We catch up with Denver’s Option4 who has a very cool take on house music and party promoting

Firstly, to kick things us, tell us about TheHundred?

Option4: It’s the funnest community I’ve ever been in. There are literally 100 of us so there’s never a dull moment. ANY night of the week 🙂 We throw a LOT of parties but… it’s the stuff outside the clubs that keep the bond special. It’s almost exhausting, but I wouldn’t have it any other way: I’m so fortunate to be friends with all of them. They’re very unique and inspiring individuals so it’s easy to stay motivated.

Earlier this year you made a call out to aspiring DJs to submit mixes for the chance to play one of your parties. What was the reason for that?

Option4: Part of the reason is that as a promoter, it can be tough when things grow to stay ORGANIC. You get a lot of acts pushed and shoved on you so this was a chance to just book and promote someone based off of their MUSIC… not their marketing. Was really refreshing and I wish I had done it sooner to be honest.

Tell us about your new label… when is it launching and which artists are going to be involved?

Option4: HotBOi Records sort of spawned from the viral producer search I did online. Made me think that it’d be rad to build a platform for undiscovered artists. Let’s face it: no one listens to demos anymore. It’s really tough to get things signed unless you’re plugged in. This was a chance to kind of go against that train of thought. I wanted to focus on compilations. Do one or two a year and build creative and unique clothing to pair with each record. We had our first one a couple months ago and I was thrilled with how diverse it came out. Next year I’m going to do 2 or 3 more and crowdsource all the demos again to give everyone a shot to be released. In between that time however, we’re going to be releasing singles from some close friends whose music I love. I don’t want to spoil anything yet but they’re amazing artists. I’m really looking forward to pushing their sound 🙂

Dance music has never been more popular, and is prominent in pretty much every country in the world now, but you seem to have a very strong focus on local communities… are you not bothered about being a global megastar like many other aspiration types?

Option4: I LOVE sharing the music I write. I love traveling and love meeting new people. BUT I don’t think I could do it without having a community to come back home to if that makes sense. I know a LOT of big DJ’s but they seem to live pretty lonely lives. How can you have real relationships if you’re gigging 250+ shows a year? I battle constantly with my mental health and outlook and I think the key is balance. SO I don’t think I’ll ever commit to touring SUPER heavy like that EVER. I’ve been doing this music thing on MY terms since the beginning and I don’t think I could enjoy life if I changed that. So that being said I’ll play the parties I want to play and tour when I want to tour, but the focus for me is to balance happiness with sustainability. I don’t want to turn into a shell of a human being haha

How has the current political climate affected dance music in the states?

Option4: It’s caused A LOT of anxiety for people in general here in the U.S. I’d like to say it doesn’t affect the dance music scene but the fact is it does. It affects everyone. I don’t think anyone wakes up everyday and doesn’t think about how crazy the time we’re living in is. Regardless of political views or what side of things people stand on, I don’t remember a time where things were as volatile as they are right now.

What things currently piss you off about today’s scene?

Option4: Haha.. I’m not really a very angry person but I do get disappointed with the business side of the game. I don’t like people starting DJ careers off of Instagram followings. Or people writing other music for people. That sort of stuff is really lame to me. I write everything I do. Every day I work to create something I feel proud of. You don’t have to be a genius to spot the fake stuff but unfortunately there are a LOT of fans in the U.S. who are just discovering this music/culture and are blind to the manufactured stuff. I feel like those things make it harder for artists who approach their craft sincerely and that’s a bummer.

What’s been the thing you’re most proud of this year?

Option4: Not to be too candid here but, I was in a very depressed rut a year ago. I was on the edge of giving up. Fortunately I got really lucky and chose not to. I changed my team and got back to business. That drive sparked more motivation which snowballed into having a really great year musically speaking. Now I wake up each day and am looking forward to work. I guess I’m just really proud that I didn’t quit everything. SO many things could have been so different. You are who you surround yourself with.

Tell us what you’ve got lined up for 2018…

Option4: SO MANY RELEASES. Right now I’m on track to release more music in 2018 than I have in my whole career combined. I’m writing more unique than I have in the past and I’m having SO much fun in the studio lately. I will tour a bunch more but it will be in spurts as I don’t want to be gone from home too much. Also… this HotBOi Records thing isn’t a joke. The music I have signed to the label should really turn heads next year so I’m super pumped to share some of my favorite artist’s music with people 🙂

Option4’s ‘To Be Your Baby’ is out now on Nervous Records