Today we’d like to introduce you to Darin Carter.
Hi Darin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Sure thing! Left Field Division, formally known as Cirkus Records, started out many years ago. It was established by my close friends Ruben Carreras, Justin Hill, and myself (Darin Carter). During that time, we focused on coming together to develop and showcase our creativity through music. We had several camaraderie that had a passion for creating music as well. We developed a system that would assist each artist in learning, developing, and releasing their own genre and style of the music they enjoyed producing. I remember, we used to meet up every weekend, organize plans/ideas, delegate tasks, and provide homework for artists to study and work on. Then we would all meet up again to record any ideas that were practiced in a makeshift studio that consisted of shared equipment purchased. Our production work has always carried a DIY work ethic. Back then, it was simply a microphone set up in a padded closet, running on a subpar mac mini that was prone to crash several times, and attempting to learn how to mix and/or semi-master tracks to get the right sound with what was available to us.
We were excited and hungry rather than feeling constrained but the challenges we faced. The setback of not having the fanciest equipment or the right tools was never an issue. We always managed to find workarounds to produce quality content. Everyone on the collective was proud of what we had established. The ability to paint pictures with sound through the tools we had was more than enough to keep the momentum going. And I think, with the little that you have, that’s where creativity thrives the most. Even if we didn’t have the “Industry Standard” sound and tools, we have always been heavily CREATIVE. But as with all things, seasons change, life changes, and eventually, Cirkus becomes stagnant.
Several Years later, back in June of 2019, my friend Justin Hill (aka Jus J) reached out to Ruben Carreras (aka Scares) and myself, sharing with us the idea of wanting to re-establish a music collective. With the lessons we had learned over the years, we eventually ran with that idea and formed a more organized collective front. This was when Left Field Division was born. It began with us working together to create our own music and to raise social media (e.g. Spotify, Bandcamp, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) accounts to promote the music, releasing a total of 122 songs to date so far. With reignited confidence, we wanted to take things further by branching out, working with various artists across the US and other parts of the world, as well as going out to play and host live shows again. At that time, I had reached out to my good friend Amanda McKart, an amazing creative artist, who had looked into providing us with a residency at a venue we could set up shop at. We managed to proudly gain a homestead at a local venue here in Austin, Texas at Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches on Manor Rd.
Being able to play our own music was always the goal in general, but there had always been a drive to provide something much bigger than what we wanted for ourselves. As we had always looked up to and learned from our more established mentors, in turn, we wanted to become the advocates to the underdogs that were as hungry as we were in our younger days. Giving people the chance to get out there and share their musical creations without any barriers, is what our new goal for us became. When I reminisce on years before, I wish someone would had given us the opportunity to play more live shows when we were young and hungry. With Left Field Division and the Play Event at Batch, we are trying to build a community for new artists in Austin to be able to present their creative art whether through instruments, DJing, painting, dancing in front of a live audience without prejudice. We are 5 shows in at the moment, already bringing out several talented artists to our monthly event at Batch, as well as working closely with BabeATX – an organization for women, non-binary, genderfluid, and genderqueer folks that participate to shape a new, fast-growing Austin electronic music scene.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I truly believe nothing is ever going to run smoothly, no matter how good ideas can sound. And if it does seem easy, you’re doing it wrong! There has to be some type of struggle or obstacle in order for you to grow. We’ve had a lot of obstacles over the years, from life events that delayed our goals, to sound design issues, and to not having the correct resources. But we remained resilient through the pushback we felt and several key moments delaying creative expressions. Everyone on the Left Field Division collective has varied years of experience and influences in music production; Justin Hill’s (Jus J) background consists of Southern Rap and Hip Hop in general. Ruben Carreras (Scares) is heavily influenced by Boom Bap, Lofi, Trip Hop, and Drum n Bass. I (Biuma) grew up through the Techno and House music scenes, and I have experimented in the Footwork genre, influenced by Dj Rashad. With that in mind, there were times when we were unable to see eye to eye on some things due to our influences and in the ways in how we saw how music should be produced. Nevertheless, we took our strengths and experiences and created something new, something that sounded very different, very “left field” if you will.
Once Left Field Division was established, we immediately targeted large goals. However, with that come large obstacles as well. By working together, organizing and prioritizing the work required to reach each goal, we remain focused driven, taking on the challenges step by step. As with any challenge in life, we of course, are still eagerly learning and growing, but simply out of passion and the desire to expand what we are building.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a collective, we range from visual design, sound design, cinematography, motion design, marketing, and artistry. Above all, I like to sum us up as creatives. Everything we create is produced in-house; from shooting content, editing video, designing for social media and print, and developing sound. We are known for our music over the years, and we eventually would like to shift that focus to becoming advocates of the trade for local Austinites wanting to showcase their own work, whether that is in music, or in any other creative medium. I’m definitely proud that we have managed to hold on to our dream of creating our own art collective by sticking together through thick and thin, while producing amazing content. The passion and fire strongly remain ignited within us. This makes me very excited to see where we will go from here. Since we come from different backgrounds and influences, I feel that we manage to divert the norm in attempting to categorize ourselves into specific genres. We embrace the culture and welcome diversity, believing that, with an open mind, creativity can freely flow through us. To some, it may sound obscure but I like to think that we give a refreshing view on how music can be expressed. That it doesn’t have to follow a set specific formula as art should not have boundaries. I believe we are storytellers, painting pictures through unique and undiscovered sounds.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
You should definitely take some time to check us out on Instagram at @leftfieldfivision and journey through our obscure sounds. Also, if you’re an artist, regardless of what type of creative medium you go for, definitely reach out to us at @playsundaysatx. We are constantly looking to showcase artists, providing the platform and the opportunity for you to get yourself out there. We want to build a unique (and safe) community for artists and would love for you to be a part of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/LFTFLD
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leftfielddivision/
- Youtube: https://soundcloud.com/leftfielddivison
- SoundCloud: https://tr.ee/EmlgddAtZN
- Other: https://leftfielddivision.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Left Field Division
Dyana Valentine
