Founded by DJs and producers Manda Moor and Sirus Hood, Mood Child is an independent music label built around a philosophy that puts emotion before genre. Releasing music on vinyl and across digital platforms, the project has also grown into an event and clothing brand, creating a wider creative world around its music.
The story began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when Moor and Hood opened a Bandcamp page and made some of their tracks available for a limited time. Two years later, Mood Child was officially established, with its first release arriving on vinyl and across major DSPs: ‘Homo Sapiens’ EP by Sirus Hood & Malikk. The label followed with its second release, ‘Peligro’ EP by Manda Moor & Trangaz, also released on vinyl.
The name itself combines the identities of its founders, with “MOOD” representing Moor and Hood while also reflecting the different states of being and sounds that inspire the label. “Child” represents a promise to preserve their inner child, keeping curiosity, spontaneity and playfulness at the centre of what they do.
At the heart of Mood Child is a simple philosophy: one album, one mood. Rather than beginning with genre, each project is built as a complete emotional world, whether trippy, dreamy, tribal or something entirely different. Solo albums, meanwhile, give individual artists the space to fully express their own emotional state.
We caught up with Mood Child to discuss the label’s origins, its approach to curation, the importance of vinyl, the challenges of running an independent label, and its vision for the future.
Please introduce your label and share the story behind how it started.
We are Manda Moor and Sirus Hood, the founders of Mood Child. It is an independent music label releasing music on vinyl and across digital platforms, as well as an event and clothing brand.
The story began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when we opened a Bandcamp page and made some of our tracks available for a limited time. In 2022, we officially established Mood Child with our first release on vinyl and across all major DSPs: Homo Sapiens EP by Sirus Hood & Malikk. Our second release was Peligro EP by Manda Moor & Trangaz, also available on vinyl.
What inspired the name and identity of the label?
MOOD is a combination of MOOR and HOOD. Beyond that personal connection, the word “mood” represents a state of being and the wide range of sounds that inspire us.
“Child” reflects a promise we made to always embrace our inner child and keep curiosity, spontaneity and playfulness at the heart of everything we do.
How would you describe the label’s sound? Which genres and subgenres does the label primarily focus on or represent?
At the heart of Mood Child is a simple and distinctive release philosophy: one album, one mood. Every project is designed as a complete emotional world.
Our albums are carefully curated around a specific mood, whether trippy, dreamy, tribal or something entirely different. Solo artist albums give individual creators the space to fully express their own emotional state.
Genre is never our starting point. Mood always comes first.
What do you look for when signing or working with artists?
We look for magic, originality and a unique artistic identity. Shared values are something we strive for, as is the human connection. Ultimately, the chemistry between us has to feel right.
Can you mention some of the artists currently on your roster?
Our roster and extended artist family include DJ Sneak, Nick Curly, Amine Edge, Reboot, Djebali, Marian, wAFF, Yaya, Malikk and more than 400 other talented artists.
How has the music industry, particularly with the rise of AI, changed since the label first launched?
With as many as one million tracks reportedly released every day, labels are competing for increasingly limited visibility and attention. The rapid growth of AI-generated music has only intensified that challenge.
This pushes us to stay at the top of our game when marketing and promoting our releases. We constantly experiment with new strategies while continuing to value more traditional forms of direct communication, particularly our newsletter.
What challenges have you faced as an independent label, and how have you overcome them?
Managing hundreds of artists and their teams is one of our biggest challenges, so we have developed clear standards and systems that simplify communication and keep everything running efficiently.
Vinyl is another major undertaking. We oversee every stage, from mastering the format and distribution to international shipping and complex tariff regulations. It requires constant attention, often with little or no financial return, so there has to be a strong reason for doing it.
For us, that reason is our love of vinyl: the artwork, the physical object, the sound, the collecting experience and the culture surrounding it. Vinyl also creates a different kind of attention and cultural value in a world saturated with digital music.
Like every label, we also face challenges such as sample clearances, royalty accounting and administration. Fortunately, we have a dedicated team and excellent partners, including LabelWorx. Our demo process was once complicated, but Trackstack has helped streamline the workflow and make our lives much easier.
Are there any upcoming releases, collaborations, or projects that fans should look out for?
We are entering an exciting new phase and raising the bar across everything we do. We are becoming even more selective, exploring more distinctive moods, welcoming exceptional artists, developing exciting event collaborations and creating new jersey designs.
What’s the long-term vision and goal for the label moving forward?
Our long-term goal is to keep surprising our audience and the DJs who support us with unexpected sounds, without ever compromising on quality.
Follow Mood Child:
BandCamp – Instagram – Website – Spotify – SoundCloud
