#25: Andre Power Explains How Soulection Spread Its Vibes Worldwide
“It’s the power of the Internet, for sure. The power of a strong brand and just consistency.”
On this week’s episode of HYPEBEAST Radio, we caught up with Andre Power, the creative force behind Soulection. Power reminisces on how he initially connected with DJ and co-founder Joe Kay as well as his Art in the Park series and how the event kicked off a working relationship that has produced a worldwide movement. Power has had a hand in Soulection’s movements behind the scenes, from the brand’s visual identity to its ubiquitous merchandise, and he attributes much of the crew’s success to its ability to bring real, tangible products and experiences to its fans around the world.
“When we first started,” Power notes, “it was only supposed to be the record label and the radio show.” Over the course of time, however, Soulection has built up a roster of artists and DJs around the world. “We’re ten DJs strong around the world, about fifteen artists worldwide. Events once a week, somewhere in a world. Playing festivals.” With a breath of disbelief, Power adds: “We had our own festival last year.”
And Soulection’s fans are really, truly around the world — Power recalls printing the brand’s first run of merch and learning so much about the world, primarily because he couldn’t pronounce the names of the cities he was shipping tees and hoodies to. The lines for Soulection’s parties snaked around corners and eventually entire city blocks, not just in the States, but in Europe and Asia.
But even with their status as industry tastemakers, the group was surprised to get a call from Apple asking them to bring Soulection Radio to the Beats 1 Radio platform.
Listen to the episode above to hear Power explain how Soulection took their movement worldwide.