HELLO JAMES, I GUESS LTM CAN ONLY BE THE WORK OF SOME PASSIONATE MUSIC LOVER
Actually now I see myself more as a historian or archivist. Less keen on the
word curator though. But it's true that music from 1978 through to the mid
1980s is a particular interest of mine. I was born in 1966, so in 1980 I was
just getting seriously interested in music, and was introduced to groups
like Joy Division and Wire, then more underground and arty groups like Josef
K, Section 25 and Crispy Ambulance. Through the Factory Benelux connection I
got interested in The Names and Minny Pops, and after that the whole Les
Disques du Crépuscule catalogue and Brussels scene, Tuxedomoon in
particular. If you're asking what I listen to in the car for entertainment
today it's Lady Gaga, The Whip and School of Seven Bells.
IF I MAY SAY SO, THE BACKCATALOGUE ISN'T EXACTLY WHAT YOU SHOULD CALL THE
TASTE OF A TYPICAL BRIT
That may well have been true in the 1980s and 1990s, but the web means that
groups like Berntholer, Marine and Isolation Ward, who only made a few
singles, have now reached a truly international audience. I've always been
pretty Eurocentric though, and moved to Brussels in 1987 when I finished
university. I thought it would be like Ernest Hemingway's Paris in the
1920s.
I MEAN, JAMES, BRITISH PEOPLE WHO ARE AWARE OF LES DISQUES DU CREPUSCULE CAN
BE COUNTED ON ONE HAND..
That's not true, although certainly it does not have the same profile (or
collectability) as Factory or 4AD.
HOW DID LTM START?
Fanzine to cassettes to 7" singles to albums (William Burroughs, Crispy
Ambulance, some compilations.), in the space of four years between 1982 and
1985. In those days Rough Trade Distribution paid to press and store the
records. Then in 1987 I moved to Brussels, and worked for Crepuscule and
then PIAS. After that I was a lawyer for a few years. LTM only became a
full-time job in 2001. But it was never my intention to try to discover new
bands. I leave that to people with better ears.
YOU SOON BECAME THE LABEL THAT GIVES US REISSUES FROM LONG FORGOTTEN VINYL
ALBUMS THAT NOWHERE CAN BE FOUND..
Not so very soon! When CD became financially viable for indie labels I was
one of the first to do reissues with bonus tracks and sleevenotes, from
1989/1990 onwards. I was still working at PIAS then, and some people thought
I was wasting my time. But CD gave you great sound, space for bonus tracks,
and a higher profit margin that allowed for small runs, digital remastering
costs, etc etc. Which is why I don't really understand the fresh appeal of
vinyl editions today! And 180 gram vinyl pressings now are nowhere near as
good as they used to be.
MAJORS COMPLAIN THAT THE MUSIC IS IN DEEP CRISIS, DOES A LABEL LIKE YOURS
FEEL THAT?
Certainly the market has been shrinking for the last few years, and becoming
more fragmented. So, for example, some people want a vinyl edition instead
of CD, which isn't really a format I want to revisit. Most or all younger
people - teenagers - don't really expect to pay money for music, though
fortunately most of the people who are interested in LTM releases still want
to buy a physical CD, nicely packaged, with sleevenotes. The day that music
is only available by download is the day I stop doing LTM, as my job would
just be data management rather than running a record label. But I don't
think that will happen. It's just that everything is becoming more and more
niche. Deep discounting annoys me though. Filesharing too. I think if you
trade files, and like what you hear to the extent that you play it more than
once, then you should buy the track or album. But it's hard to pin down.
Just because someone listens to an illegal fileshare or download it doesn't
mean they would have paid money for a CD.
YOU REISSUE STUFF FROM EXISTING LABELS, IS IT THAT SIMPLE TO CONVINCE THEM
THAT YOU DO THE REISSUES?
Usually I work with the artist direct. But certainly it is easier and
cheaper to licence catalogue from major labels these days, as they are not
interested in physical reissues of marginal catalogue any more, only
download. One of the reasons that I do a lot of Manchester and Brussels
catalogue is that the rights have often reverted to the artist, so the
working relationship is easier and more enjoyable.
WE ALREADY UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU ARE A FACTORY-DEVOTEE.. TELL US: IS IT YOUR
GOAL TO REISSUE THE WHOLE FACTORY BACK CATALOGUE?
No, though I see Factory as a discrete art movement like the Bauhaus, so
everything that Factory issued and released is always interesting on that
basis alone. On a commercial level, it's far better for core Joy Division
and New Order catalogue to be managed and distributed by a major label. True
indie labels are becoming increasingly niche, and the channels for
distribution more limited.
YOU RECENTLY STARTED THE AUTEUR LABELS SERIES. ARE THERE ANY OTHER IN THE
PIPELINE? (MY MIND SAYS SOMETHING LIKE SARAH .)
I'd love to do an Auteur Labels volume on Sarah but they refused, on the
basis that they wouldn't want any other label to do a Sarah compilation.
Which is fair enough. I'd love to do Industrial, Postcard and Fetish. For
me, an 'auteur label' has to have some sort of firm identity, so Rough Trade
would be difficult as the catalogue was so big and eclectic, and not always
well designed, even though it occupies a large space in The Culture. A few
people cite El, but that's not a label I take very seriously.
I WANNA BET MY MONEY ON IT THAT YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO COLLECTED IT
ALL.
At the time, sure, I was a hardline completist. But not now - if I'm
interested in a group or artist I just go for the core catalogue. I'm less
insecure. How much money did you bet, by the way?
WHAT IS IN YOUR MIND THE PERFECT LABEL? (FOR ME IT'S STILL 4AD)
I was, and remain, sufficiently fascinated by Factory to write a book about
it, Shadowplayers (Aurum Press, 2010). 4AD I found a little bit too stylized
and boutique, though I still play their Cocteau Twins and Colourbox records.
I suppose the ultimate 'auteur label' is ECM, though I don't own a single
release on that label. But I do like Blue Note, even though I'm not really
into jazz. And I find Creation interesting even though I don't own too many
of their records.
I GUESS YOU LOVE BELGIUM A LOT HAHAHA...
For sure I like visiting Brussels. It is a much better place now than when I
lived there, between 1987 and 1991. A cop in a leather jacket once
threatened me with his submachine gun outside a small bar on Kolenmarkt
because I was drinking a glass of beer on the pavement, rather than inside.
I doubt that would happen today. Anyway I much prefer the Au Daringman (aka
Chez Martine) on the Rue de Flandre.
I GUESS DUE TO LTM YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH A LOT OF HEROES, SO IT MUST BE SOME
SORT DREAM COME TRUE, NO?
I suppose it is, but I don't start screaming or sobbing when I meet members
of New Order, and so on. Although I did shed a tear at the funeral of Larry
Cassidy (Section 25) in February. It was great meeting the Savage Republic
guys in the States last year.
IS THERE STUFF AROUND YOU LIKE TO RELEASE BUT IMPOSSIBLE AS THEY REFUSE TO?
Not many, though Clock DVA is a notable one. I'd love to work with Front
242, the first two albums, but it never seems to happen. Other projects just
take a very long time, like 23 Skidoo.
I ASK THIS TO EVERYBODY: WHAT 'S YOUR FAVE RECORD OF ALL TIME AND PLEASE
STATE WHY..
Too hard to answer, and they change over the years. But Night Air by Blaine
L. Reininger was a huge influence on me. Crépuscule released it in 1983, and
the music and lyrics and ambiance was one of the things that drew me to
Brussels a few years later. I think it captured the expatriate atmosphere of
the city really well, at least at that time. If I hear it today it still has
a very strong emotional pull. Probably too emotional! I'm being sentimental.
THE LAST WORD IS YOURS, JAMES
Perhaps you could explain that to the musicians on LTM! OK, I'm not above
shamelessly plugging my Factory book again, Shadowplayers. It is the
definitive history of the label, and also includes a lot about Factory
Benelux, Crépuscule, Plan K and the Brussels cold wave scene.
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