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Bad Afro

Bad Afro records is a small Danish label busy "pushing Scandinavian rock to the man". KindaMuzik talked with Lars Krogh, the man behind Bad Afro, about the healthy Scandinavian rock scene, hanging out with beautiful women, and more...

Tekst: Gijs van de Burgt

Publicatiedatum: 06 januari 2001

Some history first. Could you tell me who started the label, when, why and who is running it now?
"The label was started by me in 1996. Back then I was still running the magazine called Moshable that ceased to exist after 14 years earlier this year. In Moshable we had a big focus on Scandinavian garage and punk rock, and we had the very first interviews with bands like the Hellacopters and Gluecifer and a band like Turbonegro on the front cover in 1992! I wanted to start a label for some time, and in 1996 I could see a lot of new cool bands coming up. Of course there were bands like Turbonegro and Nomads, but it seemed like there was a new wave coming, and bands like the Hellacopters, Gluecifer, the Flaming Sideburns, and the Royal Beat Conspiracy were just starting up. I asked the other guys at Moshable if they wanted to do the label with me but none of them were interested, so I had to do it myself. And I guess that was a good thing since I am sure we would not have been able to agree on a release policy. It's easier if your own taste is king. Bad Afro is still a one-man company, so I do everything myself. And why? It's an incredibly cool feeling to be able to release music you like and hope that other people will like it too."

Is there a story behind the name Bad Afro?
"Well, the name is inspired by blaxploitation movies like Shaft, Superfly, Dolemite. You know, where Black superheroes shoot and fuck anything they get by. I just wanted a cool sounding name that people would be able to remember and the name Bad Afro was good inspiration to make a cool logo."

All Bad Afro bands play - in one way or another - rock'n'roll music, but not the usual type of rock'n'roll. It's often more like garage, sixties, and rockabilly. Are you interested in other music styles to put out? There are some good stoner rock bands in Sweden.
"Personally I like stoner rock and bands like Fu manchu, Kyuss, and Nebula. But I think that most new stoner bands have very little new to offer - most of them sound like the bands mentioned above, and that is quite boring. Even though I do different stuff like surf, punk rock, noise, and various versions of garage rock, I try to keep my releases within a certain boundary - a boundary that is probably only visible in my own head. As a small label you have to try a get a profile so you can't release all the music you like. At home I listen a lot to cool jazz from the 40s and 50s, soul like Sam & Dave, the Supremes, and Aretha Franklin, and stuff like Lee Hazelwood, Nancy Sinatra, and all kinds of weird music. Music you can't release on Bad Afro."

As far as I know, all bands on Bad Afro are from Scandinavia, mostly from Sweden. Are there sometimes foreign bands interested in your label?
"Yes, all bands on Bad Afro are from Scandinavia. That's part of the profile I mentioned above. Many of them are from Sweden because that country just keeps on producing cool rock bands. I also have a passion for Finnish music, and Bad Afro is one of the few labels releasing Finnish bands outside of Finland. That country is just so remotely located that they make their own rules and don't really care what is going on in the outside world. That attitude creates original music. I get more and more interest from bands outside of Scandinavia who would like to be on Bad Afro but I only sign Scandinavian bands. If I should do something else I would make a side label and release it on that."

Are there many good rock'n'roll bands in Scandinavia? Where do you find them?
"Yes, there is an incredible amount of good bands up here. I don't know why, they just appear all the time, and there is actually more stuff I like than I am able to release. The Bad Afro Singles Club is planning to release 50 7" singles within eight years, and by that time I hope to have covered a certain period of time and the best bands who were around at that time. So far I am at #24, and it is not a problem to find new bands around here that I like. It is very different how I find the bands. A few of them I find through demos which I get every day. Some bands I discover seeing them live (Which is another reason only to do bands from up here, you can see them all live on a regular basis, and it is very seldom I sign a band I have not seen live.), and others I hear on records from other labels. My own taste is king when I choose a band, and I go for what I would buy myself."

I like the artwork of many Bad Afro releases. Many (or all?) of them are also released on vinyl. Why? Is it important for you how a record looks?
"Thanks. Most layout is done by Peter Markham who was also involved with Moshable magazine. It is important to me how a record looks, and I am happy about most covers we have done. Sometimes bands insist on something I don't really like but not everything can be perfect. I would like to be more involved in picking covers and design, but running a label means you have to do so much different stuff, and it's hard to be in total control of everything. We usually find a compromise that both the band and I like. Not all of my releases are available on vinyl unfortunately. Right now I release five-six CDs, one-two 10"s, and seven-eight 7" singles a year, and that is already more than a release a month. I don't have time and money to release everything on vinyl as well at the moment, but I hope that will change because I love vinyl myself. And I guess it's the irony of life that I am helping killing the format I love the most. But for instance the first Flaming Sideburns release will soon be out on vinyl in Australia and as a picture disc in Spain. And more stuff like that can happen."

Besides putting out records, is there something else you do for your bands?
"No, the label keeps me occupied. At the moment I need to have side jobs to keep the label rolling so there is not much time for anything else. I work with Gearbox Agency who are responsible for the bookings of most of the BA bands. Contact Anderz at gearbox@gearbox.dk if you wanna see them in your town."

What can we expect from Bad Afro in the future?
"I have a lot of stuff in the pipeline. Here in January there will be the Hellacopters/the Flaming Sideburns 'White Trash Soul' split 10"/CD which I am very proud of. That's three exclusive songs by each band. In March there is the second release in the 'Pushing Scandinavian Rock To The Man!' compilation series that will feature bands like the Royal Beat Conspiracy, the Burnouts, Mother Superior, the Flaming Sideburns, the Rockets, the Dialtones, the Branded Women, the Festermen, the Peepshows, the Maggots, the Chronics, and the Turpentines. In May there is the "real" debut album by the Flaming Sideburns which I think is the coolest band around here. I expect a lot from that release. Besides that there will be releases of singles by the Hives, Thee Ultra Bimboos, the Flaming Sideburns, the Burnouts, Tremolo Beer Gut, the Ricochets, the Sewergrooves, and the Cosmo Jones Beat Machine and of course the second Burnouts album and a 10"/CD with the Maggots. So 2001 will be a busy year for me. Other plans include getting high and being with beautiful women. At least the getting high part is easy. Also, early next year it will be possible to buy Bad Afro Records online via credit card which is something I have been working on for a long time."

» Check out the Bad Afro website

http://www.kindamuzik.net/label/709/bad-afro/515/
Meer op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/709