Igloo: Can you give us a quick primer to the Couchblip! label?
Melinda: We started Couchblip! in
March 2000; Initially at least that was when we registered the
Couchblip! domain. We had our sites set on having the first release out
by the end of that year and March 2001 wasn’t far from that considering we
were starting from scratch. We initially decided the first release
would be a sampler of the three artists on the label which would be
followed by full length releases from the same three. Things have evolved
slightly differently we didn’t plan to expand so quickly but it is all
definately for the best and better than we’d ever hoped it would be.
Igloo: Who runs the label?
Melinda: The label is run by myself (Melinda Taylor – Robokoneko, Luke Killen –
Disjunction Reunion and Jim Dodd – Bloq). We initially decided to start
the label as we felt there was a lack of labels in Australia that were
releasing the style of music we were making. If the labels did exist they
were being run by people (like ourselves) who were basically doing
everything themselves while holding down a full time job on the side (to
fund the releases) as well as making music in their “spare time”. We
decided we would add to the small collective of independent electronic
record labels in Australia to get more electronic music out there.
As you know we have two releases to date with the third due back from
pressing next week which is the Other Animals benefit CD-Compilation
for the Humane Society International with Funsktorung, Plus One, Yee-King, Fibla,
Disjunction Reunion, Pellarin, 8-bit Orchestra (aka Tim Koch), Plod,
Bloq, City State, Reef Project, Robokoneko, Orpheus, PBXO, Novel 23, and Ckid.
Igloo: What’s upcoming for Couchblip!?
Melinda: The next release will be a full length CD from an artist from Denmark
called Pellarin (who also contributes a remix on Computer Dead Reckoning)
You can read an interview with him here. Basically Luke got
to know him on the Buzz mailing list as he makes all his music in Buzz. We
met up with him at the Warp Lighthouse Party in September last year and things
have gone from there. Not only did we love his music but he was a
wonderful person as well.
I guess thats one of the main things Couchblip! stand for, we’re certainly
not in it for the money (if there is any to be made) and we certainly
don’t want to own anybody’s music – we just want to get as much good music
out there as we can. Some people might argue that there is already
enough out there, true there is a lot but I doubt there can never be too
much.
Igloo: Are their any live events pending, upcoming, recently we should know about?
Melinda: Things are going great for the label all three artists play (live!) regularly (say once every two months) and the CD’s
recieve regular airplay on community and some national radio shows.
Igloo: Where can we find Couchblip! material?
Melinda: The press sheets have info on where all our releases can be purchased
from internationally (We are distributed by SAFE in the US). We don’t
have Uk/European distribution but we are working with Surgery Records,
Aural Industries and Cryogenesis Recordings on getting some sort
of distribution for the whole 4 like-minded labels.
Igloo: Anything else to point out for Igloo Mag readers?
Melinda: I think I’ve probably gone on enough. Other releases we’ve had outside
the label can be found on our website..
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The Other Animals Benefit Compilation is out now on Couchblip!.
