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Can you explain why you picked Elefant Records as a name?
"I like animals, elephants in special. But I chose it by chance, because of
something personal... It's a secret!!!"
Why did you decide to start up a label?
"I love music, just can't live without it. I guess that has a lot to do with
most of the things I've done during the last years. I've been listening to
music since the beginning and one of the most beautiful things about music
is to share it and to express yourself through it. Elefant is something like
that: to discover something, to get excited about it and to try to show it
to other people. It's a way of sharing feelings, a way of understanding
music and life."
It must be hard running a label in Spain. Or maybe it isn't, what the hell
do I know? How is the music-scene like in Spain?
"Yes, it's very difficult. Independent music has very little presence and with independent pop
things are even worse. The best-selling music in Spain, apart from the most
commercial stuff, is traditional popular spanish music and hard rock and
heavy metal. Independent infrastructure in Spain is very small, we get
scarce support from big media, the specialized media is not very good,
even though there are many mags and radio shows. Distribution is a very
difficult task, and there aren't too many people interested in it either.
To cut it short, it's even harder than it seems! And there are many things to
be done to make things change a little. In any case, I've always been a very
positive person and I see a very hopeful future. Things are changing in
Spain, though little by little. The last years have been very important for
Spanish pop, there are new young people doing very interesting things
(radio, fanzines, bands, festivals).
Spain went through a very funny phase. In the late seventies/early eighties
there was a very strong independent explosion in the whole country, in
music, filmmaking, literature and art in general. While Spain was
going through this movement, it was very well received and had a lot of success
and attention from the media. But it was rapidly swallowed and
commercialized by major companies, which put an end to indie labels, and
indie music in general.
This caused a strange situation: independence disappeared from Spain during
some years, there were no bands, no labels, no distributors, nothing really
interesting.
In the late 80s early 90s indie pop reappeared in Spain, but back from
scratch, so the nineties were especially difficult for indie labels and
bands: we had to get born, grow up, learn a lot and find our place in the
very complicated music market. After ten years' work, things are really
changing and we're growing little by little and consolidating a very
interesting indie scene. Spain is changing!!!!!"
Who runs the label? Is it one man on a mission to conquer the world? Or
maybe a team of soldiers?
"I started Elefant all by myself in 1989, and I've been working alone for
many years, but now I have a great team of soldiers that help me a lot:
Montse (my girlfriend and label partner), Tito (who has been in many
important bands: the two latest, Telefilme and Anti, are in Elefant) and
Rafa, guitar player in Vacaciones (one of our latest signed up bands). The
four of us will conquer the world!!!!"
Is the label a hobby or a fool, sorry I mean, full time job?
"Both! It mustn't stop being a hobby because that's the spirit of the label. And
at the same time it's a job: we don't live out of it but we're 24 hours a
day working on it and for it (including weekends and holidays). A label
requires absolute dedication and we urgently need some holidays!!!!"
A day in the office consists of reading NME, watching Pedro Almod—var movies
or what?
"We start working from 9:30 am and we keep on working the whole day.
Every day is full of things to do, each of us is in charge of many different
things: Spanish and international promotion, direct sales... but day-to-day
work is very similar every day. It can be a bit mechanical or monotonous
sometimes, but it's not boring at all as we're in contact with people all
over the world (due to promotion, sales, friendship, music); you share many
things with these people and that helps you not to feel like a freak, you
feel part of something worldwide. We all love music and are very aware of
everything that is going on, we're music fans! There's little time to relax,
if we have some we talk about day-to-day things, from Spain or abroad. We
see Almodovar films in the cinema, and we read NME in the toilet!"
Can you describe the sound of elefants... I mean, Elefant Records?
"Elephants are beautiful, especially the little ones. Elefant is like a little
elephant. It's pop, and that includes many different types of music. I want
Elefant to be a specific label, but not too centered in a concrete sound or
style. I like very different types of music, and maybe the label reflects my
musical tastes of the moment. But it's always pop, from something very
acoustic or folk to bossa nova, electronic music or much noisier things."
I noticed you also have a sublabel, Stereophonic. Why did you decide to
start up a Dance-label?
"It was sort of an extension of Elefant but now it doesn't make too much sense.
It was created due to the evolution some of the Elefant bands
were going through, towards more electronic and experimental fields, and
because I've always loved electronic music. I admire seventies German
krautrock, eighties techno pop and electronics in general. But now I see
things in a different way, I like the name of the label but maybe we should
have released all that stuff directly by Elefant. Now I think it's better to
release everything under the label of Elefant than fragmenting Elefant in
sublabels, which can be ok for some time but not forever. So now it's a bit
weird, there are very experimental things out on Elefant, and very pop
things on Stereophonic..."
How important is the internet for you? A way to chat with some Star Trek fan
a million miles away or a business tool?
"Internet is very important for everything, to communicate with people, to
promote the label, to make friends... It's fast, easy and cheap!!! It's
really cool, maybe it's the most important tool for the label."
What was the first record you released? Was it a fun experience?
"We started putting out tapes and flexis. But our first record was ER-101, a
single by a uk band called Home And Abroad. More than being fun, it was
really thrilling, something unique. Everytime finished copies of a new
record are delivered in the office, it is something very special for me, it's
like culminating a period of hard working."
Looking back, what is the most important thing you learned? That the vinyl
records do not fit in digipacks?
"Many things (apart from that!), many important things have been learned, but
it would be difficult to choose one. You learn from everything, I
especially pay attention to how major and some other indie labels work, and I
learnt from that what I must not do!"
Talking about packaging, how important is the cover? Do you have any input
in the layout?
"It has as much importance as music. It's very important to pay attention to
everything: sleeves, design, craft..."
How do you find new bands? Do bands send you demos? Or do you prefer to hunt
them down yourself?
"Many different ways, though the most usual way is through demos we've been
sent. Everyday we receive many demos from bands from Spain and abroad.
You also find new bands at live shows and of course reading
fanzines and magazines."
Apart from releasing records, does Elefant Records do anything else?
"Throughout more than ten years we've done many things. We've
organized (and we still organize) Spanish tours of bands we love and that
hadn't played in spain yet (Stereolab, the Pastels, BMX Bandits, Damon And
Naomi, Heavenly, Marine Research, the Frank And Walters...). We also made a
magazine called "Spiral" during three years. With some other friends we
created another label called acuarela... now I codirect (with my friend
Joako) a radio show exclusively dedicated to pop music at a very big radio
station for all the country. It's working pretty well. We also do a tv show.
Besides, we run a mail order and distribute many Spanish indie labels and
many from abroad, zines, demos... We do many things!!!!"
What is the future holding? Any new releases coming up?
» Visit Elefant Records' website http://www.kindamuzik.net/label/709/elefant-records/521/
"The future looks very promising, full of surprises and good moments. We have
so many cool things to put out that I don't know how to start telling you.
Best is that you check our wonderful website
www.elefant.com and there you'll learn about all our new projects!!!"
Meer op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/709
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