Meet Alexandra Morancy | Music Industry Professional; Co-founder of Rabotat Records

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexandra Morancy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexandra, how do you think about risk?
When starting your own business, and especially a record label in our case, you almost have to go into it with the mentality of expecting – and welcoming – risk into your world. Risk comes in the forms of not having enough financially, or not having enough time to put towards your passion or business on any given day. Sometimes the risk comes from a lack of support from the people closest to you who don’t see the vision, even when it’s clear as day in your own head. Especially with art, you also run the risk of rejection or negativity too – and that can dampen creativity and ambition.

With all of that being said, if you don’t take the risk of pursuing your dreams actively, whether personally or professionally, you won’t ever know what potential you can reach. At the end of the day, the motivation to push forward relies on you, the individual. Rabotat Records would have never existed if we (Nick & Alex) didn’t take the risk of moving to Spain in 2013 to pursue graduate degrees separately, ultimately meeting at school and forming a deep bond built on love and music. A year later, in 2014, we would take another risk by moving to Berlin, Germany on a hunch – without jobs, without knowing a person there, but just being open to taking the plunge to see what would happen. It’s there that we found our shared passion for electronic music, but it would also be the place where we would meet our first Rabotat artist and good friend, My Secret Playground. That risk alone greatly impacted the ultimate evolution of what would become Rabotat Records.

In many cases, when we told people we wanted to start our own record label – with musicians, but also working with other creatives in food and art – we were told it was too ambitious and were told it would be a short-lived endeavor. Because we’ve welcomed risk our whole adult lives, we didn’t listen to those voices, and it’s been four years since we started this journey with no end in sight. Each risk either becomes a gain or a learning lesson, but as long as you are open-minded, at least it will never be a failure. That mindset will get you farther than you know.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Professionally, I work within the Music Industry as a specialist in Artist and Publishing Royalties. Personally, I run the business/administrative end of Rabotat Records and operate under the pka Madame De Fer musically – a techno experimentalist of sorts. My music doesn’t fit in a traditional genre mold, but it is an outlet I love tapping into when I’m not working within the greater Music Industry during the day-to-day. I wear many hats, depending on the moment you meet me.

I come originally from a small town in Maine and couldn’t have ever imagined I would be where I am today at this point in my life. It has taken a lot of sweat, strength, and ambition to get here, but it has also come at the risk of rejection and burnout throughout years of education and corporate climbing. Whenever this starts to happen, I try to take a positive outlook on everything and remind myself that I am in control of my own life, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Empowering myself mentally has been the biggest strength for my career and my own creative growth – a big lesson that took 25+ years to learn but that has been the most impactful.

At the end of the day, when I think of what legacy will be here when I’m gone, I hope it will be Rabotat Records. Our epicurean community of artists is eclectic, but also so damn talented in their own rights. I want to give them a platform that is meaningful, no matter the genre or popularity. I also want them all to know that wherever their artistic paths take them, we are there to support and promote them 100% of the way. Rather than stifle, we want to nurture. My hope is to grow our roster and presence in the industry, where our name is synonymous with integrity and dedication (in an industry that suffers from serious trust issues). That is my hope and biggest dream.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The best thing about LA is that the city is a choose your own adventure-type of place. 🙂 In most cases though, I would start the week out over by Santa Monica and Venice – get your fill of the pier, the boardwalk and sunshine. Maybe some electric scooters would come into play and we would find eventually ourselves at The Misfit, having a drink.

A day or two would need to be spent in DTLA – you could post up at Resident all day / evening to enjoy some music and food truck eats, or maybe end up at any number of the breweries over there (personal fave is Arts District Brewing Company or Angel City). I also love going to Union Station to look at the architecture, then popping over to Paseo De La Plaza to see the vendors and grab some grub.

You have to do Hollywood at some point – we were based there when we first moved to LA, with some of our favorite hangs being at the Record Parlour or Ameoba to go record digging. There are also so many sites to count, but we love bringing friends to the Pacific Theater or Boardners for the Tim Burton “Ed Wood” vibes, one of our favorite films. We also love popping into the Egyptian Theater to catch a film and would make that a destination for the trip. An underrated recommendation for food would be Twin Sliders – that would be our lunch spot.

Ultimately, we would spend a good amount of time in the Valley, our home base. Trips would be made to Forman’s Whiskey Tavern, the North Hollywood strip of Magnolia with shopping and food (who doesn’t love shopping vintage and the Monte Carlo Deli, with a stop at Palm Coffee Bar?!). We also might pop into Glendale to go to Golden Road Brewery or our favorite bar, The San Fernando.

It should also go without saying, but we would also go to a late-night electronic show, post-pandemic.. one of the types where you get the address emailed to you right before it kicks off, with a password requirement. Sound, Union, or Exchange LA always have a good vibe.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The recognition goes to all our incredible artists in the Rabotat Fam – My Secret Playground, We Are Makers, Deliriously Serious, Drunken Logic, Emily Kidd, Jay Chavez, Dave Austin, Scott Van Orden, Morgan Tucker, and everyone else who has been a supporter and collaborator. Also, a big shout out needs to go to Mad Gavs, Raul Garcia, Flipknob, Disko Bhute, D’Auria, Dianna, Joey G, Oddible, Crystal Montana, Zachariah Red, Griffin Winton, Jason Erie, Fired Figments, R. Kolby Woodfield, Pachuco, Leon Fit, Sweet Undertow, Curiosibot, Woar 2, Micaro Media and Proper One – these are some of the artists + collaborators featured in our CIRCUITRY live stream series and without them, those events wouldn’t shine nearly as hard as they do.

Website: www.rabotatrecords.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rabotatrecords/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Rabotat-REC