Neo-Psychedelia has become the fastest growing musical trend, and the genre that everyone who wants to be associated with. With that in mind, it’s easy to forget that it is people who make all of this possible and get the music out into the public domain in the first place.
Say Psych plans to address this issue by speaking to some of the labels most keenly associated with the best new psychedelia emerging and finding more about the men and women who are taking the time and energy to makes this great music accessible.
Next up we meet with Stolen Body Records ahead of their Astral Festival in Bristol which we will be checking out on 6 July.
Hey Alex! Thank you for taking the time to speak to BSM. Firstly, tell us, what was your motivation to start a record label?
I was working a really boring 11 hour a day job and as hard as I worked, or as lazy as I was, it made no difference. I wanted the hard work I did to mean something for me. I get what I put in and I get satisfaction. It was also a way to be in the music industry in a way that the bands I played in might never get.
And then so why the psych rock and related genres?
It’s my favourite music. Rock, that is. To be honest, I see it as the purest form of music along with jazz. Those two genres lend a lot to each other. Everything else for me is just fake. That’s just me, but i’m committed to that thinking.
Makes sense then! So where did the name come from?
Stolen Body came from an HG Wells short story about astral projection called The Stolen Body. Astral Festival is an obvious extension of the name.
Tell us a bit about the bands on the label and where the idea to put on your own festival came from.
The festival idea came through a conversation with my friend Edu. We thought it was something that was missing in Bristol. I just wanted to give it a go and it kind of escalated from there. As for the bands on the label, that all just happens organically through meeting people, seeing bands, touring and replying to emails. There’s not much hunting going on.
Did you have a vision for where you wanted the label to go?
To be honest, not really. Not at the beginning anyway. Now maybe, I just want to reach as many people as possible with artists that I feel deserve the attention. Thats the best I can do.
Biggest triumph to date?
The King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard pressing of Polygondwanaland kind of took off out of nowhere. I just wanted to release it as cheap as possible as they were giving it away for free. It seemed like the obvious thing to do but other labels got greedy and I feel it backfired for them when I showed people how cheap it could be and still be great quality. I’m not big in greed, I find it ugly.
We like that ethos! On the flip side, have there been any disasters?
I loose a lot of money, especially with the festival. It’s a big shame because I do love doing it but the stress of ticket sales just makes it hard on me, and my family having to deal with my stress. I’m pretty sure next year i’ll have to take a year off to re-asses, unless in the next 2 weeks a whole lot of tickets shift. I guess in reality the loss of money for 6 years is a disaster and a downside! I’m stubborn, but I think if that’s the way people feel then maybe they don’t really need this festival. Rock ’n’ Roll can never die, but it’s definitely having a nap in people’s minds right now.
That’s tough, but you’re realistic and that goes a long way. Hopefully those tickets will shift as the line up is excellent. What can we expect in 2019/2020, if you’ve thought that far ahead?
We’ve got lots of releases lined up from Earth Tongue, Ivan The Tolerable And His Elastic Band, Dubi Dolczek, Repo-Man, and more that I can’t say yet! There’s also a very special plan currently in the works but I can’t say anything on that as it’s just a floating idea at the moment.
And finally, plans for the future? Is there one?
We will see…
How very mysterious!
Get your tickets for Astral Festival here
