International influx of sound

Anything but a newcomer to electronic music, Aaron Hastings (aka Arkon) has hosted local late nights such as Ajna After Hours, Bordello Breaks, Trance Mission, and — starting in 2007 — began working alongside Gage and Kristie at the Kava Lounge (Kettner Boulevard) as a booker and resident DJ for the venue’s longest-running monthly, Dragon Lounge.

Now, with over 20 years of DJing and promotion under his belt, Hastings recently launched the debut full-length on his mushrooming label, Ekstre (“extra”) Records. The Extra Terrestrial LP highlights the eclectic sounds of San Diego’s underground with 12 local artists (including members of Elev8, Bass Tribe, and Liquid Geometry collectives) as well as producers living in Rosarito and Arizona.

“I reached out to my usual suspects and invited them to offer submissions,” Hastings says. “For some of them, it’s their first label release. I’m open to all styles, as long as it has a deep, sexy vibe. San Diego has a vast assortment and strong community of musicians, whether it’s the drum-and-bass kids, the burner crowd, the bass heads, or old-school electronic enthusiasts. We are reaching out to all of them. It’s a pretty spread-out city, but it’s good to see that a lot of different styles are taking off. We have so many outlets for different subgenres to expand upon — desert parties, club events, rented venues, warehouses — there’s a lot going on. There’s a lot of experimentation here in San Diego. It shows that there is an international influx of sounds from people who aren’t from here, but they bring a lot of love to the city. That’s important for a scene to survive.”

Though no release date is set, Hastings’s goal is to press the compilation to vinyl. For now, Extra Terrestrial (released online December 17) is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Beatport, with a free download of Sleeve’s track “8, 9, 7” on SoundCloud.

Of the sounds selected throughout the album’s five-month compilation process, Hastings says, “I want you to be able to just chill, or get up and dance, or meditate, or get down to some ancient bass — that more primitive sound.”

Dragon Lounge just celebrated 16 years and will be hosting an all-vinyl throwback night with the event’s creator, B-Side, on Saturday, February 8.

Ekstre Records welcomes submissions at hastings@ekstrerecords.com.