[April 2011] Well-respected German electronic imprint Ad Noiseam celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. So we thought it’d be a great opportunity to say thanks for the amazing music the label has given us over the years by tracking down head honcho Nicolas Chevreux and chatting about all things past, present and future.
Igloo :: What were you doing before Ad Noiseam? And how did you first get into music?
Nicolas Chevreux :: I guess I was introduced to non-mainstream music by my sister’s boyfriend, who copied me my first punk and British indie rock tapes back in the mid 80’s. Though it probably could stopped there, I remember being impressed by his extensive record collection and his guitars, and I played “Never Mind The Bollocks” till my C-60 tape broke. It stayed more or less at that till high school, when I met some friends who had the same taste as me. We then started prowling record stores, ordering stuff through catalog (remember, this was before the time of the internet) and slowly starting to go out to the very rare underground shows that were taking place in our god-forsaken part of France. We even had a band at some point, but that’s something I’d rather not unearth, as we were really horrible.
Upon graduating, the same friends and I had a weekly radio show on a college radio, focusing mainly on electronic music and noise. We really had a thing against most of techno and mainstream electronic stuff, but discovering that there were people out there that were treating synthetic music with a punk approach was a big slap in the face. I still have no idea how many people used to listen to this show, but we played our fair share of Japanese noise and EBM back then.
The show went on for four years until I moved out of the country. The internet had made its apparition in the meantime, and I decided to keep on pushing music I liked, this time as a webzine called Recycle Your Ears. This also went on for years, basically until the inception of Ad Noiseam.
Igloo :: Massive congratulations on turning 10! Has it been a struggle or a pleasure? Can you see yourself running things for another 10 years?
NC :: It’s definitely been a pleasure, as the label was first thought as a nice hobby. My motivation was purely coming from my love for music at that point, before it grew so big that it became my day job and I started having to deal with the less pleasant hassle that are finances, bookkeeping, customer service and all that jazz.
On the other hand, running such a small structure in a professional way is a daily fight. I very rarely spend a day without working on the label, and must rack up at least 60 hours a week. Some times are particularly hectic, and the people around me have been questioning my sanity. And still, I consider running Ad Noiseam a huge piece of good luck: however much work and energy it might require, I still work with great people, making good music better known and more accessible. There are people who spend as much time working horrible jobs lined up in damp factories, so there’s no reason for me to complain.
“Unless something particularly bad happens, there is no reason for something like Ad Noiseam not to exist in ten years. And if I still have enough energy left (or if I finally jump the gun and am able to hire somebody), I could see myself still pushing good music in 10 years.”
To answer the second part of your question: I keep on marveling at how steady the whole music branch can be, while not a day passes without some structure or other closing down (be it a distributor, a store, a club or another label) and an article about the changes in this industry being published. So while I have scratched my head a lot about how to adapt to the huge changes that have happened in the last 10 years and often thought that it couldn’t get any worse, I have also realized how resilient this branch is. Things have become a lot more complicated and require a lot more work, but there are still plenty of bands, fans and labels out there. Unless something particularly bad happens, there is no reason for something like Ad Noiseam not to exist in ten years. And if I still have enough energy left (or if I finally jump the gun and am able to hire somebody), I could see myself still pushing good music in 10 years.
Igloo :: That’s good to hear. So how did the label start and how has it changed? Did you have a particular direction you wanted to take it in or was it more of a gradual evolution, as different forms of music and new artists came your way, for example?
NC :: The label has always reflected my own personal tastes. While it might seem to some people that its musical directions have changed from time to time, I can’t really agree, being in the eye of the storm.
As the label started as an offshoot of a webzine dedicated to noise and challenging electronic music, the releases of the first years were considerably harsher in sound that what Ad Noiseam releases now. I calmed down a bit on that side over the years (even though I guess moving from harsh noise to breakcore is not really settling down), but I also tried to keep myself informed of what good new sounds were emerging. The reasons for the label’s evolution is therefore double: I started to like new sounds, but I also think that new scenes emerged whose material was better than what was done in other, moribund ones. A perfect example of this would be the inception of dubstep in the recent years: not only do I like what some artists in this genre are doing, but I also think that what they came up with was more interesting than endlessly repeating the tired recipes of (let’s say) the noise one.
Igloo :: What are your favorite Ad Noiseam releases from the last 10 years? Give us your top 10, if you like, or just a list of 10 if you’d rather not rate them.
NC :: I’m not somebody who kisses and tells, but here’s a chronological list of releases which I believe were pivotal in this decade of the label:
Tarmvred :: Subfusc (adn4)
Enduser :: Bollywood Breaks (adn41)
Dälek :: Streets All Amped (adn58)
Larvae :: Dead Weight (adn62)
Bong-Ra :: Stereohype Heroin Hooker (adn65)
Mothboy :: Deviance (adn69)
Drumcorps :: Grist (adn70)
DJ Hidden :: The Later After (adn73)
Detritus :: Fractured (adn85)
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble :: Mutations (adn105)
Broken Note :: Terminal Static (adn117)
(Yes, that’s eleven)
Igloo :: You sell the label’s music in a variety of formats, including 12″ vinyl, CDs and MP3’s. How do each of these tend to fare nowadays? For example, do sales of each format depend mostly on genre?
NC :: Definitely. Some genres work better in some formats than others, and the most successful ones sell more across all of them. However, formats are also closely linked to the scene that you market a release to: it’s really difficult to sell CD’s to a dubstep fans (who prefer MP3’s) or records to electronica fans (who would rather have a CD).
As far as how formats fare, CD sales have gone down in sales considerably since the inception of the label. Vinyl is more or less stable (with an emphasis on “less”), and MP3’s just didn’t exist back then. Let’s see how long they do, as I’m afraid that they might be supplanted by closed-platforms streaming in the future.
Igloo :: Related to the above – you always package your releases really well and provide some rather sexy promo shots! Is this vital to selling physical forms of music today? Does it help set your label apart?
NC :: It might, but it’s not my intent. One thing I have never tried to do with Ad Noiseam was to develop a fixed, coherent visual image. Ad Noiseam is a label, not a fashion brand.
On the other hand, I enjoy, as a listener, holding a nice object in my hand: a well pressed CD or a beautiful record sleeve. It’s therefore, for me, a matter of respecting fans and customers: I try to present releases that I would personally enjoy buying and listening to.
The “sexy” photo shots are a much more down to earth thing: Ad Noiseam’s core is records and CD’s, something I don’t want people to forget. These pictures are a way to remind people about these physical packages, and how much better they feel than a digital release.
Igloo :: You’re associated with the Dense record store in Berlin, which also puts on nights in the city, right? How has working there been changed by the internet (including legitimate sales and illegal downloads), if at all? Are record stores, in general, still a hub for certain scenes and the meeting places of DJ’s?
NC :: We’ve kept Dense a pretty old school record store. While people keep on asking us for a mailorder, we haven’t had the time, energy and manpower to do so, and sell almost entirely to people who come to the store and browse the bins. Internet sales have stayed anecdotal.
On the other hand, we’re more and more confronted to very well informed people who ask for rare or very new releases that we can not (yet) get. Every time a well known promoter writes on Twitter that he’s finished an album, some customers come to us and ask to buy the record, even though it might still be months away from being pressed and offered to record stores.
Finally, yes, such a brick and mortar store is an important hub for several scenes. People buy new music, sell their labels’ records, leave and read flyers, meet each other, and discuss music or current event of Berlin’s electronic music life. I see this place as a major plus for the socialization and self-realization of people interested and active in this kind of music. There are times when you want to be able to meet people sharing the same tastes as you do without it having to be at 2AM in a very loud club.
Igloo :: What kind of music is your main focus at Ad Noiseam? What kind of sounds are making a big impression on you right now? And what would you say are the most progressive genres at the moment?
NC :: As said above, I really don’t have a main focus. I listen to a lot of things, including many genres which are not represented on Ad Noiseam at all.
There are still some good things coming out of the dubstep scene at the moment, with some producers managing to stick to the genre’s main guidelines yet still come up with interesting ideas. The breakcore scene is also potentially (and surprisingly) starting a revival of sort, with a lot of talented very young newcomers. I think there are also some good sounds coming out of the corpse of the post-metal/post-rock genres, mainly combined with folk elements. And finally, there’s a very interesting and welcome come-back of old jazz and ethnic recordings, being dug from the vaults and repressed, even though it has very little to do with Ad Noiseam.
However, what’s progressive now might very well be passé by the time this interview is published. I’m not putting as much hope as a lot of other people in the fusion of (post-)dubstep and techno, as it often sounds to me as a pretentious, music software driven repackaging of old Berlin dub-techno sounds. And I might be missing the point totally, but the Juke/Footworks hype of the day is still a complete riddle to me.
“Finally, yes, such a brick and mortar store is an important hub for several scenes. People buy new music, sell their labels’ records, leave and read flyers, meet each other, and discuss music or current event of Berlin’s electronic music life. I see this place as a major plus for the socialization and self-realization of people interested and active in this kind of music.”
What’s quite exciting, on the other hand, is the fact that some producers who at first started with dubstep or drum ‘n’ bass are slowly integrating more challenging sounds in their productions, be it noise, metal elements or actual songs. It’s still rare (I’m for example thinking of the release on 3by3 or of a few happy encounters between dubstep and song-based material ą la Various Production), but that’s what seems exciting to me at the moment.
Igloo :: You recently had some well-earned success with Matta’s remix of Hecq’s track “Sura” being used in an Audi commercial. Is obtaining film/TV/advertising sync work the best way for artists to earn money from music nowadays?
NC :: It really depends on the project and the client. This thing for Audi was very limited, and I can assure you that it didn’t pay enough for Matta to buy a car (not even an Audi). However, there’s definitely an interest in the film and advertisement industry for new electronic music, and it has become easier for musicians to produce something which sounds good enough to be used on TV or movies. The competition is fierce and there’s less money there than what one would think at first, but there are also some good opportunities from time to time.
Igloo :: With so many great electronic acts on your label, do you find it hard to squeeze in new ones? And how should such artists approach you in the first place?
NC :: Yes, this has become an issue. While Ad Noiseam still releases quite a lot of records and albums every year, it sometimes feel like I could close the label’s door, sit back and wait for the already signed acts to provide me with new material. It’s not that bad, though, and it’s important for me to get new people on the label, rather than releasing the hundredth single by the same guys. It’s obvious, however, that I can get only so many new people on the roster every year, or I would end up botching the releases for lack of time and finances.
It’s fairly easy to get in touch with me to submit a demo. I used to favor CDR greatly, but am slowly getting around to listening to more online demos. The basic rules still apply, though: don’t send too much material, don’t be annoying and ask for feedback every second day and remember that less than one percent of the demos I get will ever have a chance to be released, so don’t get insulted if it doesn’t work.
The most important thing, though, is to research who you’re sending your demo to. Ad Noiseam might have released things ranging from jazz to breakcore, but there’s a continuity and some common aspect throughout all the releases on the label. The best way to waste both my time and yours is to send me something without knowing what the label is about. I still get trance, country or goth demos, which is not only a hopeless loss of time, but also feels pretty insulting.
Igloo :: How important are live shows for spreading the word about your artists? Do any of your acts have particularly interesting or different approaches to playing live?
NC :: The demise of the press about electronic music (both in print and online) has made shows extremely important, which in turn has made life very difficult for people who write music unfit for the stage or the club. No producer can expect to reach anybody anymore if he/she doesn’t play live as much as possible, so this is something into which a lot of effort should go.
And yes, some acts have more memorable live shows than others. Ad Noiseam doesn’t have a Gwar or Insane Clown Posse (yet), but I think that people who’ve witnessed acts such as Niveau Zero or Broken Note on stage will agree that it was pretty intense.
“The demise of the press about electronic music (both in print and online) has made shows extremely important, which in turn has made life very difficult for people who write music unfit for the stage or the club. No producer can expect to reach anybody anymore if he/she doesn’t play live as much as possible, so this is something into which a lot of effort should go.”
Igloo :: As Ad Noiseam began life with a compilation called Krach Test and followed up after 5 years with a retrospective called Ad Noiseam 2001-2006; can we expect another compilation this year? If so, what’s involved and when will it be released, etc?
NC :: Yes, there’s a new compilation in the works. It’s not finalized yet, and I am too superstitious to give away any details at the moment, but it would make so much sense for it to be released this year that one can safely suppose that it will come before the year is over.
Igloo :: We can’t wait. To coincide with this, you’ve announced a bunch of gigs all over Europe to celebrate the anniversary, each of which will be featuring some of the cream of Ad Noiseam’s current roster on the bill. Can you tell us a little more about what you’ve got in store for us?
NC :: My wildest dream to celebrate these ten years was to organize several festivals all over the world, which would be free and allow absolutely everybody to enjoy the sounds on the label. It obviously (and unsurprisingly) didn’t work out this way, but we’re organizing five big parties in five different cities in the coming couple of months, with a few more planned for later this year. All these parties are focused on the label, and should give at least a little glimpse at the label’s diversity without sounding like an artificial, pretentious collage.
The confirmed parties so far are:
May 6 in Berlin, Germany at Berghain, with DJ Hidden, Enduser, Broken Note, Niveau Zero, Balkansky & Loop Stepwalker, Hecq and Karsten Pflum.
May 14 in Lucerne, Switzerland at Südpol, with Broken Note, Somatic Responses and Raoul Sinier.
May 28 in Utrectht, Netherlands at Tivoli, with DJ Hidden, Enduser, Niveau Zero, Wormskull (the new project by Bong-Ra, Balazs Pandi and Deformer), Hecq, Funckarma and Mobthrow.
June 1 in Paris, France at Batofar, with Balkanky & Loop Stepwalker, Matta, Niveau Zero, Igorrr and Raoul Sinier.
July 9 in Beirut, Lebanon, with Broken Note, Igorrr and The Teknoist.
I’ll also be spinning at all of these parties. As said, more will be announced later on, but they are not confirmed yet. I hope that some will happen in countries that haven’t been hit yet (including the UK), but I can not say anything yet.
You can find out about the latest party announcements and much more at adnoiseam.net.
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