Ask any vinyl fiend for their favorite labels, and Bilocation Records is certain to jump right to the front of their minds. Featuring great vinyl releases of some of the best heavy bands out there, Bilocation has definitely carved a niche in the heavy rock world. Let's hear it from them . ..
How did you get started running an independent record label?
After running the mailorder for a couple of years we had several band inquiries from time to time. With Lonely Kamel we decided it would be a great idea to try releasing their first two albums on our own as we really loved their music. Well – it worked out fine and we simply continued!
What motivated you? Did you tap into a particular local scene or were you aiming to capture a sound?
Our motivation is the medium vinyl. We always loved vinyl, even in the hard years as vinyl was completely down. We wanted to give bands a chance to release their stuff on vinyl. We are always trying to find bands with an individual sound, who try to find an unoccupied niche in the heavy rock and psychedelic-rock scene.
Describe your label philosophy and individuality?
From beginning our aim was to offer the collectors and vinyl-fans high quality products only. All our releases are released on 180g vinyl, manufactured at the in our opinion best pressing plant in Germany. All our releases get a special vinyl mastering for best sound. Our focus is on the quality that you get as a vinyl-collector.
Lonely Kamel – s/t in early 2011
There's so much to learn about running a label, share with us some of the lessons you've learned along the way.
You have to be patient – everything needs more time than expected! Be attentive – there are many possible mistakes hidden in every detail.
What's been your label's high point? Low point?
No lowpoint up to now (puh!!) – many high points: every release that we can hold in our hands after months of work is a high point. Every edition sold out is a great success for us. And of course it is fantastic to have the chance to work together with so many talented and nice musicians from all over the world!
Who would you like to work with, but haven't yet?
That is a good questions – there are so many great bands on this planet…hard to tell. Of course it would be great to work with the big names, but we love the enthusiasm & freshness of the young and underground bands…we are really looking forward the next releases. And be sure: we will have some great things coming ahead!
What changes do you see ahead for the music industry?
There is a huge vinyl overkill going on for a while now…all the big record companies are trying to make a fast cash-in due to the vinyl revival…the market is flooded with cheaply made but expensively sold releases…like any overkill this will end in the near future and we will see how the vinyl-scene will look like after that…
What are you doing to stay on top of new and emerging technology?
Vinyl is old-school so we love the old-school way…but social media is a good way to promote things so we try to go with that as good as we can.
What's the biggest challenge facing you today as an independent label?
It is everyday work: keep posting news around so people do not forget about you…the times are fast, so you have to be on the ball.
Seems that the sound of the bands you sign keeps evolving. What do you look for in your bands?
It is simple: we have to love it…you cannot describe it, what makes it magic for us…everything has to fit together…how can you describe love??
How do you find your artists?
We get a lot of inquiries – that is the one side…but we are always searching the net and local scene to find new and promising talents!
Are you a club rat, constantly searching live venues for cool acts?
We really like festivals, and there are many around…it is a great chance to see many bands on one place, meet nice people. We also dig club concerts but do not have so much time to spend every night in a club!
The summer, haha!! And of course the next releases and Desertfest in Berlin, our home-festival!
Are you involved in all the creative decisions?
That depends on the bands. Many bands have their own ideas for artwork and so on and we like to give them as much free choice as possible, cause it is their product in the end. But we give advices and all the help that is needed.
What would you like to see happen for the future of the music industry and your label in particular?
It would be great if we could maintain our space on the market and deliver more great releases for the collectors and music-lovers. I hope the music industry will focus again more on great bands than just on daily hits…it is no wonder that there are only few or no big & good new bands anymore if they focus only on a fast cash-in.
Find all the goodies at https://www.facebook.com/bilocationrecordsberlin