For this edition of “Ya Herd?” we heard from the founder of Stupid Decisions, an indie label based out of Mexico.

They’ve put out a lot of great releases over the past few years — a few of my favorites from this year so far include:

 

 

 

What’s your name and where are you from?

Hi! My name is José and I’m from Mexico, specifically the city of Naucalpan.

When did you start Stupid Decisions?

I created the label’s bandcamp page in November 2016 but the first release came
out January 1st 2017.

What is the meaning behind the name Stupid Decisions?

The project started like an overnight accident, so this is the meaning (an accident) 🙂

The other meaning of SD is an a example of responsibility, courage, hard work and happiness in my life, it helps me to forget the rough times in 2016.

What inspired you to create a indie record label?

One night in November I felt useless because I hadn’t ended other projects that I started in 2016 and past years; so I decided to use and apply my abilities to discover music and make a platform like a netlabel, only to support independent bands with streaming / physical formats (tape/CD).

How many people are involved in the operation?

It’s just me (José) but when we are on tour, my friends from Somewhere, B 301, Spray Canela and Marco help me with logistics + money.

It seems there is a lot of variety in terms of the music you release (some bedroom/jangle pop, surf rock, metal etc.) Do you have a certain type of music you like the most, or are you just open to featuring Mexican artists across all genres?

Across all genres, it’s a reflection of the music I listen everyday. But we only have 36
Mexican artists and the rest are from worldwide because the interest in the label comes from other countries, not just Mexico. I’m happier that way because in Mexico the scene sucks, people’s attitudes and “support” are shit.

How do you find artists? Or do they sometimes reach out to you?

50/50. I find them on youtube / bandcamp / soundcloud most of the time. Also people find me there and they write me an email or message on facebook / instagram.

Is there a big indie/DIY music scene in Mexico?

It’s a great scene with a lot of talent, but as I said: people are crap most of the time.
I’ve been here since 2013 (as a fan who went to shows) and it’s the same with time, that’s my vision and what I have seen. It’s my point of view (nothing personal). Sometimes it’s not like that, when the artists are friendly, respectful and more professional than the others, when people are not interested in the scene (like me) they have a lot of fun doing music / tapes / management. A lot of greats bands in Mexico.

What are some other indie labels that you admire?

Anhedonia Records, Gemelo Parasito Records, Smoking Room, Chord Organ
Tapes (amazing bedroom pop), Z Tapes, learning to be loved, comidillotapes, deathbed tapes, Sin Tierra Discos.

Where do you look for new music besides bandcamp? Do you follow
indie music blogs?

Mostly are recommendations of my friends or on facebook. I check magazines from
here but they share bands like Arctic Monkeys, so i use youtube or the blog
Cloudberry Records to discover new music.