The name of your label comes from band Njurmannen. Is that correct? Was CMI the only name from the very beginning or you had alternatives? And was the final decision made by you or people like Lina "helped" you in any way? :)
I had a few alternatives... Like Triumph Des Willens, but I am glad I never choused it! Cold Meat Industry came from a flyer I saw that made promotion of a gig with Njurm?nnen - and later I also was told it was a song-name of them as well. I liked the name from the first time read it - and later when I discussed my label-plans with Lina, the name was just very obvious and totally right!
What has influenced you to change your musical preferences from punk to industrial music? And when you was introduced to industrial for the first time?
I got more and more feed up with the punk as it was getting boring and more traditional rock - I loved Crass, but even they got boring after a while... so it was a period when I found Industrial Records (the label) and the music with it, I liked their ideas, vision and art. The playful, the fun. My kind of fun! The unpredictable - without rules fun!
I had no chance to listen to Lille Roger, unfortunately, but I'm a big fan of BDN. What kind of music you played back then? What has influenced you to stop LR, and start BDN?
I quite Lille Roger because it became too personally at that time, and it staggered into more and more standard structure of music, still the music was very much like how BDN sounds now. Rhythm, noise and vocals. So the difference is not that big, really. It was more of a mental progression.
The very first release on CMI was out in 1987. Today you have released more than 130 Cds, vinyls and tapes; CMI is one of the leading and even influencing labels in industrial/ ambient underground. What helped you to survive over the years? Do you have any advices for people who start labels? What is the hardest thing in that business?
What helped me was drinking! and my advice to others: - don't start drink! and the hardest thing in this business is the drinking! hehehe!! I don't know what has helped me survive, maybe my wife, and my ego, my background, my ideology, my skills, my devotion, my sexual addiction. CMI survived because of me, and the remarkable luck I have had with finding the bands I have released.
As I said you have released more than 100 records. Do you have a one among them which is the most important for you? The one you are very proud of?
I can not pick out just one release among all these, it is impossible, all have their personal importance. Very often I when I put on an older record or look at it I get surprised by the brilliance of it - there is not many bands today that surpasses the releases I released 10 years ago or even more! But I rather look forward than backwards, I always strive forward - new adventures! Never look back.
Agree! I have downloaded "Bomb the DayNursery" and it seems that loads of young bands play music that is worse than that 20-years old stuff! Do you receive a lot of demos from new bands? And what do you think about average level of music from newcomers? I think that 10 years ago not as many people played industrial music and their music was much better.
Yes I recieve some demos, but not as many as I use to - thank god! Mostly it's music that I'm not even interested in, like metal, pop and rock, but some in the industrial style as well, and I think that 99% of it is just crap. Cheap music made on a computer without brain or a personal touch to it. They seem to think that just because it's "dark" tunes that stretches out in endless ambient boredom I would like it? Or just because it's noise? - It makes me sick. They don't have the self-criticism that many of the bands I work with have, I guess that maybe a Swedish talent is just self-criticism! A talent not many people possesses.
BTW, what about CMI100? Any news?
No news... long process it seems, too long!!! It's a nightmare I rather not discuss....
Who is the best-selling CMI act so far?
Arcana.
What happened with Arcana? Why did they left CMI?
I am not sure what happened... Somehow Peter became unhappy with the work I did, he wanted more advertisements, more economical resources for recording his music, more royalties. He wanted to make a living out of his music and saw no other way than to start his own label...
Do you think that live out of music is real for underground musician? I hardly can imagine 5 or 6 musicians who can do that. Let's look on SPK - as soon as the guy got a child he began to play commercial music and ended with soundtracks, but he hasn't even tried to live from SPK. So, what do you think about that?
I think living by your music is a dream that should stay just a dream, unless you are a professional musician and you have a big company behind you, but for us in this scene, it is way too small, and putting that dream of money into reality, the music looses much of its charm and cheerful creativity - and it becomes just a way of earning, followed by obligations, fulfillments, and lots of hard work! You need to promote yourself hard, and be very active selling yourself. But everyone is entitled to try. But it's nothing I would recommend, especially not for a family man. I would not like to live by BDN only! Even if I sold a lot, I would rather see it as a good side-income, to be able to maintain an independency in my work, to continue creating what I stand and burn for.
Is there an album you would love to release but someone else has released it already?
Brighter Death Now "Innerwar" CD that Relapse released.
I plan to release this issue of my mag in the beginning of 2004. Can you bring some light on your plans for 2004?
cmi131 DESIDERII MARGINIS - Strife CD
cmi132 SANCTUM - Let's Eat CD
bc-010 ATARAXIA - Saphir CD
and followed by new albums with Atrium Carceri, In Slaughter Natives,
a split MCD with ORE and italian Spiritual Front,
And what about your plans for BDN?
I am working on several records that is planned to be released by a few different labels, and a new one on CMI, as well as a live-DVD from the famous Rostock-performance last year.
You say that some of BDN releases are very personal. It's hard to believe that noise music can be personal... may people think that personal can be only poems of stuff like love-songs :) What inspires you on writing music?
Firstly I don't see my music as noise - it is far more than that, to me it is music; the sound just happens to be broken in every single way! And I invest a lot of my energy and myself in the tracks I create, you can say it's poetry in sounds and that's why there is not 6 new CDs every year, but they come more seldom, and with a purpose - not only to make noise, but a purpose for myself. I get inspired by a lot of different things, things that has an impact on my life, or just for the twist of it. It can be as simple as a line of words, or a thing that I dreamt, or something that happened when I was walking across the street, or I read about in a newspaper, or heard about - it's all reflections that I generate into my vision, my world and music.
And how long does it take to create an album?
Depends on how much time I can spare, but with CMI and a family and everything, it often takes a couple of years to finalize a good concept with good tracks.
Why do you sometimes release BDN albums on "alien" labels?
Sometimes I make 2-3 tracks that doesn't really fit into anywhere, only within a concept of their own, and I have constantly labels asking me if I want to release something and with some people and labels that I really like and I know are doing a great job, I can spare these few tracks with the great opportunity they give me, to create something that I don't necessarily need to create all by myself. - I get the chance to be a band only, not dealing with the complexity of creating and manufacturing the needs of an annoying band. :-)
I'd like to talk a bit about your artworks. Artworks for CMI releases have their own authentic style and even more, they have influenced "fashion" for dark ambient/industrial albums in some way. In the beginning you have done all artworks for CMI, now you design only most important ones, right? Do you have a special education as a designer or you are self-taught? And who has influenced your own style? Do you have favorite designers/ painters?
I have been interested in using pictures, colours, themes to express emotions and views since I was a teenage, I have no education but life. I enjoy many other designers and painters work but there is no-one I favourise, only a few objects of each.
What do you think about current industrial scene? Some people say it's not in good shape last years and it have seen better days, at the same time the amount of releases and labels is huge.
No, it is boring! Nothing new, and most of the new bands are just copycats of others, boring. We need some new thinking, and some labels who knows how to say NO to it!
Do you have any favorites among new labels and bands?
No - but there are bands I like less than others...
CMI seems to avoid that military pop/ Der Blutharsch/ neofolk trend. Even Folkstorm had to release most of it's records on other labels. So, you do not like to mess politics or you do not like money :)
If I would need to hide behind camouflage just to make money? - no thanks! I rather see people who have the courage to stand up for their own beliefs rather than hide behind camouflaged trends. Why should we?, when there is so much more to life we can explore and engage our strength in than politics? I like to create something of my own and to realize the ideas of the bands I have, it has more importance to me, politics and trends doesn't interest me.
Do you consider music of BDN as Art or it is something else... a way to release your negative emotions, for example :)
I consider BDN as a part of myself, I never thought of it as art. It is a way to express myself, nothing else, both my negativivism and positive sides, as I tend to be more positive than negative.
What is your favorite BDN album so far?
Hard to say, depends on my mood, but I should say Innerwar or May all be dead, both equally to me. Mostly because these album are my most personal ones, and represent me in the very finest way...
Have you ever had any contacts or proposals from major record labels? Der Blutharsch was shown on MTV - it's weird but it's true! What do you think about perspectives of industrial music?
Yes I have, but have never been interested as it directly affects my independence. I can understand MTV, I would do it too, just for the plain fun and twist of it!
So, you are not kidding, CMI had proposals from major labels? Is that true?
Yes about 5-6 years ago there was a bigger company who wanted CMI to join as an underlabel to their company, but I didn't find it so interesting. And now this company is bankrupt!!! so I am glad I stayed out of it!
What kind of music you prefer for your personal pleasure?
I like many kinds of different music, but not that I will go out to buy the records, I can listen the radio and find some pop music that I can like, or some beaty stuff at the gym, but mostly I listen to the next release for CMI, I listening to it so much that when it's finally released I am so bored with it, I can't listen to it anymore. But then I have another one to listen to! When we party we play lots of old stuff, Crass, Psychic TV, B52s, Boney M, Sparks, well just everything!!!
What do you think about MP3 music exchange and Soulseek? I have found that one can find almost everything in Soulseek... It looks like there is some kind of underground MP3-ripping scene with various groups (it reminds wares-scene with software cracks and stuff like that).
At some point I think it is very useful for new listeners to be able to listen to our music, people that normally would never get in contact with our kind of music. Problem is just to get them devoted enough to also buy the records!
You have a family. What do they think about music you release? Does your wife listen to CMI releases?
Well, they think it is more funny than disturbing, I have a daughter of 16, son 13 and another daughter of 8, and we are going through many different teenage rebellions, and attitudes, but our kids are very tolerant towards all kinds of music. My wife doesn't like the noisy stuff too much, but is more into the heavenly voices, and uptempo party stuff! She likes bands such as Coph Nia alot! and older stuff, and new beats as well. She is very tolerant, with the music, and with me...
In the end I return to questions about design. You create artworks only for CMI-releases or there is some non-CMI activities? I remember years ago Norwegian label Moonfog asked you about some artworks but you declined...
No, I have barely time with designing the artwork for my own CDs, and many are made by others as well. I have no time doing covers for other labels anymore, and never really had either.
What kind of software you use as a designer? What kind of platform you prefer - PC of Mac?
I used to be on Mac, but I changed a couple of years ago to PC, as almost every good softwares are available on both platforms, and PC are easier to find pirate-copies of, heheheh!!!!!
What can stop you from writing/ releasing music?
Death!
Here is the last question. Do you think it was a good idea to start Cold Meat Industry a couple of decades ago?
It was a good idea! And as Cold Meat has survived during all these years and still remains as one of the more vital injections in this scene I believe we will keep hanging on for quite some more years! - I guess it's all up to me! And the followers of the label.
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