INTERVIEW: BRETT LYMAN OF M'LADY'S RECORDS TALKS TO SOUND STALKER
Sound Stalker talks to Brett Lyman, of M'Lady's Records and Chain and the Gang, about his outstanding label, experiences and views...
Why did you start your label?
"As an experiment. I was (and remain) convinced that a record company can be a community resource, rather than a petit bourgeois small business. We work overtime to be present in the culture, since we don't hire publicists or PR people. We're following no impulse beyond our own desires. Money is a mistaken way to organize any creative endeavor, as it's a spiritual vacuum. Like cocaine. Or buying stocks. Those things have their place in the cosmos, apparently, but they have no place in underground art and writing and culture. So we continue to explore what's possible with little to no capital. We are not capitalists here at M'lady's Records, and refuse to own the rights of any of the records we've issued. They remain the possessions of the hard working people who made them, full stop."
Where did the name M'Lady's come from?
"It's a shoutout to my deep love of British radical culture, and also a shoutout to King Tubby (all his records credit being "Recorded at King Tubby's", and I always loved the syntax jazz of that)."
How do new releases develop? Do you actively seek bands or does it usually happen quite naturally?
"We've sought out almost everyone we've ever worked with. The biggest thrill we get here is discovering something new and devastating. Typically, people that send in demos to M'lady's HQ have sent equivalent packages to a mailing list they have of like every label ever, and subsequently auditing those tapes can feel a bit random and pointless. But there's no substitute for having yr brain thoroughly flummoxed by a group of musicians."
You've recently released the incredible Hysterics second 7". How did your paths cross?
"I'm glad you enjoy it; it's one of my favorite records that we've issued so far. Stephie - Hysterics' vocalist - wrote me an incredible letter and included their incredible demo. Everything about the band was fully formed, and Fiona and I could immediately see that they were on fire, and willing to travel."
What upcoming new releases are in the pipeline for M'Lady's?
"I'm afraid those plans are all top secret, my friend."
Did you have a selection in mind for your re-issue series since day one?
"Almost every reissue that M'lady's or our other label Machu Picchu Ltd. (concerned exclusively with privately pressed psych records from the 60s and 70s) is a longtime favorite of ours, in many cases for over 15 years. Mostly it's an attempt to do exclusively official high quality reissues wherein the artists actually make some real money, instead of being ripped off by cheapjack labels like Lilith and Phoenix and Akarma, who are all bootleggers and can fuck right off."
How does it feel to be able to re-issue Dead Moon's music onto CD format?
"It's still not fully hit me that it's us doing it. They're my favorite band ever, for all time. All of their records are profoundly beautiful. I miss seeing them semi-regularly; they were one of two bands I would gladly drive hours to see and did so many times (the other being Make-Up!)"
Do you have a stand out gig from your youth?
"Yes. October 13, 1994. You can read a fairly more cogent account of the show here: Bikini Kill Story, as I'm half braindead at the moment; been working on royalty statements almost all weekend."
M'Lady's obviously values the importance of vinyl production and attention to detail. Why do you think this is important for music going forward?
"The physical world is all we'll ever truly know, and the world of technology that so many are rapidly trying to leap into is not hospitable for human life, I promise you. So we strive to do right by the groups and help them achieve the best possible looking and sounding album or single that we're capable of making. Also, listening to MP3s is for sad dads and old hags."
What's the most interesting venue you've ever visited?
"My group Chain & the Gang played in what used to be a Nazi bomb shelter in Hamburg in 2012; the green room was two flights up a spiral staircase and it smelled like ancient kinds of dying inside. They really need to bring back smoking cigs indoors on the continent of Europe; so many of those places smell like catacombs without something to mask the stench."
If you could attend any gig of all time, what would it be and why?
"The next one and because I am compelled."
Do you have a most treasured record?
"The one I made for Fiona Campbell in 2010 that only she has heard."
Do you recommend any distros for fellow vinyl obsessives?
"Yeah, M'lady's. And Mississippi Records CSR. And Norman in Leeds."
What have you been listening to today?
"Been watching last night's "Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle" on repeat since it aired. What a fucking amazing performer."
What are you particularly excited about for 2014?
"Becoming a more enlightened savage than last year, Jah willing."
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Check out M'Lady's for great and eclectic new releases and re-issues. Plus their distro ain't so bad either... dependable recommendations of the highest order.
Also, Chain and the Gang are set to release their 4th full length album, 'Minimum Rock n Roll', on April 15th. Catch them on tour:
28/04 - Broadcast, Glasgow, UK
29/04 - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
30/04 - Dome, Tufnell Park, London, UK
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