Feature
Not Quite 20 Questions with E*Rock of Audio Dregs Recordings
(photo of E*Rock by Anthony Gerorgis)
HL: How and when did Audio Dregs Recordings start?
E*Rock: I'm not sure exactly when it started, but it's been over a decade at this point. It was a cassette duplication project for music that I recorded at home as well as my brother's music (E*Vax) and then friends with recording projects that wouldn't have left the bedroom otherwise. Later I discovered the cassette labels Shrimper and Sonic Enemy and realized that what I was doing a "record label" too. I was just operating on intuition, inspired by DIY music recording that I heard on college radio growing up outside of Cleveland. The idea that musicians created something outside of normal cultural boundaries was fascinating to me. Step by step I got more serious with it. The ADR catalogue numbers start in the 30's and the secret there is the previous incarnation of the label was maybe 30 or so tapes. ADR is on 76 now.
HL: How did you find the artists on your label? Are they friends, family, demos sent in?
E*Rock: Its still mostly friends and family. I met a few people via demos, but most people are friends that I've made via musical interests. I like to think of it as sort of an artists collective since it was more about cultivating people's craft and growing rather than a commercial venture.
HL: When and why did you start Fryk Beat?
E*Rock: I had this idea to do something more vocal combined with an influence from my interest in dance music. Its also kind of my idea of "pop" whereas ADR is more the "headphone" label-although this isn't a hard defined thing. My friend Eric Johnson was working at a big local ad agency called Wyden & Kennedy and their Tokyo office operated a nice label so he was trying to get something going in Portland and asked me to get involved so I presented this idea for Fryk Beat that I came up with when I was doodling in my notebook on an airplane to play a show at AMODA in Austin. I was hoping for something more collaborative but WK didn't end up biting; we decided to run with it because we were excited about the idea and wanted to get the music out but it is now more of a sub label that I do by myself again.
HL: Do you have a favorite music format for listening?
E*Rock: I like different formats for different reasons. The vinyl LP is probably my favorite; with vinyl download is nice for convenience, especially for traveling, but the clarity of CD sure beats mp3s. I like cassettes too, and will probably release some more cassettes soon of my own music, but I don't miss making them, so it will be on other people's labels! It's cheap but has a totally new context. Once it was about availability, now it's almost more an idea of exclusivity and being a rare, handmade object. I'm not one that sold all their vinyl for CDs, then all their CDs for mp3s because I have a hard time to get rid of any music, to a fault. My room is just crammed with recorded music; its a joke and will some day be the death of me.
HL: How about for your labels' releases?
E*Rock: LP+DVD+mp3 is maybe the ultimate. The only way it would be better would be gatefold jacket with clear vinyl! But I have to be reasonable.
HL: Do you find that you have more sales with vinyl, CD, or mp3 downloads?
E*Rock: Everyone stopped buying CDs near the end of 2009, so that makes the label release schedule slow way down since that was our bread and butter. More mp3s sell now, but its so easy for people to get things free you can't really depend on that either. I don't really want to do a digital only release, but that might be better than doing a couple LP releases a year and waiting for them to recoup before moving on? I have no idea what things will be like in six months from now. I probably won't do many more CDs, so the next release we're doing is an LP+DVD+mp3 download by ROTFLOL (aka Jacob Ciocci from Paper Rad) and then maybe the new Copy album will be CD and LP. I should know by next month, but really I'm winging it at this point.
HL: Do you have any favorite music labels? Ones that you can depend on a quality product when you buy it?
E*Rock: I like DFA a lot. Mostly I pay attention to local friends' labels like Marriage, States Rights, Community Library, Gnar Tapes, UHU, Portland Bad Date Line, Night People... My favorite radio show is still King Loser's Cut Out Bin on WSPN 91.1 every Sunday night. I don't believe in the preciousness of genre and I've always tried to release things that are non-genre. There were tons or genre labels that I followed a few years back, and its nice to know what you're getting, but things are so spaced out now I can't say there are many that I follow for that reason.
I find myself following artists more and a few solid blogs which act as more the modern version of a zine crossed with college radio show. I like the blogs Wave at Night, Disco Delicious, 20 Jazz Funk Greats, Tumblr!....
HL: Is there a label that you've thought of as a model for either label?
E*Rock: I really liked Homestead when I was younger. Puik, a small cassette label that was run by Jelle Crama had the best artwork ever.
HL: Any music right now that catches your ear?
E*Rock: Restless People from New York, White Flight, Delicate Steve... can't wait for Ratatat LP4 (I've only heard rough draft). There's so many great local Portland bands these days, I don't even want to start naming names.
HL: Has there ever been an album that you've heard and thought, "Damn, I wish I would have put that out."?
E*Rock: Not really. If someone else put it out the I don't have to... releasing and consuming are not really an end to a means, its better to put your efforts into sharpening your skills and creating.
That said, I'd love to be putting out another E*Vax album (if he would finish it) or even Ratatat, but they're too popular. If I was doing that I wouldn't have time to do anything else creative. Its more like I hear a song and think, "Damn, I wish I had made something that epic," or "written a song that made me feel that way." Its nice to have things that sell though so you can put more things out without having to worry about finances. Actually, I'm listening to Bobby Birdman remixes right now that we made a tour CDR of and thinking damn, this would have been a nice 12", but it will probably come out later as mp3 release.
Actually, I'd love to re-issue the Springwater LP, some Matt Brinkman mystery synth, more crazy silk screened small runs maybe. I wish someone had reissued all the Super Roots series on vinyl, but I really don't need any more records in my life, so whatever.
HL: Any big projects coming up, whether in art, your label, or music, that you'd like to tell us about?
E*Rock: Yes! This ROTLFOL release, new Copy are next. New E*Rock album? Yuichiro Fujimoto, Dim Dim, Melodium have new albums too. Atole, Bobby Birdman remixes.... We're doing a re-issue of Fantastic Palace, an old favorite of mine, though very obscure. There aren't enough hours in a day.
Also, together with Copy and Manny from Atole we organize a monthly dance party at Rotture called Supernature; a couple live bands and we DJ. Its kind of like "Audio Dregs presents" even though we don't bill it that way.
HL: Any words of wisdom for those who'd like to start a label of their own?
E*Rock: I think keeping local, working with friends is the best way to start, and to stay at this point. Bands these days are their own business, its less about the labels, so the label should be more of a community for ideas and ventures; another way to communicate those ideas. Its pretty thankless and not too glamorous. I never wanted to be a "label guy," but its a good way to create some activity, work some video, get into design, music, DJing, making zines, print shirts, whatever you want to get into... its all part of the bigger picture. I'm still trying to find the bigger picture, but that's the point, I guess. You never reach that point where you "got there," you have to keep experimenting, working and evolving.
"Oh we're famous, we can die now!" What's the point in that?
Melodium "Not Yet 2" from Audio Dregs Recordings on Vimeo.
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