“I love the fact that people describe Soulection as a genre,” Joe Kay says on Zoom ahead of his newest milestone as a face and co-founder of one of the most influential music collectives of the last decade. For nearly 700 episodes, Kay has hosted Soulection’s once-underground online radio show. Since 2011, Soulection has grown into an Apple Music tentpole, an independent record label, and a purveyor of stylish streetwear, events, and even incense. Finally, at 35, he’s releasing his first EP, If Not Now, Then When?, out today. The record’s six tracks teem with what he’s called “future beats, eclectic soul, forgotten gems, and timeless sounds.”
Soulection is especially sentimental to the SoundCloud surfers of the 2010s who discovered star vocalists like Bryson Tiller, Brent Faiyaz, Snoh Aalegra, SiR, Daniel Caesar, Smino, and GoldLink through it. With a dedication to innovative and ethereal beats, Soulection helped build the fan bases of seminal producers like Sango, Kaytranada, and Monte Booker, too. Its sold-out shows around the world have spotlighted DJs like Kay, co-founder Andre Power, Sasha Marie, and many more over the years, coveting selectors as tastemakers in an era when copping a DJ controller has seemingly become a more common pursuit among novices.
“We’re in the age of YouTube and short form content [for] DJ, mashup, and edit culture,” says Kay, who prioritized work as a radio host over DJing at first. “The [formats] being pushed by TikTok and IG enabled the popularity of DJing culture, plus DJ equipment being so much more affordable and accessible to everybody. It has made people online much more curious about the craft and about the music.” That, Kay says, has helped Soulection build IRL too. “So now, in addition to us putting out music, we’re able to sell out 5,000 people in New York with no lineup announcement based upon the trust and the legacy of Soulection.”
Still, even with the strength of Soulection’s name behind him, Kay had been worried about releasing an album of his own. Here, he goes deep on the fears he had, the ups and downs of today’s party scene, the Soulection mistakes he’s learned from, and the importance of building community in real life.
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So, how come, 14 years into Soulection, you’re just now releasing your own music?
There has been self-sabotage a bit and imposter syndrome this whole time. I’ve always put people before me. It’s always been about pushing the artists, pushing my team forward, [but] in terms of our actual catalog, there weren’t a lot of records that we all know that came out under the Soulection record label. However, we were a part of Bryson Tiller’s Trapsoul. We were a part of the early stages of a lot of different artists. A lot of it just came down to us looking at the future. We’re hitting 15 years next year. The only thing I’m missing is having an original body of music under my name.
It was always an issue of, well, it’s not the right time or shoot, we have this rollout coming out, or we have this project that we’re working on that has nothing to do with the music side. Finally, it was like, well, if I don’t do it now, when am I going to do it? It’s never the right time. The title [is something] I use a lot in my day-to-day life. We got to find the time.
Were you worried because, on an album, you’re curating and facilitating, but other artists are on the tracks? These songs are made by other producers, and these are other people’s voices.
I think that as well. I knew that radio was always my first love. It wasn’t producing, it wasn’t creating music, it was being on the microphone and being able to give people a spotlight, whether it was through the music or through their story. That was my calling. So, because I’m not writing the music and creating it, it felt a bit…I don’t want to say like a diss to the craft, but because I have people who really create every day and do this full time, I just didn’t want to be a disgrace to the culture. I wanted to really move with ease and respect. Ethically, it didn’t feel right.
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My management team sat me down at a couple dinners and were like, “Look, you are an artist. The way you put music together, the way you mix, the way you present things, your aesthetic, the way you market, everything you do, there’s artistry in that. ‘Artist’ doesn’t just come in one form.” It was a pivot and a psychological change that allowed me to accept this role.
What was making this EP like? What roles did you play?
I leaned into [how] I approach the weekly radio show that I’ve been doing for 14 years. Which sounds, [samples], and layers go? [I was] thinking about which artists we love that have been on our radar, artists that I’ve played on the show, mixed with a couple established artists that have been killing it such as D’Mile, a producer, the biggest in the world in R&B. So, taking Cruza and Isaiah Falls, who actually didn’t know each other personally, and putting them in the room, then putting D’Mile, who none of them knew, and putting them in a position where they felt comfortable. They felt inspired to create music that they hadn’t tried yet. That was the biggest testament to what Soulection and myself are about. It’s like a coach being like, “Yo, set up this play, put these people in position, we’re going to score.”
We recorded at my home in Joshua Tree, which is a two-hour drive from Los Angeles, and it’s always been a getaway for me personally. We turned all the bedrooms into studios. Three of [the songs] were made at the house over in the desert, and then the other three were made at our second session in LA at Amazon Studios. Every song was made in person.
With Souleciton having helped make some household names, do you feel any pressure to help the emerging artists on your EP achieve that status?
I don’t feel pressure. It actually inspires me and motivates me more. It’s a challenge, but in a good way. Other than choosing the music and what we’re presenting, we don’t have control of what the people choose. If there’s one or multiple records on here that have an impact beyond the ecosystem of this project, that’s chosen by the people. I’m so curious to see which – or if any – of the records are able to have a much bigger reach that brings visibility not just to this project, but to the artists on there. That’s when I know that the job was executed well.
What have you learned about balancing both an online and physical community?
It’s important to not just listen to this music in your kitchen, in your home, in your headphones, but to go to a place like a Soulection event and to hear these B-side records and the deeper cuts. It’s a different experience. That’s what I tell people all the time when they ask, “What do you recommend for someone coming up?” I still feel like shaking hands and making relationships in person is always going to be more beneficial than just being on your phone and laptop. I’ve seen so many new friend groups form due to Soulection correlations. It’s almost like a personality trait.
What do you think about Soulection being referred to as a brand? Social media has made it so everyone can build an audience and then decide that they are a brand, but the concept of branding can feel corporate and maybe soulless.
I love it because we have branded everything we do. It’s not just about the music; it’s about the design, the aesthetic, the photos, the art, the verbiage we use, the captions, and the way we dress. Everyone who comes to a Soulection show has a certain aesthetic. Everyone’s very tasteful. As we’ve gotten older, the music has gotten more mature and more worldly. And because it’s become more global, it’s attracted a diverse cultural background of people because we’re playing sounds from Africa, Brazil, and all over different countries and genres.
When I hear the word “brand,” though, it feels so wrapped up in capitalism, like how do we sell this? But it also kind of sounds like you’re describing it as an identity, as how people understand Soulection.
Absolutely, it’s how they understand it. And I think it’s just when I think of Soulection as a brand, you can’t just label it a record label or a collective. It’s many different things. Even the way we manufacture products and lifestyle goods, the way we create incense, certain cut and sew items – every single thing is done intentionally.
What are some Soulection mistakes that you’ve learned from?
I think gut feeling is the most important asset. Are there times where our gut feeling can be off? Absolutely. But I think a lot of the time, there’s a reason why our senses are saying, Huh, something feels off. Listen to that.
A lot of people have come into Soulection and have used it, not for the benefit of Soulection, but for the benefit of themselves. I don’t really appreciate that because Soulection has never used other people for the benefit of us. We’re not perfect, but at the same time, we have always tried to help artists. A lot of artists are just selfish. That’s just a fact. It’s not that it’s jaded my outlook, but it’s made me way more protective of who I allow into Soulection. In terms of trust, integrity and character are most important. You can be the most gifted creator, DJ, or artist, or the most wise and highly educated individual on the staff side, but if your character isn’t right or you don’t have the right intention, Soulection is not the place for you.
I think me just being such a nice and generous person, I’ve been taken advantage of. It’s made me and my radar a lot stronger. To wrap it up, doing handshake deals and not having things on paper has been the biggest lesson. This is for any business with any friends, family, or business partners – have your business done right, and also have your taxes taken care of, because no one can escape taxes. Most of us are creators first, so we have to learn these things through trial and error.
Do you see Soulection existing for another 14 years?
I do see Soulection existing indefinitely. I think we can turn the lights off when we’re ready to. We can pass this on. Whether I’m here or not, I still feel Soulection and the mission that it stands for can exist through the right people and leadership. I just want to keep on growing the team and championing more women. I love the fact that Soulection is run by a lot of women, whether people realize it or not. Our main graphic designer for our event flyers is a woman in Australia, our head designer for our Soulection supply merchandise is a woman. Our head A&R is a woman. We have multiple women on our management group, on press, even on the DJ and artist side. I just want to keep growing the company and I want it to kind of be like a home and one-stop shop for a lot of people that want a long-term role.
Why has being able to employ and empower women become important to you?
First of all, women bring all of us into this world, so without women and God, we wouldn’t be here. But secondly, women just bring organization and peace to the company. They have a vision, they’re on point, they’re professional. Now, obviously, with any man or woman, you have your good apples, you have your bad, right? But if we’re talking about a structured process and we’re talking about bringing in intentional people, man, you need women to balance the dominant, alpha male space of the music industry and entertainment as a whole. There’s too many men. I think there has been so much inequality, as we all know.
What challenges have you personally observed women face in your field?
Men just being like, “You’re just a woman. You don’t understand. What do you know about this? What do you know about the technical sides of the back line of a production setup? What do you know about contracts?” Or if you are an attractive woman, “You just got here because of your looks and your appeal.” With us, it’s really about the music and your work. I can’t control other work environments and other companies, but I can control our environment by protecting and putting women in positions for success and also for respect.
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Since the rise of Soulection, I’ve seen more and more people learning to DJ and throw events. What trends have you been excited about, and what are you wary of?
I’m a big advocate for [originality]. I just love seeing curators, events, and new collectives that are not doing the same thing that’s already being done. I do see a lot of people copying each other or copying other established groups or brands. I think those are short-term because there’s going to be a burnout if you’re just constantly copying or replicating other things that are working. There’s not enough room for the same things to keep being done over and over. Only the originators can keep leveling up.
There’s a couple of collectives and parties that I really support, such as Descendants out in New York. They specialize in Black electronic music. They really emphasize Afro-house, 3-step, gqom, and amapiano. They do things so right and have built a culture around a true audience that comes out to their parties. I also love my crew out in the U.K., Aprtment Life. They were the true leaders, in my opinion, in bringing forward the culture of wearing color palettes. That started during COVID when we couldn’t go outside. When you see all these DJ apartment parties where people are in the background and dressed up in a color palette, everybody copied Aprtment Life. And then the way they did the zoom-in, when you see a reaction from someone and the camera pans, Aprtment Life was the first one to do that, and everyone has copied since. I do think the ones that are in it for the right reason will be around in years to come.
