In an age where a name can arrive before the music, has built its identity around doing things differently. For the label’s releases, the artist is deliberately stripped from the equation, leaving the record to stand on its own before the context arrives. It’s a deceptively simple idea, but one that feels increasingly radical in a dance music landscape shaped by personal brands, social metrics and the relentless demand to be seen.
Five years and fifteen releases in, the experiment has developed into something considerably broader. What began as a record label has expanded into radio, touring, events and DJing, all connected by the same instinct in trusting the music first. The label’s approach might resist the logic of instant growth, but its growing reach suggests there is still an appetite for discovery without the usual signposts.
Across its catalogue, has cultivated a reputation for meticulous curation, stylistic unpredictability and a level of quality control that leaves little room for compromise. Behind the anonymity is a selector obsessing over sequencing, resisting the temptation to release records that are merely good, and quietly asking whether dance music might sound different if we could hear it without knowing who made it.
As the project enters its next chapter, unknown – untitled’s founder reflects on five years of challenging preconceptions, the strange community that has formed around guessing games, and what it means to build something slowly in a culture increasingly obsessed with immediacy.
The label asks people to trust their ears before they trust a name. In an era where so much music is discovered through personality and branding, do you feel you’re pushing against the tide, or simply creating a different way of listening?
In some ways, yes. I am hyper aware that the way I currently promote releases isn’t the most advantageous for quick growth. Every release is a reminder that static artwork with music behind struggles to reach new listeners and non followers, compared to face-to-camera content on Instagram for example. I have an internal debate constantly about whether I should change my approach, but I always come back to the same conclusion: “Nah, that’s not right for the brand and it’s just not me.” That approach might improve my social metrics in the short term, but wouldn’t feel authentic to me and I reckon people would sniff that out fast. I’d rather grow it slower and build something that lasts by earning trust through the selection of records, rather than chasing short-term gains.
There’s an interesting tension in anonymity becoming part of the brand itself. At what point does removing identity become an identity of its own?
You could perceive there is an element of irony there, but I don’t think anonymity is the sole identity of the brand. The core idea and focus is actually more on unbiased music discovery. Anonymity is simply the mechanism that gives music the chance to be heard before it’s judged by external influences and if the label becomes known for that, then that’s something I’ll be really proud of.
You’ve spoken about giving established artists permission to step outside expectations. Have there been moments where contributors have surprised you because anonymity allowed them to take risks they otherwise wouldn’t?
Not properly yet, no. It’s one of the main ambitions I have for the project, but I think that level of trust takes time and I don’t think i’m quite there yet. I’d love to reach a point where an incredible producer like Lone felt comfortable releasing a curveball record in a genre nobody would associate with him, simply because the music could be heard without any preconceptions. Maybe that’s something I’ll be able to crack closer to the ten-year mark, once the label and concept has had more time to prove itself.
The sequencing across uu015 feels incredibly intentional despite the range of styles. When you’re putting a compilation together, are you thinking like a DJ, an A&R, or something else entirely?
Who said it was a compilation? 😉
In all seriousness, probably thinking like a curator first and foremost. I obsess almost unhealthily over the running order because I think it has the potential to change everything for better or worse. I normally spend months moving the tracks around, listening again and again in a different sequence, constantly changing my mind on it, then changing it back right at the last minute. I’m always thinking about how the tracks will have the most impact, how they will be cut to vinyl, how they will work within the rollout, all of it. Since every track is put out individually like a single, the order isn’t about the record. It’s about how people experience the whole campaign from start to finish.
You mention quality control quite a lot. That’s a phrase that gets thrown around in dance music, but what does it actually mean to you beyond simply choosing good tracks?
It’s a bold thing to claim in fairness, but if you don’t trust your judgement as a selector, then you probably shouldn’t be running a record label.
For me, quality control is about having the discipline to say no to records that are ‘quite good’ and holding out for the ones that are special and sometimes that decision isn’t obvious. Every release on unknown – untitled has recouped, which I’m really proud of, especially in today’s climate. That’s not because I’ve been lucky, it’s because I’m incredibly selective about what comes out. There are many records I could have released that never made it out because they didn’t stand up against what was already in the catalogue. I’d much rather release a small number of records I completely believe in than a constant stream of average ones. I think that’s why five years in, people trust the label.
Has anonymity ever forced you to confront your own biases as a curator? Have there been tracks that hit differently once you knew who had made them? When the identities behind each release are eventually revealed, do you notice people reassessing tracks because of who’s made them? Does that almost prove the point of the concept?
Absolutely. I’d definitely be lying if I said I wasn’t influenced by names sometimes. We all are aren’t we? That’s the whole reason the label exists, to do the complete opposite and let the music do the talking. I’ve watched so many people completely change their opinion on a track once the artist is revealed, having heard exactly the same record which says everything really. It shows just how much the context you know shapes the way you listen, and is why I think everyone deserves the chance to hear a record without those preconceptions first.
The project now stretches across records, Rinse shows, tours and events. Has your understanding of what unknown – untitled actually is changed over the last five years?
Definitely. Five years ago I thought unknown – untitled would only be a record label. Now I see it more as an overall outlet for my musical taste more broadly – whether it’s putting out a record, adding a track to my playlist, DJing out, Radio, or producing my own music, it’s all coming from the same place. I am just expressing it in different ways now.
Dance music often talks about community, but communities also rely on familiarity and personalities. Has anonymity changed the way your audience connects with the label, or has it simply shifted where that connection exists?
Strangely, I actually think the anonymity element has brought people closer in the end. The artist guessing competitions are a great example of that. Some people throw out the wildest artist guesses and have heated debates in the comments about who it could be, which I always love to see. That in itself creates a real sense of community, just not in the conventional way.
After fifteen releases, what would success actually look like from here? Is it growing bigger, or simply proving that this way of releasing music can remain sustainable?
Success now is probably less about proving the concept can work and more about seeing where it can travel to next. Recently, I’ve had a much clearer sense of what’s possible than when I first started the project. Touring in Japan this year was a real testament to that as I hadn’t quite realised how far the concept had travelled until I saw people from a completely different culture connecting with it in a similar way to people in the London scene. If anything, that whole experience has made me even more ambitious about how far this thing can go.
Finally, if unknown – untitled disappeared tomorrow, what do you hope people would say it changed about the way they listened to dance music?
“That was a breath of fresh air.”
‘uu15’ is out now.