Match and Tinder record label pursues an inclusive musical ideal

By Emma Grillo///Features Editor

When asked about the name Match & Tinder Records, Noah Jurkiewicz ’18 laughs a little.

“It has our own meaning to us,” Jurkiewicz said of the record label they recently created with Delaney Motter, who is currently a student at the University of Oregon.

The two matched on Tinder, but it wasn’t until they met with a mutual friend about starting a record label that Match & Tinder Records was born.

“Me and Delaney really hit it off and were like, actually, instead of just talking let’s do this.”

The name came soon after, a play on the two’s initial meeting and a song of the same name by the band You Blew It!

“I was just like, you know what, I could dub my friends’ bands on tapes, and this could be a real thing,” Jurkiewicz said.

And that’s exactly what they did. Jurkiewicz, who works out of their home studio, records each tape by hand, making sure that the recording is perfect.

“It’s a very long, involved process,” Jurkiewicz said. “But it’s something we really pride ourselves in… I don’t want to outsource this work to someone across the country in some large company because that’s not what it’s about.”

Jurkiewicz knows first-hand what a lack of community focus can do to the music scene. A couple years ago, many of the all-ages venues that they frequented in Portland shut down within a few months of each other. The lack of access for underage people left a noticeable gap in the scene.

“As someone who’s been growing up and always being under 21 and not going to shows, that really sucks … We talk about activities to keep kids in school and how to keep them away from drugs, and keep kids on the straight and narrow. And you know what, music helps a lot of kids. But when you employ a 21+ culture where kids can’t actually go to shows and see music, what else do they have?”

It’s no surprise then that inclusivity is one of Match & Tinder’s main goals.

“We really care about giving everyone a voice and showcasing all the cool music we can …We have female artists, we have artists of color, we have non-binary artists,” Jurkiewicz said.

Many of the artists signed to the label were artists that Jurkiewicz and Delaney knew personally. Recently though, they have started to be contacted by local artists interested in collaborating with them, such was the case with one of their latest signings, Funeral Gold, whose tape will be released in February 2017.

To help raise money for the upcoming tape releases, Match & Tinder throws concerts once a month. Their previous show was at the co-op, and their upcoming show will be held Oct. 15 at the Boathouse on 59th and Division.

“It’s about creating a space where … anyone can come to a show and have fun,” Jurkiewicz said.

The first tapes won’t be released until 2017, but in the meantime Jurkiewicz encourages people to check out a free compilation CD as well as artist biographies, all up on matchandtinderrecords.bandcamp.com.

“I’m also just low-key really excited that I’m putting mix-tapes back on tape,” Jurkiewicz said. “That’s just my own personal achievement.”