ABOUT US

In a time when the music scene is overflowing with perfectly spruced up and precisely edited recordings of music performances and concerts, dissected and pieced back together in a Frankenstein-like manner, recordings in which every single note needs to be polished to the extreme, Pass the Hat Records (founded in June 2018) decided to pursue its own idea of perfection – following different paths and means. Pass the Hat Records was dreamt up by Krešimir Katušić and Petar Milić, and our mission is to capture and convey, as genuinely as possible, the unique experience of a live performance – in which skill, inspiration, emotion, atmosphere and energy blend together. This implies publishing an authentic, sometimes not perfect recording of the moment, without repeating and re-recording takes, taking apart and reassembling its pieces, attempting corrections. Small deviations from the perfect performance, also recorded in the process, are desired imperfections; fine irregularities that convey character and testify to the authenticity. Pass the Hat releases are published exclusively on vinyl, the most natural of all the imperfect media which, with its innate rustle, remains natural for the ear and eye. So far we have released three double albums, Duetto Chapetlewsky: Daydream, Reel Problems: A Bag of Problems and Mary May: Things You Can’t Put Your Finger On (LIVE), in a limited number of copies. Every album is approached with forethought, searching for sense in coincidence, waiting for the appropriate moment and the right music, without dictates of time or other external factors. The quality of our releases is ensured by co-operation with highly-skilled performers, sound engineers open to immediate recording of what will become almost the final mix, top-notch vinyl producers, as well as by a detailed evaluation of test prints before the final production. Pass the Hat also organizes other activities, such as music sessions in the attic of their office, which are recorded on magnetic tapes and top-of–the-line digital devices, thus becoming material for future releases. We also organize workshops especially for young musicians; the last one was held by Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood), NY//USA.