Director’s Statement

The roots of our musical journey are woven into the nightclub scene of Cardiff and the surrounding cities. Starting as students working for the current event companies of the time, we found our passion and love for the scene. On graduating university, the realisation had already occurred that the usual path of graduate jobs in the corporate companies in the city was just never going to be for us. So together we formed our own small business and our creative minds, paired with a determined work ethic led us to taking our first steps on a journey we never could have imagined. From the very smallest of venues to the 3000 capacity venues of Greyfriars road our journey has been unique and enriching. Our vision was always to take our passion for music outside of four walls and into the open air, something we first realised in Newport through the creation of our Party at the Park and Colour Clash events. Thankfully these were well received by our community and were quickly followed by Inside Out in Cardiff which has equally achieved success over the last 6 years. We have been joined along the way by so many amazing and creative people, some are still with us today and are very much the heartbeat of what we are, others have followed their own path but are still more than deserving of mention and others have only recently joined but have already given us some amazing wisdom and put their own mark on the inner workings of our group.

Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the globe in March 2020, leading to our journey to being not stopped but slowed and irreversibly diverted. Life in the music and event space leaves you with very little time, suddenly we had more than we’d known for years. Firstly, the mammoth task of rescheduling our event calendar took centre stage as we tried to plot and predict a viable path. Next came innovation and grit from a determined team that led us to creating live streamed events and also our first European event with a festival in the iconic Amsterdam.

Escape records, was still very much a vision for the future back then, but it took its moment on centre stage as its creation was bought forward as we of course had time on our hands we never would have expected to have.

The first move was made, and a meeting was held in the garden of a country pub far away from any possible observers. The mood was awkward, both sides tentatively feeling out the other; questioning motive. However, although neither party realised at the time, the dye had been cast. The journey would be slow until the start of 2021. As we battled bringing Cardiff’s two biggest events companies together predominantly over zoom, multiple members of the negotiation team contacting covid and subsequent isolations meaning meetings were constantly moved and postponed. Frustration for all, but we stuck to task and persevered, Move Together was born. Climax and Paper had merged to become an integral part of Escape Records.

From that moment we were a team, we have had a focal point, something to aim for. So very quietly in the suburbs of Cardiff the magic began. We first set about planning how we would bring our communities together and aligning our values with our deliverables.

Then with our events calendar fully established both indoor and outdoor and positioned safely in the hands of Alex and Mark respectively. Attention could turn to establishing the label and building towards the launch of Escape records. We enlisted the help of Glen Horsborough and his team of talent from Let there be house to help us navigate the steps into a new world. Again, a more difficult task than we probably ever imagined but we’ve made it to the starting line. Now we’re ready to join the race and see where we end up.

When this journey began, it was based solely in music and partying and the wider impact in truth was not at the forefront of our minds. Fast forward 15 years and sadly the care free attitude of youth is starting to escape us, but this space is now filled with a more meaningful purpose.

The previous creation of our academy to support and bring through the next generation of music talent in South Wales, now provides the perfect platform for us to elevate and produce their music within the business and place Wales firmly on the wider music scene.

This project is one way we feel we can give back to our community but as a team our desire is to continue to support all manner of good and charitable causes. An example of that being most recently supporting the building of a home in Cambodia and raising money to support our wonderful NHS. Let’s not forget that without them we wouldn’t be returning to the party we’ve all missed so much. Giving back in all its forms to our community is at the forefront of our minds, to our industry and further afield and making sure we embody that in all that we do.

Escape Records is not a charity and we don’t want to be seen to be, neither are we here just for the party or the profit. We’re here for a purpose and to make a difference. Escape Records – Bringing people together through music to improve all lives. Imagine a world without loneliness, if we can ever help to achieve that then we’ll know all the stress, late nights and hard work have been worth it.

Our mantra – trust and love the process. Means we’ve had an incredible ride, many knocks along the way but now we are ready to bring Escape Records to the world in 2021.

Hopefully you’ll join us on this next journey, we can’t be sure where we’re heading but everyone’s welcome. x