Let's Get Lost: Lost Map Records

Johnny Lynch, aka The Pictish Trail, raised eyebrows when he left Fence Records in 2013. But his new label, Lost Map, has already established itself as one of the most exciting in Scotland

Feature by Chris McCall | 10 Jan 2017

The world of independent Scottish record labels is a small one. People know each other by first name and a spirit of affable collaboration prevails. So when Johnny Lynch announced in 2013 his sudden departure from Fence, perhaps the best known label of them all north of the border, even casual fans sat up and took notice. The songwriter who performs as The Pictish Trail had effectively managed the Anstruther-based collective for a decade.

But that was then. Lynch now oversees his own label, Lost Map Records, from his home on the Isle of Eigg when not out on the road performing his own music. Lost Map has quietly established itself as one of the best micro-labels and events organisers in the country, introducing us to Glasgow fuzz-pop heroes Tuff Love and organising the biennial Howlin’ Fling festival. Following a busy 2016, the new year is already shaping up to be another action-packed one for Lynch and his roster.

He sounds in a contented mood as he chats to The Skinny from Edinburgh shortly before Christmas, despite having undertaken a 12-hour trip from Eigg to the capital the previous day. “When we started Lost Map, I said it was a continuation of what Fence was doing. I’m really lucky all the acts were prepared to come along and start again in the way they did. We’ve since had artists playlisted on 6 Music, play high-profile sessions and appear at Glastonbury. Tuff Love became our first act to head down to Reading and Leeds. That’s remarkable for any label, let alone one based on the Isle of Eigg!

“I’m proud of what we’ve done in that time. But there’s no plan. I don’t know what will happen other than Lost Map will carry on in some form. I don’t have a big vision. The more an artist puts in, the more we can put in ourselves. If an artist is happy to sell 100 tapes, we can do that. But we can also take artists to a certain level and help them. I view Lost Map as a launch pad for songwriters who want to continue music as a career and build up a fanbase. Without revealing anything, that’s already happening. There’s a few different acts whose next record will see them taking a big step up.”

New Lost Map signings

January is a hectic few weeks for the label. New signing Ed Dowie, former frontman of psychedelic dub-pop band Brothers In Sound, releases a debut solo album, The Uncle Sold, on 27 January, while The Pictish Trail himself headlines an eagerly awaited Celtic Connections show at the Òran Mór on 20 January. Further down the line, Manuela – the new project by former Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy and his wife Manuela Gardenel – are planning an album on the label, and an EP is expected from London-based popsters Lazy Day.

Dowie’s signing reflects the hands-on approach Lost Map champions – even if first contact between the two parties almost slipped through the cracks. “Ed sent us stuff via our web form – and I managed to miss the first two emails,” laughs Lynch. “He said he was really into the Lost Map stuff. That caught my attention as people sometimes send in demos and have no idea what the label is about.

“I listened to his music and instantly recognised his voice," continues Lynch. "I was a massive fan of Brothers In Sound, who were label mates of The Beta Band back in the late 90s, and he was the singer. His own album is such a staggeringly beautiful record.”

Lost Map's live shows

Memorable live events are as much part of Lost Map as record releases, of course, and Lynch has several planned. The 20th anniversary of Eigg’s community buy-out – when islanders took control from the final absentee landlord – is this June. Surely that’s the ideal opportunity for another Howlin’ Fling? “I‘m on the cusp of deciding what to do,” Lynch admits. “With Lost Map we’ve made a name for ourselves by doing weird events. So there will definitely be something, most likely in the summer, but I’m just trying to work out the logistics of it. 

"Since 2010, I've put on the Away Game and then Howlin’ Fling, but we’ve only done them once every two years. So 2017 is supposed to be a year off. Because this year’s event was so good, and we’ve got into the swing of organising them, I am really tempted to do another. And a few exciting names have got in touch.

“We’re already doing an event at the end of January in London called Strange Invitation. There’ll be a handful of Lost Map artists doing a couple of sets across the day. I’d like to do a few of those in different towns and introduce the collective into places that we don’t get to play that often.

“It’s not a particularly easy time to be an indie label. Because I don’t make a living out of Lost Map itself, there’s not as much pressure for it to grow and become a bigger thing year-on-year. I’m more interested in how we can involve artists in a more community-minded thing – without meaning to sound like a hippy. I’m not a hippy. I like things with a collective feel, so putting on the all-dayers and events are a big thing for me.”

The Pictish Trail plays Celtic Connections at Oran Mor, 20 Jan Ed Dowie – The Uncle Sold is out on 27 Jan http://lostmap.com/