WALLACE RECORDS became one of the most important label in Italia concerning "deviant" "post" rock music, Improvisations, etc... WALLACE have now more than 28 references since1999 ! An independant label with a cool guy at his head !

Interview en Francais (bientôt !)

1 - a lot of questions in one : Your age, from which social condition you come... Can you talk about the way you create WALLACE RECORDS... can you talk about the idea behind the title.

I'm a completely standard "alternative" guy...I'm 28, I have a job (for a big company) which give me money to run wallace records during my nights....I live near Milan, which is a bad city. Wallace records born in 99 with the idea of a compilation and nothing else ....then it continue 'till now in the same way : 3 years and 28 records...I don't know what will be the future of a wallace, and I really don't care, I have no ambitions except producing music I like and have good friends. The name "wallace" ise dedicated toi marcellus wallace, the black gangster in the movie pulp fiction, and he's also the logo. I love pulp fiction (as probably all the world) and before the label I promoted a band (called Jinx) with an fake name : Mr.Wolf (another Pulp Fiction guest), 'cause lots of people was calling me to "solve problems" as Mr. Wolf do in the movie. That's all, it's a stupid reason, but I don't care too much, it's just a name.

2 - STNT is usually influenced with "rock" & so on... and people who will read this interview will be certainly influenced by Noisy Guitare etc ... How could you describe WALLACE & convince them to hear stuffs on it ?

Because I'm influenced with "rock" and Noisy Guitar too. I listen lots of punkrock and hardcore (I love Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Husker Du, Misfits, Ramones, Minor Threath) an then lots of noise (Cows, Unsane) and the I felt on love with the post rock scene (slint, tortoise, june of 44). Shellac is my favourity band ever, I'm a big Albini fan. But....in last year it's hard to find "rock" band who convince me...I think that The Strokes are not a good alternative to the rock I like...so ...in last years I've been into some of the most experimental, jazzy, free and minimalist electronic music...usually crossed with rock, and I found there something (not at all) new and interesting for me. I defintely am always a punkrocker.

3 - Can you talk about the music you listened to as a child & the way you listen to it nowadays ?

As a child? : Cartoons music :))....I listened lots of commercial shit, I was a big fan of Madonna when I was 13 (I still like Madonna). I guess that the exact moment in which I understood what I wanted to be in my life was seeing a Nirvana video (Smells L T S...)....this one of the few reason to have a television and to accept that a major label exists. Probably Nirvana changes life to many people, as Ramones did 15 years before. I still love Nirvana, and also lots of grunge album released in early 90' (Alice in chains, Soundgarden....Mudhoney!!) but I don't like what these bands did after their success...

4 - Have you learn an instrument ? Talk about your work in other mediums (painting etc...) and describe how your approach and themes differ or coincide. a word concerning the sleeves of your records ?

I played bass 5 years ago in band....but I never learn how to play it....I don't play music and I'm not an artist too...just because I'm not creative. When you realize you're not creative, life is easier. Also for sleeves or my records.....I like them, but you can see they're minimalists....I don't want to tray to create something when I'm not alble to do it. Nothing is better that something bad.

5 - How do you meet musicians at WALLACE... What do you think about the italian indie music ?

There's no a special way to meet them...I know lots of them because I go to see shows from years and years and then I meet people, I see bands I like and when they have a new album to be released they send it to me...If I like it and have money and time do it : ok, it's a new wallace release I last time there are no new bands no label, that's beacause I'm working wit h 8/10 active bands, and that's enough for a night-time job..... Band usually think that the best way is to send a promo CD : this way work only for bigger labels...i work with a band only after speak with them and like people. In Italy there good bands....very good bands, so I think the situation it's good. There are some good labels too. The problem is : we are few people, and usually we are at the same time : label, artist, journalist and we buy lots of indie records. So there's no way to sell a good quantity of records...outside the specialized scene, there are only people who listen shit.

6 - Can you talk about the distribution in ITALY ? Do you meet difficulties to distribute Wallace's records ? Are you distributed in other countries ?

I have a good independent distributor : AUDIOGLOBE. They do a good job and they're also nice people, but they suffer the same problem as me : too many bands and too many labels to distribute for few people who buy records, so they can't distribute everybody. I'm very happy to work with them, I think they're the best distributor. I also exchange records with other labels, in order to have severals titles when we do merchandise..but I'm speaking of 5 or 10 copies.....I'm not distributed in others countries...I suppose that to be italian is not very good for indie music outisde Italy, I met lots of strangers very surprised to see that in Italy we play a very good quality of indie music...but the main problem to distribute outside my country is that I should need promotion...and promotions means 50 free Cds for magazines, radio and zines, with the probality to sell 10. If you think that I should do that for at least 5 european countries, you can understand that this is impossible to do. I should print 2000 copies for every release, send 500 for promotion, send 1000 to distributors waiting that they sell some copies, give 300 copies for free to bands... It' ll remain just 1 copy for me.:)) I send Cd outside Italy, but I can't say this is promotion, it's just because I found some people I like and I want they listen my releases...in France this happen for STNT, POSITIVE RAGE, ABUS DANGEREUX or with some labels as PANDEMONIUM, SONORE, AMANITA and RECTANGLE.....my goal it's that some labels in France, Germany, Uk, Holland, Us, Japan etc....think my records interestings and they want to release it on their label....so bands could be distribuited and tour others countries. The only distro I have ouside italy are: USA - K records for OLD TIME RELIJUN 7" GERMANY - WEST BERLIN for A Short Apnea and Uzrujan EAST EUROPE - TAMIZDAT for A Short Apnea and Uzrujan

7 - how does this tie in to your opinion of improvised and composed music ? What does 'free music' mean to you? - What degree does improvisation play in your life ?

I don't understand nothing about technic in music, so the only thing I care it's the sound coming out from the hi-fi. As I told you, I love rock music...so I can enjoy every music just where I can hear rock, then it doesn't matter which instrument (or object) produce it. I can listen some very free and impovised stuff and have lots of fun, much more than a standar guitar band, but the limit between "what I like" and "what I consider useless" in improvised music is probably tracked by the situation (in a club or in my room) from the feelling in that moment (drunken or not) and many others parameters. In this way you can also understand what degree improvisation play in my life....90%, more or less.

8 - What do you think of the cultural politic of BERLUSCONI ? Which changes do you see since his election...

Berlusconi simply don't have a cultural politic. His world is only done by money, where you should buy everything : school, healt, culture. More or less like USA, where there are 45% of population is near limits of survivor. I think he's very dangerous for democracy, and I think EVERY way is good to stop him, and his alliance at Italian govern (done by fascists, new-fascist and racists). I obviously are for left political opinion, but I can say we don't have a left party in Italy, except Communist Party, the rest is done by small people unable to say something smart. Things are changing ...have you seen on TV what happen at G8 in Genova? It seemed to be in a south-american state in 70s.....police beating evreybody, just for the pleasure to beat. And the hopeness to kill. I saw last week what happened in France....I always tought that in France there is a big culture about politic and social feeling, there's a strong democracy and I people really care. And right parties are very different from Italians...more serious, I suppose that there's no way for a pig like Berlusconi to be elected in France. Le Pen is a pig too....I've been ready to come in France for manifestation in case of his elections....

9 - What are the ambitions & the projects for WALLACE in the future ?

Relax. Relax...and then I want to find the time to be relaxed. I'm working a lot, for my job too. To be relaxed I need to release less records. So this autumn there "only" 4 news : MADRIGALI MAGRI new Cd and MiniCD, ANATROFOBIA new CD, A GOURGEOUS APNEA (which a studio band with all members of A SHORT APNEA and GORGE TRIO playing togheter), ARRINGTON DE DYONISO QUARTET CD and VHS, and the new R.U.N.I. The ambition is arrive at the ned of this year and be excited as usual for a new album.

10 - is there something you want to say or ask to the french people we are...

Just that they could be interested in wallace records, maybe they can't take a look to my website www.wallacerecords.com and listen mp3. I'm afraid cause now I canceled all english info because of a renew of the site, but they can't write me at mirko@wallacerecords.com and ask for everything. And I would like to say "salut" to a friend who just died : it's Bara, the boss of earwing records in Zagreb, and guitar player of Uzrujan, a band I really like. Check www.earwingrecords.com and enjoy.

Listen to UZRUJAN !