I recently read an article wherein a label owner was talking about releasing the work of other musicians and the editing process and so forth, the gist being this: He didn’t think most labels push their artists enough, or to put it another way, most labels accept what artists submit and put it out as-is. How do you feel about that, the idea that a label could send someone’s music back if it didn’t find it acceptable?
I work very closely with every artist and I’ve definitely suggested things outside of what was originally submitted. It has to be like that — there’s no point in just saying, “Anything goes.” A lot of what I have to think about is, “How will this sound on a lathe?” Of course, keep in mind, I work with certain people because I believe in their music. It’s never a case of re-inventing the wheel — more so fine-tuning something already in motion. If you’re clear and open with your communication, people are usually happy to try things out.
Do you see ICM as a collaboration between artist and label or a label serving as more of a pure conduit for the output of an artist?
Most definitely a collaboration. However, I’m never working toward enforcing a personal perspective — I’m just focusing on what is best for the artist given the project. I like the position of being a curator and think that at all times, a light touch is best.
The Shelley Burgon 10-inch was a fantastic maiden voyage for ICM. It might sound like I’m overdoing it but I feel like it’s a perfect release, from top to bottom. How did your relationship with her come about?
I met Shelley through Maria Chavez. Both are great friends and wonderful people. Shelley is an amazing artist and it seemed fitting her very first solo release would be the first release for ICM. She makes work that touches people on many different levels and I’m proud of how that 10” turned out. It’s a good example of collaboration, as it was originally slated to be a 7” and, as you may have noticed, all other releases so far have been that way. None the less, we realized that splitting Shelley’s work over two sides didn’t make sense. In the end, we decided to shift to a 10” release so that the track could be one continuous experience. We’re working on a full length album at the moment, which is very exciting.
The Brian Chase release seemed like a strange one because he is the drummer for an incredibly popular group (a bit of trivia: I wrote my first-ever print cover-story on his full-time band in 2002), and here he is releasing a micro-run of abstract recordings. But that’s the thing, Chase has dabbled on the fringes before so it’s actually not that surprising to me personally (plus he’s always had a unique way of playing the drums, marching-style almost). Anyway, how did you make this release happen?
Brian and I work together musically quite a bit. We have a duo and quartet project (alongside bassist Richard Hoffman, [of] Sightings, and synthesist Jai Gonzalez). I’m a big fan of his attitude toward music, and think what he creates as a solo artist perfectly represents what the label is all about.
With the Daren Ho 3x7-inch you upped the ante considerably, with three records and a higher run of 50. How did that release come about and do you see yourself putting out more elaborate releases such as this or pulling back a bit and focusing on traditional single records?
Daren has distinct approach to what he does. It made sense that his release should be a bit more involved, as he works with modular synthesizers that contain remarkably complex routing patterns. He actually runs a store selling synths called Control. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in NY. Anyway, we brainstormed a few ideas and eventually thought that his record being split over multiple discs would allow listeners to construct their own connection to the work. I like it how you can just keep playing the tracks over and over in different combinations and it feels like you’re in the studio with him as he explores what his machines can do. I’d love to do more release like this in the future.
Can you tell me a bit about the ICM record you personally played on with Nathan Liow?
I went to university with Nathan in Melbourne, Australia. He’s a great pianist and composer. He called me up at the start of this year about contributing a work toward a group-art exhibition called, “Can we please play the internet?” Nathan referenced a piece I was developing called Timestreams that uses webcam imagery to trigger audio impulses for synthesizer, and suggested we collaborate on something in a similar vein. Eventually, what we documented for ICM004 was a compilation of recordings where[in] he played piano in a Melbourne gallery while sending the sound to me in NYC via FaceTime on a iPhone.
I subsequently processed this audio through a tape delay, then returned the signal to speakers within the gallery via Skype. Aside from the processing I was doing, the network of satellites and wires involved in what was happening left an undeniable mark on the material. The Skype call would cut in and out, creating rhythms or become warped and all the time, Nathan could hear these things going on and would adapt his playing to complement it. We called the piece Artifacts, as that’s a term for the unwanted sounds that often appear through digital compression.
In nature, a sound only happens once, then is gone. With recording, we’ve managed to immortalize sound for our on-going consumption. The degradation of lathes rather than a pure, endlessly perfect reproduction — such as what a CD or digital file can achieve — is a nice middle ground between these two worlds.
I have been thinking (wistfully perhaps?) a lot about the NYC show you were involved in that linked up three of my favorite buzz-labels right now: In Context Music, Styles Upon Styles, and L.I.E.S. It seemed sort of a strange match, or at least in the case of ICM I wouldn’t have necessarily expected it considering how different your records sound. What was the impetus behind that show?
I guess it’s an NY thing. My friends run both of those labels and we all decided one day, let’s just book a night that starts as experimental as possible and eventually becomes a party where people are dancing. That kind of thing can happen here, as you have a crowd who are willing to take risks and go on the adventure with you. Later this year, we’re going to throw more parties incorporating a couple of different labels, which I think you also will be excited about.
Running a label is so much less glamorous than it seems. In fact, it’s a bitch. I personally put out one tape, and a compilation, and quit. I haven’t been tempted to start up again. Have you found the rewards of the venture to outweigh the pitfalls?
It’s not easy but if you want to do something, you should follow through with your intentions no matter the obstacles. Starting ICM is really one of the best choices I have made.
Would you recommend starting a label that puts out physical releases to the young people comin’ up?
Yes! Contrary to what anyone might say, starting a physical label is quite feasible. You can do cassettes or lathe cuts and grow it to the point that you do larger runs of vinyl (if that’s something you desire). There’s plenty of great labels who follow this model, and I think it separates you dramatically from exclusively digital labels. At the end of the day, I listen to a lot of music on my computer, but I’ll always buy a physical release if I connect with it.
How about you personally? Are you a record collector? Where did the idea for this label project originate?
As a whole, I’m a creative person who enjoys enabling and inspiring others to create. I started the label to follow through with that idea and to create a platform to push myself and others. As for my personal record collection, I have a few but less than you might expect. For me, owning a large collection of records has become an increasingly impractical concept. I try to obtain or hold onto records that I have a close personal attachment [with], and prefer quality over quantity. I hope ICM reflects that vision, and that people will value the releases we make as time goes by.
I think that well-considered and properly executed design is important for a label. The end result can be the difference between choosing to listen to a record or not. I’ve taken a lot of chances based purely on that instinctual feeling… Good art should engage you and help direct you towards good music.
A lot of bands, their main goal is to get their music out to the most people in the shortest amount of time. Your label seems to be the antithesis of that because of the small runs. From an artist’s perspective why does it make sense to release a record through In Context Music?
The physical releases are only one part of the label. Really what we have is a community of like-minded artists, and through our collective ties, the work can often reach a far wider audience than just those who own the records or download the digital files. None of the artists I work with are interested in fame or fortune — they all simply want to express their ideas in the purest possible sense.
I’ve seen a lot of labels come and go over the last decade, and mostly the latter. How do you see ICM avoiding the sudden shut-downs that seem to happen so often to great sources of music?
My life and work are intrinsically linked to ICM. It helps that I have a very singular vision for all of what I am doing. I can imagine that there will be times where the release schedule may slow down a bit, but I am a very calculated planner and know exactly how far I can realistically take ICM. Really, the more important question for me is how big things will become and what that means in the long run.
What are some labels that have influenced the development of In Context Music?
I think I really connected with the importance of visual presentation when I started buying releases from PAN, Shelter Press, and Raster Noton. Sonically, Editions Mego and their associated sub-labels are big influence as are some of the classic experimental techno labels like Chain Reaction. All in all, I try to think of how ICM will fit in around great labels whilst still adding something unique to the landscape.
[That’s all, folks. Get ready for Read The Label #2: Shelter Press, coming the first Friday of November!]
More about: Angus Tarnawsky, Che Chen, Darren Ho, Nathan Liow, Raccoo-oo-oon
