Kasra
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Approaching a quarter-century of delivering uncompromising ‘underground sonics’, Kasra Mowlavi and the Critical Music imprint to which he’s dedicated most of his life stand among the most respected names in electronic music.
First making the leap from label boss to standalone solo artist back in 2018, Kasra’s own productions over the last few years - alongside a constantly busy DJing schedule - have shown the world that the Londoner’s ear for good, honest music goes far beyond just A&R.
With a professional background in the wider music industry working in artist management and marketing, Kasra started his first record label aged just 15, emblazoned by a passion for the sort of DIY American punk and alternative imprints it’s rare to hear name checked in European dance music circles.
“I always wanted to run a label. I’ve always been obsessed by labels; how they work, the processes, the physical product and everything that goes into that. I still go record shopping pretty much every week.”
That zeal for the label as an art-form in itself meant it was only natural that Kasra’s early years running Critical would be spent focused on the nuts, bolts and fine details of operating a meaningful record label in the digital age.
While the imprint became a stable home and incubation chamber for an increasingly diverse collective of artists from across the world – launching, developing and championing the careers of the likes of Enei, Ivy Lab, Mefjus and more , it took a while for Kasra to join the label’s esteemed rank of artists. To do that required building confidence in his own artistic abilities and the right to release records alongside some of the most technically skilled producers in the game.
“I’m surrounded by such amazing talent, people that are far ahead of the scene, so I’d always felt that to release my own music on Critical, it would need to stand up against everybody else’s. I’m lucky enough to get DJ work because of my role at the label, so I’ve never needed to make music to get work; I make music because I want to.”
After solo releases for Doc Scott’s flawless 31 Records and Dutch maestros Noisia in 2021, Kasra’s output has hit an unbroken creative stride. Building on 2024’s ‘Dream Metal’ project, he has launched a second, genre-fluid label, Best Intentions, while continuing to drop heavy-hitting solo cuts and collaborations with scene talents including Simula, Samurai Breaks, alongside fresh in-house talents Waeys and SMG.
For Kasra, though, it’s running a label that brings the most satisfaction, enabling him to help fledgling producers follow the path he cleared and benefit from his hard work building the wider Critical brand.
“One of the most rewarding parts of my job is working with artists and being able to give them the platform to do what I do; make a living from what I love. It’s great to have the ecosystem to try to help artists thrive and realise their ambitions.”
That ecosystem comprises much more than just a record label. In recent years, with drum & bass music’s unprecedented and widespread popularity, Critical’s sell-out events and festival shows have been at the forefront of pushing the genre ever forward and to bigger audiences, without succumbing to trends or compromising its strictly underground roots.
The Critical Sound events in London, Bristol and across the world are firmly established among electronic music’s most respected and consistently packed parties, acting as a vital incubator for the label’s artists to develop and showcase their work.
As Critical Music marks its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2027, the focus remains fixed hard on the future:
“We have a new bunch of young artists who’ve joined the label and brought a different energy and I'm focusing more on making music. It really does feel like the next step now…
“I’m always very conscious of being proud of what we’ve done, but it's not about looking back. I don’t buy into the nostalgia thing; you just put out the same music again if you do. For me and for Critical, it’s always about looking forward.”
Kasra