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BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Starting a record label may not be for everyone, but for Nico Sanchez it just made sense.
The musician started Black Noise Records in 2016, a year after moving to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University (WWU). It was a DIY setup at the start, and some of that sentiment continues to this day. Sanchez said a lot of the recording done for the label happens at the artists’ homes.
Sanchez makes his own music under the name OG Neeks and used to release music under the name KLEPTO. As a hip hop musician, he built Black Noise for the local underground community that he was a part of.
“I really like to sample from fun solo jazz records, kind of how it was done in the 90s,” Sanchez said.
The record store aspect of Black Noise came second to the label and happened from chance more than anything. Friends with Geheim Gallery’s owner next door, Sanchez was convinced to rent the space on Bay Street when it opened up four years ago.
“I just grew a pretty big record collection,” Sanchez said. “I was kind of deep in the record collecting game. And I just saw the need that Bellingham had for a small, curated store like this, that carried the stuff that I was into.”
Black Noise opened its brick-and-mortar retail space shortly thereafter. The flagship store offers a wide range of records and cassettes, with an emphasis on Blues, Soul, Jazz and Hip-Hop/Rap in their merchandise.
When choosing where to go to school, Sanchez chose WWU for its liberal arts program, but he knew the greater community was supportive of creativity and the arts. He said that he has seen continual support in the community for both what he puts on as a record producer and as a small business owner.
“I feel like this store would really only be possible in like cities like this, because there’s a demand for it,” Sanchez said. “I didn’t feel like it existed in Seattle; there’s so many record stores and there’s so much competition and the rent is so high.”
Holding space for musicians under the label to perform is another part of what Black Noise does in Bellingham. Black Noise holds album release parties that are all ages with a $5 entry fee as a way to promote what they produce. The label also organizes the music that plays during After Sounds, the Boundary Bay afterparty for Downtown Sounds.
Vinyl DJs and hip-hop artists perform in Boundary Bay’s beer garden every Wednesday night after the sun goes down during the series. The event has a low-entry fee as a way to make it as accessible as possible according to Sanchez.
“A big part of what we do too is highlight vinyl DJing. So, a lot of our performances revolve around that too, like people spinning vinyl and just the appreciation for physical media,” he said.
Sanchez added the appreciation for vinyl has only increased since its boom in the early 2010s.
“I think [people gravitate] towards the physicality of things, of music, and I think a big part of it is music ownership–like with Spotify and everything being consumed through streaming,” he said. “[People] don’t really own anything anymore. So, I think physical media is a way for people to take ownership back of music.”
Sanchez said it is difficult to be a small business owner in this day and age, pointing to uncertainty in the economy. Yet even with its hardships, he still realizes that the Bellingham community continued to rally around small businesses.
“People are struggling to live and just pay for basic necessities. So, I think running a retail business in that environment can be stressful. And I do think just juggling the label and the store and my own life has proven to be a lot,” Sanchez said. “But, at the end of the day, it’s all become possible because of all the people that believe in it and have contributed their time and efforts to it.”
We Are Whatcom is a weekly column featuring Whatcom County residents making a positive impact on the community. To submit a Whatcom County resident to be featured, click here.