How are you Jerry? Let's start talking about the label for whom didn't know it.
Hi dude, I’m fine … it’s 4am here in Brusselsdead city, I’m high as fuck just chilling with a friend of mine … The label? Well, in August 2008 I founded Detest Records with the aim to support the traditional Death Metal Scene.
The Detest Records' one of a lot of labels moving in underground but in my opinion even for personal experiencies in contact between you and yhe disponibility and ability to find informations and producing them above many others, things that I notice in a lot of labels of european country. Which are the band's selection canons e what's the logic do you follow in terms of support and productions?
Well as I told you my aim is to support traditional Death Metal. It does not mean that I’m not into other styles of metal but it’s just that I wanna stay faithful to my original aims, to some guidelines and paths. Besides that the only criteria I think about when I’m signing a band is my personal taste. Of course the band must be into some kind of aesthetic. In my opinion, the best traditional Death Metal band would be nothing without the appropriate aesthetic be it for artworks, promo pictures, etc. Why should I release traditional Death Metal with crappy photoshoped covers? Music matters the most but as far as I’m concerned, the global look of a release matters as well.
Regarding the support I bring to the bands in my roster, I’d say that I do my best to help them growing, reaching new steps, etc.
How do a label have to move and why?
Honestly I don’t know. Maybe one day I’ll be fed up with running a label, maybe one day I’ll want to do something else. You know, the first reason why I run my label is that I’m having fun doing it and I will carry on doing it as long as I’m having fun at it!
The growing of self-productions and ditributions doesn't create you any problems? Don't the bands trust anymore?
At the beginning when I started the label it was sometime hard to be trusted by bands, etc. But now this kind of problem is behind me. Bands I’m trying to sign know that I will kill for them and that my aim is to help them getting more attention. Talking about self-production, etc. I’d say that some bands prefer to have someone else taking care of trades, distribution, etc. coz it enables them to focus on their main concern: music!
How is organized The Detest, what's your role in the inside and what would you advise for who would enter into your roster?
Detest Records is basically me and two helpful friends. One of them is helping me with packing orders and the other one takes care of drawing me flyers. I do all the rest by myself (promotion, website, layout, trades, distribution, etc.) My girlfriend is helping me as well from time to time. I think giving advises to band to enter one or another roster is a bit meaningless coz one of the most important thing to me is sincerity and I think that a band trying to fit a particular roster is losing some of its personality/identity/sincerity.
You're a recently formed the label, what are been the real difficulties you have meet?
At the beginning, getting attention and building a small reputation was not that easy but with hard work and dedication nothing’s impossible. I think that money is the biggest issue for most of the beginners in the label business since you gotta accept to lose money with your first releases.
What is your relationship with 'zines and how much it's hard fighting against ripp offer tha usually choke up internet making lose credibility to these realities?
I have some good relations with a large bunch of zines such as Compilation of Death, Downtuned & Morbid, Mystical Zine, etc. Fighting against rip off is not difficult: never send first if you’re dealing for the 1st or 2nd time with a guy who contacted you.
Which are the best bands you ever product for you?
Hmmm tough question … I can’t pick up my fave band on my label. I’d say that I – of course – like all of them for their own specificities!
Which band did you say "Damn, if I could product them!?"
Lady Gaga! She blew me away the first time I saw her … ;-) Seriously I don’t know, let’s say CRUCIAMENTUM for example but this is no big deal since they signed with the very good Nuclear Winter records and its boss, Anastasis, is gonna do great things for them!
Which was the best and worst episode you lived as productor?
I wouldn’t say that my relation with the post is stainless for example. I got lots of packages stolen, destroyed, etc. Besides that the nights packing orders are not the funniest but it’s part of the business. The rest is just my routine with its good/funny aspects and its more boring ones.
What's been the first album did you buy and what's your favourite band?
The first album I bought was a live album actually: Irona Maiden – "A Real Live One".
If you could choose three bands to sign, who would you choose? ...
Hmmm I don’t know ! Let’s say that I’d sign ENTOMBED if the guys promised me to get back to their roots … ;-)
Thanks you for your disponibility, you can close the interviev as you want.
Thanx to you for your interest man! I would like to thank all the people who supported me since August 2008. I also salute those who spit on me: I love you too!
Check out my site, I’ve just released MIASMAL first 7” and will release those in the next few weeks/months: ENTRAPMENT (NL) first demo tape, GRAVEHAMMER (Swe.), STENCH OF DECAY (Fin.) and KRYPTS (Fin.) first 7” Ep’s and so on …
http://www.detestrecords.com/
