Planet Origo ver. 0.10e
last updated 2010-02-18 02:13 CET
When looking at, or listening to the history of electronic music, Germany plays an important part. But Germany does not only offer Berliner Schule sequencerfests, Teutonic disco beats or trance DJs. Let's hear what one of the current specialized labels have to say about nurturing contemporary electronic music. This is the Mellowjet Records profile.
Bernd Scholl is MellowJet Records' founder, owner and manager.
Bernd is also a composer and musician under the name Moonbooter.
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Germany is the home of many electronic music bands, including some of the original pioneers; Stockhausen, Can, Faust, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and many others. There is today, not surprisingly, a thriving electronic music community in Germany beside techno, dance and trance, and in the melodic and spacey scene can be found MellowJet Records, run by musician, producer and artist, Bernd Scholl. Planet Origo spoke to Bernd so he could introduce his label to new fans.
Planet Origo: When was the label founded, and what led to its foundation?
Bernd Scholl: MellowJet Records was founded in May 2007. I released my own music on other labels before and was unsatisfied the way they promoted me and my music. Additionally my life-situation changed at that time. So I decided to go my own way by founding a label with the first intention to release my own music. A short time later lots of artists asked me to [be involved] and MellowJet started growing, first with known artists like Wellenfeld, Uwe Reckzeh, Exposed and many others, beside my own Moonbooter project.
Planet Origo: Has the label specialized in any particular kind of electronic music?
Bernd: We release many kinds of electronic music, from the classical Tangerine Dream sound, ambient and chillout, to more danceable electronic music. But at heart we are focused on contemporary traditional electronic music mixed with modern styles and sounds.
Planet Origo: Do you have any favourite albums among the ones you have released?
Bernd: We have released about 80 albums and [additionally] distribute over 40 titles from friendly artists. There are some rereleases, like the complete back-catalogue of CMS and 4U-Records. We are always looking for new talents and of course known artists to expand our bandwidth and to develop our own horizon. [We recently released] the new Bernd Kinstenmacher album, after 8 years. Of course I have some favourites but that's not important. I think MellowJet would become very boring if I only released the kind of music I personally like.
Planet Origo: Has there been a development in the type of music the label has released since the beginning?
Bernd: No. But there is a development in the way I make decisions and manage things today. This is not only because of the experiences I won in the past two years but also in regard to the self-confidence we have today.
Planet Origo: What is the trend in the electronic music scene today in Germany, in terms of the non-dance electronic music your label usually put out?
Bernd: Let me first say that there are only three (of 120) of our releases that are focused on dance music. Back to your main question: The electronic music community here in Germany is very conservative. They prefer traditional electronic music. So it is a bit difficult to argue people into new sounds. But I also think that the quality of detailed music, and music coming from the heart, is established. Besides traditional electronic music we always try to release related new and exciting electronic music.
Planet Origo: Tell us about the process of finding and selecting artists and albums for a release. Do you receive alot of demos, or is it more a personcal network process?
Bernd: It is an interaction of different ways. Some artists on MellowJet Records were friends over years, others were new persons to me. Plus there is a growing network of artists, radio DJs and activists advertising new artists to MellowJet. I get a lot of promos but it's sometimes difficult to look behind them. MellowJet is interested in building up artists and this process works only with artists releasing new music regularly.
Planet Origo: To what extent do you guide or coach artists and albums from beginning to end?
Bernd: All humans are different. Some artists have exact concepts of the artwork, the mastering and the way they are presented. In these cases I do not have much work. Other artists are very concentrated on their music and prefer to change hands. I like both kinds and only try to get the best possible result. We offer all artists to work together on the artwork, mastering, playlist, website and so on, make offers and communicate experiences. But I always try not to interfere. The musician must identify himself with his own final product. If he doesn't, he will get lazy in promoting it. And that's not effective for anybody.
Planet Origo: Do you work on a project-to-project basis, or do you try to nurture long-term relationships and build a solid group of artists and composers?
Bernd: Yes, as already mentioned. As a musician you need a long, long [breathing period]. It's very unusual that the first release of a new artist will be a top-seller in our scene instantly. Dithmar is the first exception that I know [about]. So building up a band or an artist is my primary goal.
Planet Origo: What are the challenges - or blessings - of releasing and marketing electronic music today?
Bernd: Electronic music is omnipresent. Let me explain: When you are zapping trough TV channels or watch films, there's a lot of electronic music. Most consumers do not realize that. But if you saw a documentary without that music it would be an awful bore. Electronic music is the perfect music to [develop] a special mood. That's a great chance for our genre. But the crowds want a spectacular show and lyrics which we do not offer. So we must try to satisfy more and more people from our music scene by directly confronting them, for example at festivals. I know and believe that electronic music has an enormous power without spectacular effects and world-moving intentions.
Planet Origo: Some record labels were for a long time hesitant to embrace the digital download revolution; how has your label reacted to the MP3 and download opportunities? Are CDs still important?
Bernd: Counter-question: What would happen to labels about 20 years ago, if they had not swapped to the upcoming CD and adhere to vinyl? CDs are still important, for example for promoting to radio stations or print magazines and of course for faithful fans. But the progress of digital distribution is irresistible. So all releases are available for download at different shops and still on CD or CDR.
Planet Origo: With cheap music production equipment like softsynths and home computers being used by amateur musicians, is it getting easier or more difficult to find the good artists?
Bernd: Klaus Schulze himself said a lot of times in interviews that he is using softsynths. So that kind of virtual instruments is not for amateurs only. It's not a question of equipment. As in the past it is still a question of the individual's musical aptitude. As long as an artist does not want to play live on stage, he can use whatever he wants or can afford. I know artists with dozens of synthesizers, mixers, effects in their studio, but I never found soul or an inspirational moment in their music. I also know artists using a notebook with only freeware installed, but the generated music touched my heart. It's perfect if both aspects come together. This means, a proper studio and musical aptitude. Before I decide for or against a new artist I take a look at both aspects. When I can find a good mixture it's a first and a good argument for a release. But there must also be a good personal relationship.
Planet Origo: And on the same note as above, why should artists go through a label when they can essentially produce, release and market their music from their home, with all the global and affordable tools that exist now?
Bernd: There are a lot of aspects. Some musicians do not have the necessary connections and lust to promote themselves. Promoting is a very hard job that requires a lot of patience. For getting airplay here in Germany you need an LC Code. So you have to found a label and become a member of many institutions. Customers and distributors have difficulties in ordering music from a private musician. Reasons are the unknown reliability and the price for shipping of maybe [just a few] CDs. For a single musician it's also very difficult to get directly distributed by iTunes [and such], unless he has to pay huge fees for such services. Labels can manage that easier. I think there are too many artists trying to do all that necessary work on their own, getting more and more frustrated. That doesn't mean that labels can do any job for a musician, but within a team you can set more things in motion.
Planet Origo: Do you have any special future plans for the label, apart from releasing more great music?
Bernd: Not directly. The things I started are so far well thought out. And I am still improving details, like our webshop, relationsships and so on. I try to follow the market with the intention not to overlook future evolutions. There are some future plans, but at the moment it's not the right time to talk about them. I'll let You know in time.
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