Did you know there's a record company Mogul among us? - Here in the little town called "Oyster Bay, Long Island." Timothy "T.K" Olphie, owner/ operator of Vibe Records is looking to put Oyster Bay on the map in the music business using his nationally distributed independent label. Nicknamed the "Torture King," due to his relentless persistence in a recording studio, Olphie believes in doing things on his own with a fearless and overwhelming confidence. He's a man who is surrounded by the darkness of the music business but desperately seeks to find the light in every situation. 

Humble Beginnings - Olphie's career began when music legend Harry Chapin chose his group, Gablin, "a strange a wondrous journey' in a high school battle of the bands in the late seventies, "it was the biggest thrill of my life to be acknowledged by him." Aside from winning the contest judged by Chapin, Olphie had many musical thrills in his life. While working as the General Manager of SOUL/MCA he single-handedly discovered an original rap group, Spectrum City which evolved into one of the greatest rap groups of all time, Public Enemy. Olphie also oversaw the soundtrack to the gangster film, "Juice", featuring the late Tupac Shukur. " So what's a nice white boy from Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. doing with all these gangsta rap thugs? "I'm drawn to darkness , the message and attitude in rap music, it's that simple,. It’s the rhythm, the rhyme, the rebel" Olphie explains as he quotes his dear friend, Chuck D from the notorious hip hop group, Public Enemy. As it turns out, darkness is his specialty.

The Dark Days - The past 18 years have witnessed Olphie signing 20 artists to various major an independent record companies. Things weren’t always easy as Olphie consistently faced many hurdles in his path. One of the 20 artists he signed, blues guitarist, Danny Gatton, on Elektra Records who won a Grammy nomination in 1993, committed suicide. "Working with Danny Gatton was a labor of love for me because I was a guitar freak from day one. Once you heard Danny’s music, you couldn’t believe a guy with that kinda talent existed" Olphie reflects. Continuing his streak of darkness, his rap discovery, Public Enemy, moved to another label causing the band to part ways with Olphie.

Future Ventures- As for the future, Vibe Records has dreams of opening a record store of its own via the internet. “Initially I was a record retailer and that is why they tried to stop me” states Olphie. “I don't want to be limited in what I want to do, Virgin Records is now one of the largest record stores in the world, and its also one of the largest record companies in the world."

Developing Raw Talent Over Fame - When asked if he was approached by a famed musician to produce their record, Olphie surprisingly claims he would decline, "I wouldn't aspire to work with them. As much as it would be a thrill and the money may be an attraction, it's not what it's about. I want to break new ground in music. If you’re going to break new ground, you've got to work with new artists." Olphie's main focus with Vibe Records is musical development, "I'm more into developing somebody's genuine talent and artistry. I want to be able to pull musical artists out of obscurity. I'm looking for young artists, I like fresh talent." Artists productions is Olphie's forte but don't ask him to get involved in career management, "I am not interested in management....Management is glorified baby-sitting, No thank you," quips Olphie. It is after all show business." Taking the title of Executive Producer, Producer Olphie immerses himself in the recording process. "I involve myself in every step in the making of a record. Production is everything today. I know my way around the studio and I can work with the best in the business." With technology moving so rapidly, many new young artists are putting out their own records and producing themselves. Olphie is from the old school and believes this is all just a big business trend, "Technology has its advantages and disadvantages. But, all it's really done is brought the price down on recording. Everyone thinks they can now record their own record and burn their own CD. Making a record is an art form, it's not about digital technology. I know what it takes to make a good record. I know how to make a quality recording. We are being forced into following the trend because that's what manufactures will have you believe." Digital technology sounds atrocious; it has no life of its own."

GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN- The music business is one of the toughest industries to enter, especially when you’re a small entity, but Olphie plans on defying the odds, "I'm a small independent record company with national distribution. The only reason I secured national distribution is because I'm a seasoned record company executive industry guy. Most distributors have no desire to sign a deal with one-off artists on small independents. I've got my sights on bigger things, artist development, etc." Olphie wants to avoid the whole record company attitude, "now that I have my own record company, Vibe Records, a major recording facility, as well as a strategic alliance with a 24 hour internet radio station called choiceradio.com, I can finally do what I want and put out what I want," Olphie demands, I'm not married, I have no kids, I'm totally dedicated to hip-hop and rock-n-roll."