJ Blake; as well as a really special collaboration from former Labradford member Robert Donne and Stephen Vitiello, who's released solo work on 12k, Room40, and Sub Rosa; the final release in our 7” subscription series courtesy of Pharaohs; plus debut full lengths from James Conduit, Hiro Kone and Deerhunter’s Moses Archuleta as Moon Diagrams.

—Geographic North