Sonny Fodera launches new label: AARRIVAL

Apr 21, 11:20 AM

The past couple of years have seen Defected’s golden boy Sonny Fodera grow into a fully-fledged House music star. 2016 in particular saw the Aussie touring the globe, have a BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix and even release his stand-out album ‘Frenquently Flying’ via Defected. A project that showed an extra facet to Fodera’s production, full of vocal-heavy sing-a-long tracks like ‘Feeling You’ and ‘You and I’ that propelled him even higher in our estimations.

It’s 2017 and Fodera is back with a brand new label: AARRIVAL. He kicks things off with one of his own productions.. the sexy ‘Set Me Free’ and we went to find out more from the man himself..




Hi Sonny! Thanks for chatting to us and congratulations on the launch of your new label AARRIVAL, you must be pretty excited! Why have you chosen now to launch a new label?

The label has been in the process for about a year now, with all the change that has been happening for me it really feels like the right time. I’ve drawn together a collection of my key influences and inspirations and put them into my own project. It’s as much of a culture brand as it is a record label. We are working with fashion designers at ‘Blood Brother’ for our merchandise, with the first drop coinciding with our first party in a few months. We are also lining up tours in the UK, USA, Ibiza & Australia. 



Where did the name ‘AARRIVAL’ come from?

Being a frequent flyer I guess it is always in front of me, in all kinds of ways. Traveling has been a big part of my life… Arriving at all kinds of destinations, whether it be an airport, a party or a festival. I want to present people with the same feeling of arriving into a new and exciting space through our parties and content. Arriving can often be a freeing feeling and I want to translate this in my brand.
Also, the name really works for a club night. The ‘AA’ translates back to a fully powered battery, this is the kind of energy we want to bring. It started off as a passing comment and then just stuck. So there we have it, AARRIVAL.


Tell us about the debut release, your record ‘Set Me Free’. What was the main inspiration behind it? Did you make track specifically for the label?

I made ‘Set Me Free’ in October last year right before ADE. I have been playing it almost every set and the reaction has been great. It wasn’t specifically made for AARRIVAL, but it has been road tested and I thought it would be a cool first release on the label.



How would you describe the musical direction of the label? Straight up House / Tech House bangers? More of a Soulful flavour? Will it be similar to Beatdown?

Although house music is the core of my own work, it could be anything really. Right now I’m open to all genres of music being on the label. I feel like things are becoming more and more intertwined. I’ve been mixing lots of different sounds together recently and it’s always fun to create something new. Ultimately I’m just looking for good music that fits the vibe. 



Who else have you got lined up for release? Can we expect releases from some of your Defected / Cajual / Beatdown label mates? How about another Sonny album?

I have signed a couple of upcoming new artists and really want that to be the main focus of the label. I want to help build artists, similar to what people like Cajmere/ Green Velvet & Simon Dunmore have done for me. Definitely considering my own album drop on the label down the line.





You’re obviously a busy man, producing and touring and now running a label, will you be doing all of the A&R yourself?


I have a team working with me. There is no way I could do it on my own! Regardless, I will always remain hands on… I have the final say and will test the tracks out before releasing them.


And finally, if you could have signed any record in dance music history, what would it be?

Cajmere – Percolator


Sonny Fodera’s latest release “Set Me Free” via AARRIVAL is available now at Traxsource: ‘HERE’.


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