Altered Zones

By Samantha Cornwell

Leaving Records is a Los Angeles-based label run by musician Matthew David McQueen (aka matthewdavid) and Jesselissa Lisa Moretti. The operation is based out of their pyramid, which is tucked away in the green hills of Mt. Washington. Their releases float in that immaculate space where the electronic meets the organic. We could throw a number of adjectives at you right now-- beat-centric, ambient, hip-hop-inspired, sample-delic-- but let’s get the story in Matthew's own words, which he shared with us via email:

AZ: Why did you start Leaving Records?

Matthew: While I was working at dublab, a non-profit internet radio posse out of Los Angeles), there were daily encounters with untapped musicians from many scenes. I presented the label idea to my favorite artist, Jesselisa, and she agreed to head all visual direction. We had been entirely dialed-in to the Los Angeles music and art scene at Florida State University, [where we met,] head-on immersed in a wonderful art department and college radio station. It was something that we started in our living room, cutting and pasting away at our new homie dak’s debut release. The silk-screening, the tape-dubbing, it was all done as an art project. It wasn’t long until we realized the project was one we could let others see and hear through the pipelines of dublab, sort of re-injecting all the amazing music we had come across through that very same community of world-wide listenership and art.

Nothing would have happened without both of us. With me having complete confidence in Jesselisa’s craft and design as visual director of the label, and her having trust in my curation of unheard music, we began... It’s so valuable working closely with our artists to develop their first records, to develop the album art. It’s all an intensely personal experience for us, making everything together. We learned a lot from dublab, and they exposed us to a lot of the artists we have and are currently working with.