Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
Melleefresh, Canada’s Greatest Dance Music Singer and Play Records Label Owner Celebrates 25 Years

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Melleefresh, Canada’s Greatest Dance Music Singer and Play Records Label Owner Celebrates 25 Years
Melleefresh
Fri Apr 23, 2021
Cashbox Canada

Simply put: rarely do you come across a globally heralded, multi-award winning female veteran of the music industry who continues to be a ground-breaking, ceiling-shattering revolutionary in all she does for three decades, and counting.

But such is the case for Canadian electronic music scene queen Melleefresh as she toasts her landmark and visionary 25 year tenure helming Play Records — and even longer as a veritable artistic force to be reckoned with in her own right.

Deemed “one of the pivotal figures in North American dance music” by Clash Magazine, the Toronto-based EDM dynamo has been a prominent avant-garde performance artist for the last 30 years.

Linked above are 16+ pages of deeply entrenched, wildly fascinating Canadian industry lore (think crossover tales of: deadmau5, Kevin Hearn pre-Barenaked Ladies, Peaches, Atom Egoyan, The Tragically Hip, Fashion Cares, an arrested ‘Care Bear’ on the front page of The Sun…)

And yet, the candid collection barely scratches the surface of the insightful tales this iconic artist and businesswoman can speak to.

Check out the album “Invicible” here: open.spotify.com/album/2ZB6L71OaqObIHruYnRkON

As President and founder of the Play Records — the one through which deadmau5 was discovered and first signed to, and who she collaborated with as freshmau5 on many tracks, including the 2008 JUNO Award-nominated release, After Hours — Melleefresh has also collaborated with, including Dirty 30 (Alixander III), Billy Newton-Davis, Calvertron, Hoxton Whores, 40oz Profits, Gettoblasters, Jerome Robins, dj genderfluid, and more. She is an inimitable reference point for the cut-throat, competitive intersection that is music, business, and being a woman in the thick of it all.

“I had begun writing and singing my own music, and decided at one point I wanted to do more,” she recalls. “But what I really wanted was to be able to control my own music, and maybe form a label.

“One of my first labels, Nepotism Records, had a motto of ‘Family, Friends, or F*** Off,’” she continues. “I guess I do continue to work more with people I know, but I have not had any major f*** offs!

“That said, it’s been a lot of ups and downs,” she continues, reflecting back. “There have been some battles... Some ridiculous lawsuits… And also some amazing collaborations and performances.

“To this day, I find the constant search for new talent to work with has always been so exciting! That, and to develop new genres of music.

“I am continually evolving as an artist, and always trying out new vocals and musical styles with every different artist I work with. It's been such a great discovery process, both creatively and from a business perspective… 

“I love the evolution of it all!”

Mellefresh’s extensive credits, accolades, and rungs on her resume continue to soar sky-high; never idle, she releases new music frequently — including her latest LP, Invincible, and a special series of Redux re-issues slated for this celebratory year.

She is also the co-founder of Play Deep, a state-of-the-art recording studio in London, England, with DJ Spydabrown (Zachary Spider Brown-Smith). There, they have played host to recording sessions for the likes of The Spice Girls, Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, Chance the Rapper, Childish Gambino, Nadia Rose, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Gigs, Offset, and more.

For more information:
melleefresh.com/
instagram.com/melleefresh/
facebook.com/melleeefresh/
twitter.com/melleefresh

Reviews
Album
Melleefresh
Month: May 2022
Jim Dan Dee Blues Dynamos Jim Dan Dee Deliver Premium Grit & Growl with…
GURTH Canadian Rockers GURTH Offer Up a Potent Post-Hardcore Anthem in…
Gabi Epstein Gabi Epstein Pays Tribute to Barbra Streisand with New Single, “Don’t…
Americana Singer/Songwriter Doug Schmude is “On The Run” in Adventurous New Single Americana Singer/Songwriter Doug Schmude is “On The Run” in Adventurous New…
David Bray David Bray Completes Trilogy with 'Land of Extremes' Album
Dan Frechette & Laurel Thomsen Dan Frechette & Laurel Thomsen Say “Money Shouldn’t Talk That Strong”
Deborah Lynn Chart-Topping, Award-Winning Canadian Country Artist Deborah Lynn…
Canadian Alt-Indie Rock Duo Blackout Orchestra Unveil “Unfound” Canadian Alt-Indie Rock Duo Blackout Orchestra Unveil “Unfound”
Grunge-Punk Band Bad Skin Sing About the Sorrow of a Bad Breakup on New Single, “Completely Insane” Grunge-Punk Band Bad Skin Sing About the Sorrow of a Bad Breakup…
D.K. LYONS Manhattan-Based Pop Artist D.K. LYONS Breathes Readies the Season of…
Harriet Chung Award-Winning Canadian Artist Harriet Chung Takes a Musical Journey…
Laurie LeBlanc Laurie LeBlanc Counts His Blessings with the Release of New Single, “Lucky…
Ceesar Canadian Breakout Pop Producer Ceesar Creates Heat Waves With New…
Pop-Funk Group Numb Tongues Savour Some Seriously Delicious Grooves with New Single, “Dance” Pop-Funk Group Numb Tongues Savour Some Seriously Delicious…
OLENKA Reflects On The Downfalls Of Stardom In Her Newest Single, “Sad Boy Popstar” OLENKA Reflects On The Downfalls Of Stardom In Her Newest Single, “Sad Boy…

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 67
  • Page 68
  • Page 69
  • Page 70
  • Current page 71
  • Page 72
  • Page 73
  • Page 74
  • Page 75
  • …
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers