When Brooklyn-based Francis Harris splashed upon the global dance scene under his Adultnapper alias a handful of years ago, his unique sound and musical sensibility caught the attention of ‘heads in the know. One release led to another, and before long the Las Vegas native soon began traveling the world as his profile rose. He released his debut album, Leland, in 2012. Before long he was in a coveted position to take center stage. Along the way, Harris took a purposeful turn off a path that was leading him to DJ superstardom.
Harris ditched his production moniker and began exploring musical styles that go beyond the dance floor. He started Scissor & Thread with French DJ Anthony Collins, Output co-owner/Halcyon shop owner Shawn Schwartz and Atlanta’s Soco Audio boss Michael Scott. The imprint was “cut from a different cloth than your average label.”
His reinvention didn’t stop there. This month he announced the launch of Kingdoms, a new label endeavor not directly tied to releasing music for the dance floor. Though it’s early days, Kingdoms will serve as a platform to release everything from ambient to heady electronic music.
The fall will see Kingdom’s first release in the form of Swan & Odette, a new album from Aris Kindt. The project is comprised of Harris and longtime collaborator Gabriel Hedrick. The full-length is due out October 20 and picks up where 2015’s Floods on Scissor and Thread left off.
Francis Harris is perched at an interesting crossroads in his career. We connected with him via email to discuss Kingdoms and the upcoming LP by Aris Kindt.
What led you to launch Kingdoms?
Francis Harris: I suppose as you get older, you get more stubborn. Partnering up with someone with A&R (Scissor and Thread) is a great experience, but it’s always somewhat of a compromise. I wanted the opportunity to explore the music closest to my own tastes in a way that is completely unhinged from a process of mutual agreement. Kingdoms will be as pure of an expression of my musical tastes as I’ve ever produced. Whether or not my tastes translate into record sales remains to be seen!
Did you bring any specific learnings from running Scissor & Thread to Kingdoms?
Scissor and Thread evolved into more of a club label, mostly because my partner Anthony Collins and I were touring so heavily as a deep-house act. Naturally the records were a reflection of our sets. Circumstances have now changed, and I want an opportunity to have a label that is not tied necessarily to clubland (although some records may still have club leanings). Rather, I want to just release records that are not a reflection of anything but a passion for the music.
“I’d like to leave success out of the picture with Kingdoms. Success is metric best suited for reducing desire to the metrics of capital.”
You’ve worked as Aris Kindt before but how did his new LP come to be the first release for Kingdoms?
In a lot of ways, Aris Kindt was never meant for Scissor and Thread. I felt it fell mostly fell to periphery given it was out of context with the rest of the catalogue. The dreamy, shoe gazey wall of noise seems an ideal fit of the adventurous nature of Kingdoms.
Where do you hope Kingdoms will be in a year? What will be your personal metric of success?
I’d like to leave success out of the picture with Kingdoms. Success is metric best suited for reducing desire to the metrics of capital. My hope is that Kingdoms continues to explore the beauty of music as pure mode of expression.
