30.EPILOGUE.53: July 23, 2003.
"Retreating To A Useful Position (2)."
Like a lot of the stuff I was doing at the time, this was regarded
by many English music critics as a kind of arty joke, and they had a lot
of fun with it. I'm therefore pleased that the idea has stuck around
so long and keeps sprouting off in all sorts of directions: it comes back
round to me like Chinese Whispers-- unrecognizable but intriguing.
--Brian Eno, A Year With Swollen Appendices.
INTERLUDE: "A Fax to FAX +49-69/450464."
There is, of course, non-Eno
ambient music that's worth while. Never forget this.
For example:
Peter Kuhlmann.
Also, Pete Namlook.
They're actually the same
person.
(Say "Kuhlmann" backwards)
Sometimes, either together
or individually, they save my mind.
He / they make and distribute
music. Electronic music. "Ambient" music. Some of the
finest electronic / "Ambient" music being created today.
The music comes out on the
FAX +49-69/450464 label.
FAX +49-69/450464 is just
called "FAX" for short.
FAX IN THE WORLD
The name of the label is actually
the fax number you phone to reach label. This is to facilitate communication.
Therefore. you have a FAX
disc in your sweaty little hands, you immediately have access to all things
FAX. All it takes is a phone call.
Keep in mind that FAX was
started in the early 90s, back when actual fax technology was still current
and big. There was a time-- and a time not long ago-- when the fax
machine really was the next big thing, and not just a quaintly antiquated
piece of fetish technology.
Anyway, firmly rooted in
reality, these days FAX also has a web presence. There are in fact,
3 different web pages devoted to the world of FAX:
There's the main FAX page:
http://music.hyperreal.org/labels/fax/
Next, there's the "FAX Galleria"
which contains artwork from the FAX label cd series. FAX artwork
is very distinctive and designed for instant recognition. Each of
the "phases" (each "phase" lasts about 2-3 years) of FAX's existence has
had a unique and very stylish visual aesthetic:
http://www.usatt.org/rseguine/FAX/
And then there's a FAX review
site, offering, as implied, listener reviews of several FAX titles:
http://www.2350.org/
Once, there was also a website
called faxlabel.com, but as of this writing it appears to be dead.
Thus, if the FAX +49-69/450464
label were to be started now, it would probably be called something like
Pete.Namlook@t-online.de, which according to the main FAX page is Kuhlmann's
current e-mail address.
THIS IS IMPORTANT:
FAX +49-69/450464 is a labour
of love.
And it shows.
WHAT KUHLMANN LOVES
Kuhlmann loves "Ambient" music.
"AMBIENT"
I'm putting "Ambient" in quotes
here partly because I like to put quotation marks around things, but mainly
because Peter Kuhlmann himself also puts quotes around the word "Ambient."
He does this because his definition of "Ambient" music encompasses all
kinds of music from Dance to Jazz to Classical to you name it.
Anything that generates
a mood is, by definition, "Ambient." And all music generates a mood.
Thus, all music, is, in a sense "Ambient."
So, Kuhlmann's "Ambient"
isn't Ambient music in the Eno sense. Although it can and does encompass
Eno Ambient as well as, well, just about everything. In a sense,
this is a definition that is so broad it becomes meaningless. But,
then again, maybe that's sort of the point.
But, still, even in the
Kuhlmann sense, there is a kind of provisional limit to what "Ambient"
can mean. "Ambient" refers to, primarily-- although not exclusively--
relaxed, or semi-relaxed spacy electronic music. Sometimes it has
a beat, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's a wash of abstract sounds,
other times its very structured.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Peter Kuhlmann started FAX in
the early 90s. 1992, I think. He started the label, primarily,
to promote his own music.
I don't really know how
old Peter Kuhlmann is, but on the main FAX page he implies that he grew
up, playing music, in Germany, during the 1970s. This could mean
he was a teenager in the 70s, or simply a little kid. He played guitar
and hated having to perpetually tune his instrument. He also found
the structures he was forced to learn very restrictive. However he
had a love of technology and once he discovered "Ambient" music he found
himself freed to explore his real interests: using sound to create mood
and a sense of space, in a sense "painting" with sound (it's interesting
how lots of electronic musicians refer to the act of painting when making
music).
Eventually, through his
experimentation with electronic music, Kuhlmann found some like-minded
people and began producing music in earnest. He had a few run-ins
with recording industry types who tried to manipulate him and shape him
into what their visions dictated. Very quickly, because Kuhlmann
doesn't like restrictions-- both musical and personal-- he got frustrated
with the close-mindedness of the industry and created FAX.
Then, after a bit of struggle,
based on the strength of his work he got a non-interference distribution
deal with a European distributor called N.E.W.S. (Music Man distribution).
With a friend going by the
name Dr. Atmo (now part of, among other things, the superb "Ambient" "band"
Sad World), Kuhlmann (going under the Namlook name) recorded what he considers
his first true "Ambient" work (Silence). And then from there
the whole thing just took off.
(The above has been extrapolated/paraphrased
from the "Information" page on the FAX main page. The "Information"
page itself is an excerpt from some liner notes Kuhlmann wrote.)
THE WORLD OF FAX
And, so, anyway, Peter Kuhlmann
loves "Ambient" music, and has for quite some time.
And, so, because of this,
he started a label to promote and distribute both himself and other quality
electronic ("Ambient") music.
And to aid him in his task,
he has managed to assemble some of the finest electronic musicians from
around the world, both fresh talent and venerated legends. For example,
some of the names you can find on FAX discs include world-renowned Japanese
sound-artist Tetsu Inoue, avant-garde bassist Bill Laswell (whose name
is synonymous with just about every style of music from Jazz to Techno,
Dub Reggae Thrash Metal, R&B, Rap, Drum n Bass, Classical, the list
goes on and on), Atom Heart (who's starting to make a pretty big splash,
now), recording legend Klaus Schulze, and Canada's very own techno-genius
Richie Hawtin... just for starters. And, of course, let's not forget
Kuhlmann himself, recording under the name Pete Namlook.
And, given talent like that,
it's hard to imagine that at least some of the music coming out of this
label would be good. What's astonishing is how much of it is good,
if not great-- and also how much of it there is.
There are zillions of FAX
cds. For a while there, it seemed like there was a new disc every
week.
This is part of Kuhlmann's
strategy: Make as much music as possible, and get it out there.
Don't be a prima donna sitting on your butt waiting for "inspiration."
Always be in a state of "inspiration." Just go out there and do it.
Oh yeah, and make damn sure it's good, too.
And, he does it. Time
and time again. And so do all his friends, the other artists on FAX.
And, of course, it goes
without saying that all the others on FAX are free to move around as they
wish. No one is ever exclusive to FAX. This is, and always
will be, one of the things that indies like FAX superior in every way shape
and form to the majors.
(And, in the case of people
like Bill Laswell who've been around for decades and been involved in thousands
of projects in almost every genre of music, how could you even hope to
contain them?)
And so FAX puts out oodles
of cds. And it's all done on the cheap.
Costs are kept down because
the press runs are all limited to under 3000 copies. Most of them
are around the 500-1000 range. This allows for a flood of stuff,
but never a saturation of one title, or overrepresentation of one artist.
Except maybe for Pete Namlook.
But, I mean, he sorta comes with the territory. And, besides, I don't
really think a plethora of Namlook material is really a bad idea, and thus
it's not "overrepresentation."
Also, the FAX label is set
up in such a way that the artists on it get most of the money their cds
generate. This is actually, believe it or not, a revolutionary concept--
as far as the majors are concerned, anyway. There are quite a few
little labels that allow their artists to get most of the money the cds
generate. (But still not as many as you might think.)
Y'see, the way Kuhlmann
looks at it, actually paying your artists and decent chunk of the money
their arts makes actually allows them to directly reap the benefits of
their work. This means that if an artist can sell, say, all 1000
copies of a cd he/she's had pressed by FAX-- if you weigh the production
costs against units moved-- technically that artist has come farther out
ahead than say, Janet Jackson selling 10% of a press run of millions that
cost millions of dollars to produce, and getting, like maybe 50 cents a
disc.
Thus, you can actually make
a living putting out music ion FAX. As long as you've got a lot of
music in you.
(Another label that works
this way include Warp out of England. And it's possible that Alien8
in Montreal, and maybe John Zorn's New York label Tzadik are also set up
this way. But I'm not sure. But, frankly, it would surprise
me if they weren't.)
BUT, THE REAL IMPORTANT THING IS, OF COURSE, THE MUSIC....
The music itself sounds both
retro and modern.
Namlook himself uses a lot
of vintage synths (either that or synths that emulate vintage equipment)
and has a kind of Progressive / Krautrock style mixed with contemporary
sounds and more turn-of-the-century beats. Sometimes his music is
kind of Tangerine Dream-y, or Klaus Schulze-ish: it drifts and meanders,
layers of sound build on one another, sequencer pulses start and stop.
A lot of Namlook's pieces
are very extended, some being the length of an entire cd. This is
another nod towards the early days of electronic music where, especially
in the European scene, individual pieces took up the entire side of an
lp-- or filled the whole lp and each track was simply "Part 1," and "Part
2," and "Part 3" (etc.), of that title-- kind of like movements in a symphony
(again, Tangerine Dream and Schulze especially spring to mind, and of course
Jean Michel Jarre).
(And, as far as the Schulze
thing goes, Namlook's actually recorded a series of discs with Schulze
himself: the excellent Dark Side Of The Moog series which consists
of disc-long pieces-- at least the ones I've heard do-- each punning a
Pink Floyd title. The pieces are long, and spacy, filled with great
vintage sounds and also some very kick-ass beat-work. Highly recommended.)
Namlook's music is also
very lush and invigorating. Much of it seems improvised, but there's
never really a sense that he's just "wanking." There's a cohesiveness
to his work and he has a great feel for detail. He knows what sounds
work best where, when to kick up the tempo a notch or ten, and when to
just drift. This makes the music cinematic and expressive.
Listening to a Namlook cd transports me into deep space, or alien environments.
And, frankly, a lot of contemporary electronic music doesn't do this to
me. Too much of it is concerned with dropping E on the dance floor
and feeling bass beats so hard and heavy you come in your pants.
There isn't a desire to create anything substantial or lasting. And,
again, this is where Namlook and the rest of the FAX crew stand head and
shoulders above the rest.
Like the Germans of the
70s (Tangerine Dream, Schulze, Kraftwerk, Conrad Schnizler, Kluster, etc.),
like people like Jarre and Brian Eno-- people who nowadays get relegated
to the New Age bins in record stores by clerks and managers with no sense
of history and/or taste-- Namlook is making documents that both explore
their own technology, provide thrilling mind movies, and that will ultimately
(I think) withstand the test of time. This is, of course, once again,
because Namlook approaches his work like an artist, and not just some pill
popping beat junkie.
Of course, the same can
be said of the other artists on the label, too.
GUSHING
Namlook's is "space" music,
not in the sense of the whiny post-punk "space rock" bands that came out
in the 1990s and inexplicably continue on to this very day: the kind of
music with lots of jangly guitars and sad falsetto vocals about longing,
misery, and the loss of girlfriends, but "space" music in that the music
itself is spacious and, frankly, makes me think of outer space. And
distant alien landscapes, and traveling around in other dimensions.
It's abstract and yet friendly.
Musically, everything is
becoming far too concrete and locked into the "real" world-- far too much
music has become a tool for either mindless dancing and drug gobbling,
or whining about inescapable social and existential problems that have
plagued mankind forever and will continue to do so until the end of time
and there ain't a damn thing we can do about it. And Namlook's music
is a remedy for that. It's music to think about and think around.
Music that makes me think about colours and patterns and places that don't
exist.
Of course, if your only
criterion for meaningful music is that it complains about the alienation
of life, possesses "deep," "meaningful," and "heart-felt" lyrics about
how God doesn't exist but He hates me anyway, and whines non-stop in an
attempt to induce artificial emotions and self-conscious weeping, then
FAX probably won't be for you. But if you like something that's beautiful
and warm-- and also in places kind of distant and icy-- contemplative and
fun (because there is a sense of fun in a lot of this music, from the punny
Dark
Side Of The Moog titles to the groaner of the Licensed To Chill
compilation featuring a Bondishly dressed Namlook in the liner notes, and
so on), you'll probably dig FAX.
The FAX label is also proof
that "the little guy" can make a go of it, if he's intelligent and produces
quality.
EMBRACING NOW
Just an aside:
FAX is also now selling
MP3 cds encoded at high bit-rates. Kuhlmann says they're virtually
indistinguishable from regular cds. And if this is true, this new
format is inescapably cool because it allows him to put out collections
of out-of print series. For example, the Jet Chamber collection
collects the five Jet Chamber discs Namlook did with Atom Strade,
which means roughly 5 hours of music on one CD. And because they're
MP3s, you can conveniently burn the tracks onto Cd and play them in the
car. Playing Fax stuff in the car comes highly recommended.
It turns long, boring car trips into mind movies. Of course, some
of the stuff is pretty relaxing, too. So make sure you're not sleepy
when you start off. (Always a good idea, anyway.)
Also, the high bit-rate
MP3s open the door to much longer pieces. Imagine a really good 5-hour
piece of music. Here's hoping Peter will make one.
GETTING STARTED
It's hard to say what you'll
like, because there's so much different stuff on the FAX label. Maybe
you'll be like me and like everything you've heard so far. But, very
recently I've been called "a little too easy to please" (although the amount
of time I spend perpetually complaining about things makes me somehow doubt
the truth of those words), so I'm guessing you won't love everything equally.
Your best bet is to find
a sampler, which is difficult because all these things go out of print
so fast.
You could try the Fax
Compilation, if that's still in print (but I think it might not be),
or, if you like the vintage german-sounding stuff, check out The Evolution
Of The Dark Side Of The Moog. Or even check around for some MP3s
somewhere. I'm sure Peter probably won't mind if you download some
of his music, that is as long as afterwards-- if you like it-- you actually
go out and buy some of his cds.
Other good starting points
include the light and bouncy, style-hopping Aldernebel (with Dj
Dag) and Ambiant Otaku (which isn't a Namlook release at all, but
Tetsu Inoue, and if you like layered ambiance, it's stunning). Also,
just about anything in the self titled and numbered Namlook series
is worth a spin.
ONE MINOR QUALM
Be aware that the discs are
a bit pricey in Canada-- and probably elsewhere, too, but I don't mind
this so much because most of the money is going to the artists. I
feel like I'm actually helping support something good when I buy these
discs. And, after all they will be a bit steep because they have
to be imported.
IN CONCLUSION
And so, in these days of major
label paranoia and record company greed, it's refreshing to see someone
who legitimately cares about the music he's both making and promoting,
as well as the other artists associated with his name. In many respects,
FAX is both a musician's and an electronic music fan's dream come true.
The label is structured so the artists get most of the money, unlike other
record companies which bleed the artists dry meaning that the people on
FAX can actually make a living with their music. And, on the fan
side of things, the music is very good, if not almost always excellent.
And if FAX's vision and integrity is ever compromised by outside sources,
Kuhlmann promises it will be immediately shut down.
This has been my little
cheerleading session for Peter Kuhlmann's FAX label.
The next part of "Retreating
To A Useful Position" will actually be about Brian Eno.
Thank you for your time.
