Interview by Andrea Ferraris, Chain DLK
How long have you been doing the label? Honestly, when you started you really thought you'd have put out that many releases? …good, you put lot of emphasis on coherence: why? (It looks like you've
been disappointed by something or someone in the past.)
No, I haven't had any great disappointment. My idea of coherence
is not related to the music genres or to the records I want to realize but it
has to do with the way in which someone promotes his releases and to way in
which music can be found and listened. It's a political position that has to
do with the fact I've been involved in the punk culture. I thought art necessarily
had to know its social and political power, everyone who is involved in it (bands,
labels and so on...) should confront with that knowledge and everybody has to
act following his own personal values. Since those values are often against
something (mainly the western global capitalist -antisocial- culture), that's
the way I think I've to behave. After that, I want to say that I don't like
music with political lyrics (such as combat rock commercial bands) and I often
search for the pure pleasure of listening, but obviously If I run a label I
think I've to do my best to create something different from the official business
related to the music market.
Some of the bands you put out during the last years while being experimental
have a clear Seventies cut (from industrial heroes Tasaday to Bron y aur, from
Uncode Duello to Rosolina Mar). It happened by chance or are you an irredentist
freak nostalgically missing the Seventies?
No way! Honestly I've never noticed that common thread that links
the bands you listed ...perhaps those more immersed in the Seventies and the
most freak of all are Bron y Aur. It's also true in that period the last inventible
genres had been invented, later on it all has become a matter of restyling...influence
are inescapable and it's obvious there's always something that reminds that
period. Or maybe it's just I'm an elitist snob and I simply try to distance
myself from the actual trend of the Eighties-revival...
You put out artist that went on a major label like Bugo, but also bands
such as like Zu, Dalek, Lukas Lieti, Gebbia, One Dimensional Man, Martuscello…just
to list the most popular name of you catalogue. Notwithstanding the fame of
Wallace records is relatively marginal over here, above all your label is still
considered off and above all related to the weird bands. What do you think about
it?
I'm not so glad Wallace is considered a label focussed on off music,
also 'cause that's not true. I think it's up to a lazy listening and to an inexact
categorization. If you examine deeply my catalogue it's more experimental-rock'n'roll
oriented, this wide spectrum of genres reflects completely my personal taste,
I also think heterogeneity is the dominant characteristic of Wallace records.
It's obvious if Marlene Kuntz and Radiohead are the two extreme of the listeners'
view even Bugo might sound off. I must confess that when I listen and appreciate
a record or a band (and consequentially, if I'm considering to realize it) and
it's different from the other releases of my back catalogue I'm always excited
like a kid!. Just to satisfy my personal taste I'd like to put out a metal band
and/or somebody playing minimal techno…
It seems like you don't care so much of putting out a new release/artist
even if it's completely unknown, or even if you never seen them, live unless
you like it. Is it true? I mean, how many band have you chosen after the listening
of a demo and completely out of the blue even if it did imply you didn't know
them?
If my memory doesn't fail me, I've never realized a record with
just a demo...the point is or I already knew the band or I've heard good rumours
about them...perhaps I've put out Bz Bz Ueu just knowing them thru the phone,
musically I knew the band pretty well and I was definitely a fan. Anyhow the
real point it's I don't care about demos, it's just I care so much that the
bands are aware of the troubled water they're gonna sail when coming out on
Wallace. I don't think I could put out anything or somebody I don't appreciate
and with which I don't feel comfortable. It looks like I haven't made so many
mistakes since all of the bands I put out kept on putting out records for me
(ok, all of them except Bugo). After seventy records I think that's a great
result. Maybe it's all up to the good wine or to the oversized meal we've had
together...
Which are you best seller releases and which of the records you put out
should have sold better according to your opinion?
Bugo's Sentimento Westernato obviously is my bestseller (the musician
is on a major label now), it's been also repressed but just by Bar la Muerte
(the label of Bruno from Ovo/Ronin fame), I don't even know how many copies
it has been selling. Another surprisingly good seller has been Rosolina Mar's
debut cd and the second record is selling pretty well too…the second cd
of A Short Apnea, Runi's second release, Madrigali Magri and their reincarnation
Bachi da Pietra (the band has gone on the front cover of a well known Italian
alternative magazine). We're talking about small numbers anyhow, I mean one
thousand or one thousand and five hundred copies. Honestly I think that the
most of the releases could have been selling much more, those who did it depended
mostly from the live act of that band, excluding the few times the press gave
the adequate attention to the cd by reviewing it in a positive way. In the most
of the cases they were not so interested in interviewing the band, unfortunately
that has also to do with the fact I'm not one of those who pushes to get reviews
or even worse interviews, and you know, when the work of a journalist becomes
routine, it's easier to answer to the requests of a promotion agency than to
go deeper. Believe me, that's not an accusation to the press, it's just the
way it is. A bad surprise has been the …just arrived release, but I know
it's not such a easy cd and it combines two big monsters like A Short Apnea
and Gorge Trio. Another worse seller unfortunately is the Andrea Caccia's movie,
but the problem with it was the fact it came out in VHS format right a month
before the DVD took over the market. It's sad for those who missed it, it's
top notch for real!.
Even if I don't like all of your releases, I think you kept an high profile
and at the same time you accomplished to give a clear direction to the label
even if many of the musicians of your roster are really different. Apart from
some great releases with foreign bands, the 90% of you catalogue is made in
Italy. Wouldn't it be easier to produce more and more foreign bands to sell
a bit more records?
I'm not sure it would be necessarily better economic-wise…it's
true, some foreign bands sold kinda well and above all overseas they got a better
distribution, but not always. Anyhow, nationality it's not something I care
that much, to me working with Rollerball or with Arrington (Old Time Relijun)
has been like working with any other Italian band. The basic conditions to put
out a record can be resumed in: a mutual respect with the musicians and the
obvious fact I should like the music he/they play and his/their attitude. I'm
glad you think Wallace is an heterogeneous label, but with a definite idea/characteristic
underneath. It's the idea of the label I've always wanted to give.
Is there anything you'd like to put out that's not a record, a cd? I mean
a different format since you already put out an art cd, a vhs, a comic…
putting out materials different from the cd/lp format has always
been stimulating: video, films, comics, photographies, books...are the arts
I like the most (but I'm not a real expert one) and those I feel closer to music
for their aesthetic contents and for the socio-culturally way of communicating.
The things I've realized till now as I've said I did it with artists I've happened
to know, I don't see that many different objects out of cds or lps in my catalogue,
but if I should come into something that's suitable for Wallace: you can bet
I'd start collaborating!
Which labels were inspiring to start a label and which o you like now?
And which bands would you like to put out now?
the labels that made my ass moving and that today are not as inspiring
as they used to be are: Touch & Go (from Don Caballero to CocoRosie), Dischord
during the punk to he bone era and Skin Graft (of the mighty US Maple). But,
those are sort of my personal milestones. Today I'm into Load records, Ipecac,
Gsl...I trade with many labels round the globe and here and there I've found
some very interesting releases. I feel an old fart in saying this but…the
music I still love is that related to a particular springful moment of my life
and that means the bond that links me to it is definitely a personal one. Everyday
I put a new cd in my stereo I wish it will make my yell: fuck!!! and I wish
it will amaze me like it happened with Rodan, or Flying Luttenbachers back in
the days. I'd like to put out one of those records…one bands coming from
Chicago between 1995 and 2000. Wallace gave me so much and I'd like to give
a tribute to those who inspired the label…
…It sounds like there's a lot of nostalgia inside this answer. D'Annunzio
once said: …to march and not rot! otherwise everything would become routine
like for many journalist as you were complaining before…
…what you say is true, …to march and not to rot! is above
all a personal motto and I think that's the way it has to be, I keep my eyes
open to avoid it all turns into routine. Probably for who's judging Wallace
from the outside it looks like it's always the same shit, sometimes I happened
to read …this record is the average Wallace release and I hardly agreed
with that when I was reading, since I keep on putting out records with the same
spirit of the first release, it's ok with me…damn, probably I sound a bit
nostalgic!?.