When Gambit Morgan first formed Soul State in 2016, he intended it be an event company geared toward promoting his electronic events. For years, the DJ hosted Soul State-branded shows at Artifice, and brought a number of local electronic musicians into the fold.
But since the pandemic, Soul State’s vision has evolved into something that can withstand a world without shows. Morgan has shifted his focus from event planning to recording and promoting artists under the Soul State name. “We have several artists in our collective, including myself, who not only DJ but make music,” says Morgan, also known as GMBT in the electronic music world.
In January, Soul State debuted its first record, State of Mind, a five-track compilation featuring Soul State artists. The EP did exceedingly well on Beatport, an online music store and chart service for electronic musicians and DJs. After the first weekend, it sat at No. 1 on Beatport’s top 10 releases chart, ahead of new music from label giants like Dirtybird and Drumcode.
Describing that achievement as “unbelievable,” Morgan says Soul State is now gearing up for its second release, scheduled for springtime.
It’s a drastic change from Soul State’s mindset from just over a year ago, when Morgan and the other artists were churning out live events. “It was so hectic before COVID,” Morgan says. “We had multiple events a week, and it was super time-consuming.”
When the pandemic began, Morgan says, Soul State artists finally had time to hone their craft and concentrate on making new music. “We started doing livestream shows, broadcasting on Twitch, and it gave us some time to reflect and really push this next chapter.”
Morgan, who has been making music for more than a decade, says he always wanted to form a record label, but COVID nudged the idea forward. “I never had the time to dive this deep into it and learn the behind-the-scenes ropes to actually release a record,” he says.
For March’s First Friday, the collective—which includes artists Tyler Rouse, 530, Denso, FlashGang and others—held a socially distanced event outside Artifice, marking the group’s first live show in more than a year. A Saturday-night residency at Downtown’s Park on Fremont is set to launch May 1.
Also in May, Soul State will partner with San Diego electronic collective Desert Hearts for a digital event. With more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, Desert Hearts will provide Soul State—which will stream from inside Las Vegas’ Area15—with its largest audience yet .
“Here in town we have quite a good following of friends and avid supporters,” Morgan says. “It’s really a community effort, and thankfully it’s paid off.”
SOUL STATE Instagram.com/soulstateofficial, Beatport.com/label/soul-state/89180
