Folklore has made collaboration material. The material? Monochrome splattered 10” vinyl - the second instalment in the Folklore compilation series featuring Nierra Creek, Quaking Aspens, Adam Spry and Mezanmi.

Back in 2014, Folklore Sessions started as a monthly songwriter’s night and the Folklore brand has since grown into one of Brighton’s most influential grassroots music hubs. Now based above The Quadrant on Queen’s Road, Folklore Rooms is a venue rooted in folk ideals of collaboration and community.

Released on 25 July via Folklore Records, Folklore Volume 2 crystallises that ethos. Compilation records aren’t new but Folklore’s take is refreshing and thoughtful. It’s a curated cross-section of four artists, each bringing something intimate and rooted in strong songwriting, spanning indie-pop, shoegazey folk, hazy rock and emotional electronica. Across its four tracks, Volume 2 feels cohesive without compromise. Each artist is doing their own thing, yet together they make perfect sense.

The record opens with Nierra Creek’s ‘Burn Out the Fire’, driven by electronic pulses, layered harmonies and emotionally charged crescendos. Reminiscent of Bon Iver’s 22, A Million, it sets the tone for a collection where folk takes winding, unexpected paths. Brighton’s Quaking Aspens follow with the glacial ‘Flume’, a haunting swell of shared vocals and shoegaze-folk textures that feel both wintry and expansive.

On the flip side, San Francisco’s Adam Spry brings a transatlantic DIY spirit with ‘Tangled’, merging introspective lyricism with lo-fi warmth. Closing the record is Mezanmi, the latest project from Fran O’Hanlon, produced by double Grammy-winner Guy Massey. ‘This Time Yesterday’ unfolds from minimalist glitches into a soaring emotional climax, evoking James Blake and LCD Soundsystem in tender danceability.

For Folklore founder Jacko Hooper, these compilation releases are “moments in time”; snapshots of the community that has flourished around Folklore. In 2018, Volume 1 sold out its limited vinyl run and introduced early offerings from Bess Atwell, George Ogilvie (Route 500) and Oktoba. Seven years on, Volume 2 feels more expansive and genre-fluid, yet each track remains grounded in stories, hooks and craft.

More than anything else, this record embodies collaboration; a value that sits at the heart of the Folklore mission. At the Brighton record launch show, all three performing artists (San Francisco sadly being too far a commute for Adam Spry) took to the stage together with Jacko to perform Nierra Creek’s track at the end of their headline set. It was a moment that summed up what the record is all about: making something bigger than the sum of its parts and pressing it into something real.

As playlists flicker past and digital releases can vanish overnight, Folklore Volume 2 offers something slower and more deliberate. The compilation series curates songs, documents a community and makes music material for artists. Volume 2 marks the next chapter in that ongoing story, looking outward, pulling new voices into the fold and leaving tangible traces in the process. It captures Folklore in motion, with a third edition already on the way later this year.

Folklore Sessions has been a well-loved show series since 2014 and the Folklore Rooms a well-loved venue since 2021. When did Folklore Records arrive? Can you talk us through that side of things?

Folklore Records started when we released Folklore Volume 1 back in 2018; the plan being to do a collection of volumes with different artists and bands that we were working with. With Covid and opening the venue at the same time, the record side of things moved down the list. Of all the things that Folklore does, it's much more on the passion side because releasing records isn't straightforward! But it's something that I really wanted to try and do, to try and help some artists that might not have yet had the opportunity to get their music onto vinyl. We've done Folklore Volume 1, last year we released Nierra Creek’s EP on 7-inch vinyl, we've now released Folklore Volume 2 and we've got Volume 3 coming out just before the end of the year.

What was the inspiration for the Volume series?

We started Folklore in 2014 and it was originally one gig a month in the corner of a pub, and it’s just built from there. Once I’d been doing that for a few years, I was wanting to capture some moments in time from the Folklore journey. What better way to do that than through record releases? We’re working with so many amazing artists and sometimes it’s a case of wanting to try and capture something before they then go on to get signed. If I can capture some of it and in the process be able to promote them to a wider audience, then that’s kind of the overall goal: to capture moments and put something back into the grassroots level. An actual physical thing will last longer than whichever streamer we’re using.

I love the choice of splattered vinyl for this release. How does it feel to make music material on the 10” vinyl? And how does it all work?

I love the process of getting the artwork together. This time we worked with a friend of mine called Scott Booth for the artwork and I enjoy working with different artists for each record. The actual logistics of it are a bit of a headache and quite long-winded and boring. But then you get some test prints and hear it for the first time and that’s always really exciting. You don’t get any artwork with it, so it still feels unfulfilled until you get the finished thing and you’re actually holding it. 

I like the discovery element in terms of finding artists, deciding how we can do the artwork and working with the bands and the artists that are on the record. For Volume 1, we had an insert in the record and each artist had done an illustration or written a poem or whatever they wanted - a unique little extra. I’m a sucker for that kind of thing.

That really feeds into a collector’s sort of sensibility. The considered touch goes a long way.

Definitely. Especially right now with the obvious consumption of music and Tik Tok and everything being digital. I’m hoping there’s a pendulum swing the other way to wanting something physical and a one of a kind that you can have forever. Rather than a playlist that sort of vanishes one day. It’s definitely a big part for future Volumes, tapping into things like that to make each one even more unique.                       

The launch show and record itself is a great mix of genres, blending electronic, shoegaze and alt-pop. It all tied together so nicely but felt like everyone was also doing their own thing at the same time. I wonder how you decided to curate the record?

That makes me really happy because that's essentially the goal, right? It's not easy to find bands and artists that will work together, I might not even have their song yet and you're working on different people's schedules and release strategies.

For this one, because I worked with Nierra Creek last year on their EP, there was a track that they didn’t have on the EP, which was the song that I first heard and discovered them from. It's one of my favourite tracks of theirs, I absolutely love it. So, when it came to Volume 2, that song had to be on it so I built around it. Their sound is more electronic but it still has that foundation that, to me, is still somehow within folk. It’s still songwriters’ music with big choruses and hooks, not muso noodley music.

Quaking Aspens, equally, I work with a lot. I introduced those guys to each other a couple of years ago because I was saying they should do shows together. And then on the other side of the record, Adam Spry. I really wanted an international artist on the record if I could. Adam had been with us couple of years ago for our showcase, and again, it was that thing where he sounds nothing like Nierra Creek or Quaking Aspens or Mezanmi, but his style was still a little bit weird enough for it to work. And I mean that as a complete compliment. Weird is good.

The show finale was really special when all the artists on the record came on stage to collaborate for Nierra Creek’s ‘Burn Out The Fire’ from Volume 2 - including yourself! The band mentioned that collaboration is more commonplace in electronic music than indie music, what are your thoughts on that? 

It's funny but from a selfish point of view, I just really wanted to play with them! That was really good fun. For Volume 1, we announced the record with the collaboration and filmed a live video with me, Bess Atwell, George Ogilvie and Oktoba. If I can make a collaboration happen for each release, then I absolutely will, because it’s a really obvious way of cementing what the point of the record is. Hopefully, Nierra Creek are going to do some shows with Mezanmi and tour with other artists on the record. The live show was a way of bringing that to the live audience and a nice way to sign it off for a release that is essentially a big collaboration.

That makes total sense plus it sounded great! I can’t chat to you without mentioning the importance of grassroots venues. What’s your favourite thing about running one?

God, there’s a few. You’re right, they are such important spaces and I absolutely love what I do. I also don’t think you can do it unless you really love it because it’s hard work and there’s a lot of barriers. The main thing I enjoy about it is the community aspect and the camaraderie of working with other musicians, artists, venues, photographers, music journalists, sound engineers, show reps and promoters and tour managers. It’s such a huge, vast network and I love the fact that I can turn up to work a show and become good friends with someone that I’ve previously just spoken to on email. Venues are amazing for that. Bands start because they come to a gig and meet. Just by existing, it creates.

Additionally, they’re not just creative spaces but they’re safe spaces. I spent all of my teenage years in venues, and obviously I still do now. The amount of fundamental memories I have from growing up in venues but 90% of them don’t even exist anymore. It’s cool to meet people who are like me when I was 18. I can see that they’re stoked and they’re loving it and I know that they’ll remember it because I do. That’s the buzz: the people, the community, the connections and then obviously, the music.

It sounds so rewarding but challenging in the current climate. Folklore really is a special place. Is there an overall mission?

It sounds like a cop-out but the mission for the venue is to stay alive. Being open is our victory in this climate. It’s all about keeping on and trying to do things the right way. It ticks so many boxes in terms of things that it brings to the city, into the community and into the music scene. On a bigger scale as a promotions company and label, I’d like to just do more. I’d like to have other venues and open up other spaces. Folklore is quite unique but the fact is that it’s a nightmare to run the venue because it’s so intimate. It’s financially and logistically a nightmare, but it’s what I love about it.

The most important thing is that people keep supporting grassroots music venues. Every few years, I talk to people about the fact it’s difficult for venues and I feel like every time I talk about it, it gets worse. Support local! Support Folklore Rooms, support Hope & Ruin, support Green Door Store, support Prince Albert, support Pipeline. Use these spaces, otherwise they’ll go.

Grab your copy of Folklore Volume 2 on 10" and check out the venue’s upcoming shows.