Meet The Label: Smile Recordings

Welcome back to our Meet the Label Q&A series, where we shine a spotlight on some of our incredible labels and the great work they’re doing.

In this instalment, we chat with Mitch from Smile Recordings about the label’s origins, its proudest moments, what’s next, and more.

What sparked the creation of the label?

Smile was launched in 2024 as a label underneath the Catch Management umbrella. We saw an opportunity to build the kind of label we felt we wanted to see more of in the dance space. Through the years of Catch Management & running many other labels, we were constantly discovering incredible producers creating world-class music who simply needed the right platform to help take their careers to the next level. Although we work with many established artists and have had some real success with those artists and their releases, we love creating more opportunities for emerging talented artists.

While there are a few incubator labels underneath some of your majors, we felt like these outlets weren’t necessarily putting the right promotion and push on their releases. We treat our development artists the same as our established and try to back each release with the same love and attention, whether it’s a release from an emerging artist or not. It’s also really cool to see some development artists sitting side by side with some of your more established. In its essence, we wanted to build a label that genuinely invests in artists, develops long-term relationships, and helps great music reach audiences around the world.

What are the label’s core values?

We’re incredibly selective with the music we release because we believe every record should have a purpose. We value genuine partnerships with our artists and see every release as the beginning of a relationship rather than a one-off transaction which is why you see several releases from our artists on the label, not just single releases as a tick and flick. Most importantly, we believe in building careers. It’s a core value at Catch and our labels are no different. A great record can open doors, but consistency, trust and having the right people around you are what create lasting success. That’s something we champion at Catch Management and strive to bring to every artist we work with on Smile.

How has the label’s sound or identity evolved since day one?

The DNA of Smile has always been the same – hard and fast, high energy with global appeal. Our sound has naturally evolved alongside the scene and the progression of our artists which we always like to see evolve and be nurtured. We are releasing our first DNB record this month as an example. If it’s got the energy, we are down to run it.

As it stands, we’re less concerned with fitting neatly into a particular genre and more focused on signing records that create a genuine connection and hold a certain magic. Whether it’s main stage, hard dance, techno or something that sits between genres, we’re looking for music that feels exciting & memorable.

What are some of the biggest obstacles the label has faced and how did you overcome them?

Like every independent label, one of our biggest challenges has been cutting through the sheer volume of music being released every day. Rather than trying to compete through quantity, we’ve always focused on quality. Every release is approached with a clear strategy, and we put a strong emphasis on building genuine relationships with our artists, DJs, media partners and industry contacts around the world, whether it be working alongside our friends at 1001 Tracklists, Relish PR, Playlist curators or the many other outlets that help us create some noise around each release.

Being independent has also meant wearing a lot of different hats, but it’s given us the flexibility to move quickly, back our instincts and adapt as the industry continues to evolve. That agility has become one of our biggest strengths. People also don’t see the back end chaos and as the label has grown, we have needed to expand our staff. It’s been equally rewarding to see some of our key staff step into larger roles at the label and take the bull by the horns so to speak. Harry started with us as a very part time employee who has now become label manager and is an integral part of the smile family, the label now wouldn’t run without him. Overcoming these sort of back end challenges and coming out surrounded by talented players is key to the labels success.

What’s been your proudest moment as a label so far?

It’s difficult to narrow it down to one moment because we’ve celebrated a lot of milestones over the years. Of course, seeing our releases receive support from internationally recognised DJs like Maddix, Bassjackers, Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, Dada Life, Cosmic Gate, Don Diablo etc or seeing our records being premiered by A lists at events like ADE, and connecting with audiences around the world is incredibly rewarding. What makes us proudest is watching the artists we’ve worked with continue to grow long after their first release with us and also being able to continue to release with them as we all grow.

Seeing artists progress to bigger tours, larger festivals and new opportunities is exactly why Smile exists. Knowing we’ve played a small part in those journeys is something we’re incredibly proud of.

What do you look for in prospective signings?

For us, it always starts with the music. If a record feels unique and connects with us, we’re interested. Hard and Fast is the icing on the cake.

Is there a release in your catalogue that you’d love to shout out?

It’s hard to choose just one because every release represents a different chapter in the label’s journey, but “Bonka – Punk” is one that stands out.

We had to jump through a lot of hurdles to get this one into the world as it’s a remake of the classic “Ferry Corsten” release, the process took well over a year. The record perfectly reflects the sound, and direction Smile has become known for – Internationally focused and built for the dancefloor. Watching it gain support from respected AAA DJs, gain official editorial at Spotify and most importantly, connect with audiences across multiple countries reinforced what independent labels are capable of when the right record is backed by the right team.