Can you give us a brief rundown of your label's focus? 
We release records that we think are worth pressing from musical styles we have an affinity with. So far our output has been almost exclusively on vinyl formats with a focus on reissuing both in-demand and obscure titles. 

When did the label kick-off, and why? 
The first Backatcha release was in the spring of 2017 with ‘Free’ and ‘Future’ by Keither Florence. Starting the label was an extension of deejaying, presenting people's music to an audience and keeping people interested. In the 80s, my brother had a lot of rare grooves and doubles of old beats and was absorbed in hip-hop. Growing up around him was the main influence. I became fascinated with it all - the music, artists, production, artwork, labels, rhythms…where it was made, all these familiarities that identify things and connect the dots. When I left school in the 90s, I worked part-time handling freight for FedEx. One of the perks was free flights on their cargo planes to any destination on their network. You just had to give 48 hours' notice and have a passport and you could get on a plane. That opened up avenues to get records and connect with people. The hip-hop scene in New York was thriving artistically and there were a lot of small independent label owners and hustlers who were pushing records. There were a lot of characters and a lot of talent. I was an impressionable kid and maybe seeing all this had an impact. Back then, you’d get props shining the spotlight on unknown records and presenting it a certain way as a DJ or beat-maker. So the label is an extension of this learning… Shining the spotlight on something unknown or previously unreleased or making an in-demand title available to an audience. As you get older the music means something deep, it’s an outlet that stands for something and records can be the means to store all that along with all the bells and whistles. Whether it’s your music or somebody else’s, the idea of presenting music on vinyl is fun. 

When it comes to deciding what to release, who makes the decisions and what kind of roles are needed to get it to completion? 
Enthusiasm and patience is generally the first thing one needs. There are loads of songs one might want to release and it might take five minutes to seal a deal and other times it might take years. I decide what gets released but often I’ll talk to Sean about restoration or mixes and we’ll expand on ideas and then there is the artwork that Bret takes care of. So in terms of how a release sounds and looks, there is a crew of specialists behind that. A lot of time goes into researching, finding rights-holders, locating masters and then there is knowing how to handle all that. There are records we’ve had for years with origins that are shrouded in mystery or have some rumour attached to them that is often inaccurate. It’s interesting finding out the backdrop to these, sometimes dispelling the myth or sometimes adding to the hype. It’s the everyday conversations amongst ourselves that turn into projects, like when I finally made contact with Greg Henderson. Right away I called Sean who knows this man's music inside out to speak on the various formats we can make available. Five minutes later I call Bret and say we’re gonna release Greg’s catalogue. He says, “Okay, my family live near Mr H, let’s go and visit him, we have somewhere nearby to stay.” Next thing we make a film featuring Greg and other artists featured on the label. So things can happen fast when you’re all on the same page. I might hear an unreleased edit Sean did and wonder if we can turn that into a release. We talk about music all the time so the release ideas spark effortlessly, that’s the easy part. With the artwork, we like to respect the timeline of the music and what’s appropriate. It all started with the Ice ‘Reality’ reissue. The original art was important for that, not just because it was a repro but because Pete Everett the producer and singer drew that funky logo. Pete said, “Make sure my artwork is on the label”. It’s all part of his expression in 1980 and that’s great to us. So instead of doing the obvious by scanning and digitally cleaning up the logo from its original label, Bret redrew it from scratch with the same type of felt-tipped marker that Pete had initially used. That set the standard, and we've consistently held the original aesthetic of each release above that of pushing our own Backatcha branding. Bret created a Backatcha logo, but we are very careful about when it appears on our product. The original magic of these releases needs to shout loudest, so a lot of the times when we do include our label name on releases, we redraw it in an appropriate style. A good example of this was the Mystic Harmony 12". Bret tries to include visual details that wouldn't stand out to wider audiences, but that seasoned collectors and those familiar with the original releases will get a kick from. We think about the original intentions, dreams and concepts of the artists first and by extension we hope this speaks the most to our small but loyal customer base. Even our choice of using the out-of-style Helvetica font family so often comes from the fact that it was perhaps the most used and freely available font that independent labels used during the time period of most of our releases. Then there are new label designs like the Jady Kurrent and Ja’Net DuBois double A-side. The task was to put two separate artists on one single and make the artwork link them somehow in a dynamic way. One was from New York and the other from Cleveland. The Interstate 80 freeway was the obvious link so we needed to incorporate that. Next thing, Bret sources the Standard Highway Signs and Markings Book to come up with a US-highway-accurate design. The focus is the music. It either dictates or inspires the artwork, and a good example of this was the Swave Villi Us album. I sent Bret the track-listing. We didn’t discuss the direction, it was a blank canvas for the music to inform. He told me to send him as many pictures of the featured artists as possible and came back with the cover.

Sean: The majority of the releases and the direction are Aidan's choices and a couple are mine. Occasionally, He's open to ideas, so I'm always throwing them at him, about various stages of a release.

How important is it to have your release on vinyl, and if it is, how do you go about ensuring that tricky process pays off with a great sounding and looking record?
So far, our releases have been exclusively on record. Tangible product is paramount to us and is the motivation to release other people's music. Whether it’s tape restoration, mixing tracks, cutting records, the pressing or artwork, we know what’s possible at every stage to ensure the best outcome. 

Sean: Vinyl is the default medium for the type of music the label puts out and this is the same for its customer base.

What’s up next in the release schedule and how did you hit on the idea?
In the short term, we have a few albums scheduled for release that will feature both sought-after and previously unreleased material from familiar artists. Loads of singles are on the way. Our fiftieth release is around the corner. It’s a classic brit-funk record that’s been heavily bootlegged over the years. This will be the first official reissue it’s ever had and comes with a revealing backstory that is contrary to all the spin attributed to it. Keep an eye out for BK050.

As you are aware Australia has a voracious appetite for music and in particular Melbourne for vinyl based releases, with around 70 records stores in the city. Are you well acquainted with this or surprised to know it’s a big market for records?
We used to often hear about Australia being flooded with US import cut-outs and old stock. In the 90s I remember Dave (from Nucleus & Paradox) saying how good it was. You’d be searching for beats like Daly Wilson and then Dj Skye (Stasis) showed me loads of Aussie jazz rock and modal stuff like Jazz Co-Op, Arena, Orszaczky, Alan Lee… Then when eBay came about, all sorts of stuff surfaced. I’ve only heard about the vinyl market there from other people but with all that history and a large independent market, it’s not surprising. 

Sean: I’m well aware of some of the record nuts out there. They know who they are!

Tell us your favourite memory from running the label so far? Got any wild stories for us?
A few years ago when I was staying in Ohio, I’d agreed to visit an artist and self-proclaimed minister who lived in North Carolina to work out a deal for some of his recordings. For months he’d assured me he not only had the tape for the single I was after, but also the master for an unreleased album he recorded in the late 70s. It was an 8-hour drive to his house. On arrival, alarm bells rang when he said “Now what is it you’re looking for again…” I reminded him about the tapes and our conversations without overstating his sudden amnesia and he starts looking around saying “I know I left these masters somewhere... let me check in the basement... I just moved in so you gotta bear with me,” so I proceed in helping him look for them in the basement. Things felt weird right away. I looked to see if there was an exit and straight across from the stairs is a door leading to the driveway. The guy is rummaging through bags and I'm looking cautiously for tapes whilst climbing over a few busted Hammond organs. All I can see beneath me is piles of old toot and bags full of pill bottles. My enthusiasm for reels had waned. He says “hang on a minute” and tells me he thinks he “may have left 'em upstairs…” Continuing to look around, I position myself near the escape route, when I hear footsteps coming down the steps way quieter this time. I look and a young lady stark naked about six months pregnant is walking towards me and says “I want to give you a present before you go... for free!” I explained that “I’m unable to accept that offer. I’m here looking for some Scotch reels at the moment from the 70s”. She proceeded in telling me that “The guy upstairs is a complete bullshitter so whatever he promised you is not gonna happen. I know you came strapped anyhow and my offer stands if you want it, otherwise I’d recommend you be on your way”… Me: “Okay, it was good to meet you and thanks”. With that, I was out the door and I’ve not seen the ‘minister’ since.