Lane 8 Announces New Label and Events Concept: This Never Happened

From his critically acclaimed ‘Rise’ LP on Anjunadeep to the emotive ‘Midnight EP’ on Suara, Lane 8 aka Daniel Goldstein has established himself as a master of heartfelt electronic music in the past 18 months with supporters ranging from Pete Tong, Matthew Dear, Booka Shade and Annie Mac.

Ably balancing a melodic sensibility with a sense of style and individuality, Lane 8 has tapped into a sound that delves that little bit deeper than standard club grooves; exemplified by both the strength of his tight knit fanbase and the musicality he has shown in his much admired live session videos.

Wanting to reach deeper still into the essence of that experience, Lane 8 has announced his This Never Happened label and events brand, which will represent both an outlet for his forthcoming melodic club sounds, but also an event where he invites his fans to engage deeper with them.

A personal passion project and one built around ideals held dear to his heart, the best person to explain This Never Happened is Daniel himself:

We live at a time when distractions from reality are never further away than our fingertips. Our phones offer us unlimited stimulation and temporary comfort. The possibilities of technology are endless, but they also limit the possibility…the possibility to truly experience and submit to the moment.

For me, going to a club has always been about letting go of the world around me, like a vacation from the nagging realities of everyday life. In the best clubs I have been to, the people were united by a desire to experience electronic music in the purest sense; to get lost in its tension and release. No matter what was going on in their lives, it was a place where, for at least a few hours, nothing else mattered but the sheer power music had to bring people joy. And those experiences – held only by those in that room, at that moment – were almost like the reward to submitting to a secret society. At the end of the night, I could look at my friends, old and new, and without saying a single word, we'd know that what we experienced together was something special, something that would never quite be repeated again.

Some of my early clubbing experiences have stayed with me for my entire life. They are why I'm doing what I'm doing today. There is not a photo, forum thread or social media post in existence to mark their happening, but the memories, the emotions I felt, the way those nights changed my life – those things stay with me to this day.

Somewhere along the way, we as a society have lost the ability to experience those special moments. On the rare occasion that they do happen, we scramble to grab our phones in time to capture them – but those moments cannot be truly captured – and they don’t need to be broadcasted or recorded. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is fully appreciate what is happening in that room, at that moment, with those people around us.
 
I think our society needs clubbing experiences where they go home with more than just a picture to post on instagram. That's why I'm starting This Never Happened – I want to create that experience for people.
 
At This Never Happened, we invite you into a space where the only thing that matters are the people in that room, the music and the magic that happens when those things interact. An event where the dancefloor will be a phone and photo-free space.

This experience we share together may, by 2016 standards, have never happened. But those who dare will always know – something special did happen here.

The first show will be a return to my hometown of San Francisco on 3 June at Mezzanine. It's a venue I've dreamed of headlining for many years and the perfect place to start this new chapter. If we can make this happen – and work – together, there will be many, many more.

This Never Happened will not just be the name of these events, but also the name of a new record label. This label will be the outlet for music, by me, that is inspired by and made for this experience. The first song I'm releasing is called "Fingerprint" and you can listen to it below.

Putting this project together with my team over the last 6 months triggered a creative spark in me unlike anything I've ever felt before, and I'm so excited for you guys to hear the music I've come up with during that time.

I look forward to building this concept with you 🙂

Love,
Daniel