UNDR Ctrl launches management division, signs Bag Raiders as first client

UNDR Ctrl has pulled one out of the bag.

The central Sydney creative music agency has unveiled a new management division, UNDR Ctrl Mgmt, and named homegrown electronic duo Bag Raiders as its first signing.

There’s an element of synchronicity to the new arrangement, announced this morning. UNDR Ctrl Director and founder Paul Stix has worked closely with the act since his relocation from the U.K. to Australia in 2010, when he was tapped as their agent during his stint with Modular Records. In the same year, Bag Raiders, the twosome of Jack Glass and Chris Stracey, released their eponymously-titled debut album, which featured a track that would become a hit many years later in the freakiest of ways. That track was, of course, “Shooting Stars,” which went supernova thanks to a viral internet meme (and lives on for eternity with a nod in Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish”).

The song went on to peak at No. 11 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs in 2017 — almost ten years after its initial release. “We were expecting it to be a little big, because people liked it at the clubs in Australia, but we obviously weren’t expecting a thousand of these videos to be made every day,” Stracey told Billboard when “Shooting Stars” was blowing up.

The shift into management was a natural progression, explains Stix. “With nearly 20 years’ experience working in the Sydney and London music industries, I have picked up a few handy tips along the way that I hope will put me in good stead to manage the good ship of Bag Raiders,” he says.

The introduction of the new Mgmt arm comes as Bag Raiders finalise plans for the release of their second full-length album, due out next year, Stix adds. “I’ve worked very closely with Jack and Chris for the past eight years and the move into management just felt like a natural and logical next step. There’s some really exciting times ahead and my team and I cannot to share the new album with the world… it’ll be well worth the wait.”

Through the booking agency UNDR Ctrl represents a swag of domestic artists, from Annie Bass to Bag Raiders, Jensen Interceptor, Just A Gent, Lex Deluxe, Luen Jacobs, Motorik Vibe Council, MUTO, Polographia, Poloshirt, Purple Sneakers DJs, Set Mo, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Total Giovanni and World Champion, in addition to international acts DROELOE and San Holo.

UNDR Ctrl was established in July 2014. To celebrate its fourth anniversary, Stix gathered his team Will Stevens, Annabel Weston and Lex Halpin for a sold-out show last weekend at the Red Rattler warehouse in Marrickville.

The UNDR Ctrl team

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.