Leaving Records

Forged in the pressure cooker of Los Angeles’s mid-aughts experimental underground, Leaving Records is the brainchild of LA-based musician/producer MatthewDavid. In the years since its inception, Leaving has evolved from a boutique label specializing in left-of-center hip-hop and dance to a universal home for artists at the vanguard of sonic experimentation. This ethos is encapsulated in Leaving’s unofficial cri-de-coeur: “All Genre.” The label’s formidable roster spans jazz, ambient, funk, hip-hop, neoclassical, folk, goth, new age, and everything beyond and in-between. With this ambitious spirit, the label has cultivated a dedicated global following, and has become a pillar of LA’s cultural landscape. In particular, the recurring donations-based showcase of Leaving affiliates “Listen to Music Outside in the Daylight Under a Tree” (the name of the series tells you just about everything you need to know), draws hundreds of artists and fans alike to various accessible Los Angeles locales to gather and listen every month. In short, Leaving Records is more than a record label. It is a community and an approach to promoting and engaging with both live and recorded music. With regards to physical distribution and live-booking, Leaving is a fiercely artist-first enterprise, committed to dreaming and establishing new models of financial solidarity between artists and enthusiasts.