Tego Słucham Small Talks part 2! We meet Laure & Robin from Urticaria Records, DIY tape label from Nantes and we talked about cassettes, art & punk scene...
Hey Laure, hey Robin! What’s up in Nantes (France)? What does your local scene look like? What is it like to live there?
Laure & Robin, Urticaria Records: Hey Tegoslucham!! Actually we used to come and go to Nantes, but we lived in Rennes (1 hour drive from Nantes) where we started booking shows with friends under the name Damaged Good. We moved to Nantes one week before the first lockdown and so as things were deadpan, it still feels pretty recent and also a pretty shitty time to get involved in the scene and meet new people! But right now, it looks like things are starting to pick up again and people are getting impatient to book shows and show up with new projects and bands. The good thing about Nantes is the diversity of the kind of gigs you can go to, but the thing is that punk, hardcore, garage concerts usually take place in bars, whereas the experimental and weirdo noise projects are more into DIY venues.
Urticaria Records is a relatively new label. The first release came out in February 2020. Can you tell us more about your beginnings?
First release, the Ectoplasm demo (one of Robin's project) has been first digitally released by the band. Which would have been a shame for them to drown fast into web depth. Then Cyril who run that super tape label called Dirty Slap Records (Lille,Fr) reached them out to make this demo physical, so we thought it was the good occasion to contribute and make the first step!
Your catalog after a year is almost 10 releases. Quite a busy year. There are bands from France, Europe, but also from Australia or Argentina. How do you set the balance between local and international activities?
We think its super great and lucky to be able to do both! The idea to gather bands from friends from the area and showing off whats happening around here was probably one of the intention, but we also feel very grateful when a band we love ask us to release their stuff or when an international band we met on the road or organized a show for let us make a tape for them! And it’s great to be able to share stuff we miss around here and skip international shipping cost.
I know that you collaborate with other collectives. With whom do you have the closest relations? How does it work?
We recently start working with friends who share a house called "La Fuite" - this is their living, rehearsing, recording place. One of them, François, recorded the debut demo of Néron (S!CK & Ectoplasm members mixed) which probably be out later this year. Moleskine (one of La Fuite's bands) are working on the recording of their debut 7", which will maybe lead to a first co-release with La Fuite and a first vinyl for Urticaria??! But mostly, when it comes to split release with an international band they are already in touch with labels they used to work with, so it goes like that. At the same time we run a small distro so we sometimes trade tapes or whatever with labels like: Sorcerer, Dirty Slap, Hidden Bay, Mangel, Arvo Disques, Future Folklore, Bitume Rugueux, etc. Also shout out to the Buddy Records team who are always supportive and up to expand the DIY solidarity network yiihaa.
I'm a big fan of your releases. I really like the fact that we can find there raw hardcore punk as well as dark post-punk or recently psychedelic synth-wave. Quite a variety. What do you look for in music when you consider releasing an album?
Aha it's a recurring question between us, what are the limits. But we suppose that it's only a spontaneity and crush story. We don't feel the need to fall into a particular category and deprive to release something that grips us anyway. Even if basically, we try not to scatter too much, we figure out that this label will naturally shows up with punk related thing and its deviances. That's why Laure is currently working on her new label which will provide an even wider spectrum and that will only concern solo projects of people doing their stuff behind closed doors!!
I know that you are involved not only in releasing albums, but also in the concert scene. Can you say something more about that?
We started booking concerts in Rennes in 2018 with friends. Here in Nantes as said before "guitar" musics usually take place in bars like Le Café du Cinéma, Chien Stupide, Lune Froide, etc (RIP La Rumeur :() so we maybe lack self-managed places here. Or there are some but they are probably more oriented for the noise/experimental scene. That said, La Dérive is more in this process but we didn’t had the opportunity to go often. We miss booking gigs, so please do plan a tour around here, reach out and come say hi!
Your cassettes ALWAYS have absolutely great covers. I know that many of them is your work, Rob. In Urticaria the visual part is super important and goes beyond the cassettes themselves. Would you say more about that?
Thanks a lot, I appreciate you like it !! I was doing visuals stuff before doing the label with Laure, so I'm glad I can keep doing it for Urticaria, it was also a good way to keep doing flyers during pandemic. I can't be more pleased to do artwork for some of my favorites bands.
You've done a lot of great cover art/design for album releases and posters around the world. Has your interest in drawing? Creating graphics always gone along with the music? You have a unique style. I love how weird, disturbing and psychedelic your works are. Can you tell us more about your inspirations?
It actually did! Its so motivating to make artworks for bands, I like going through drawing, collages, digital and analog, it's so absorbent and playful. I pick up ideas from old flyers, books, ephemera, zines, comic book, etccccc
Is there a place on the web where we can find your collected works?
For the moment no, but it could be great to take distances from social networks and small smartphones squares and have a website someday, but I have no idea how it works.
As always at the end I will ask about your upcoming plans. Let us know what you are working on...
We really looking forward to book concerts again and see bands coming back here! We just did a reissue from the self released tape of Cosey Mueller, which will be out by the end of the month. We have 2 tapes on the go, Some Exercise an art-rock/post-punk band from Toronto which will also be available through new label Contact Minimal in Montreal, the debut tape of Nantes band Néron feat members of S!CK, Ectoplasm, Lauren Ville, Precipice, Moleskine and finger crossed the debut 7" of Moleskine co-released with La Fuite who are preparing some good post-punk to dance to!
https://urticariarecords.bandcamp.com/
Hey Laure, hey Robin! What’s up in Nantes (France)? What does your local scene look like? What is it like to live there?
Laure & Robin, Urticaria Records: Hey Tegoslucham!! Actually we used to come and go to Nantes, but we lived in Rennes (1 hour drive from Nantes) where we started booking shows with friends under the name Damaged Good. We moved to Nantes one week before the first lockdown and so as things were deadpan, it still feels pretty recent and also a pretty shitty time to get involved in the scene and meet new people! But right now, it looks like things are starting to pick up again and people are getting impatient to book shows and show up with new projects and bands. The good thing about Nantes is the diversity of the kind of gigs you can go to, but the thing is that punk, hardcore, garage concerts usually take place in bars, whereas the experimental and weirdo noise projects are more into DIY venues.
PIOUS FAULTS pic by Antoine Guerin
Urticaria Records is a relatively new label. The first release came out in February 2020. Can you tell us more about your beginnings?
First release, the Ectoplasm demo (one of Robin's project) has been first digitally released by the band. Which would have been a shame for them to drown fast into web depth. Then Cyril who run that super tape label called Dirty Slap Records (Lille,Fr) reached them out to make this demo physical, so we thought it was the good occasion to contribute and make the first step!
Your catalog after a year is almost 10 releases. Quite a busy year. There are bands from France, Europe, but also from Australia or Argentina. How do you set the balance between local and international activities?
We think its super great and lucky to be able to do both! The idea to gather bands from friends from the area and showing off whats happening around here was probably one of the intention, but we also feel very grateful when a band we love ask us to release their stuff or when an international band we met on the road or organized a show for let us make a tape for them! And it’s great to be able to share stuff we miss around here and skip international shipping cost.
I know that you collaborate with other collectives. With whom do you have the closest relations? How does it work?
We recently start working with friends who share a house called "La Fuite" - this is their living, rehearsing, recording place. One of them, François, recorded the debut demo of Néron (S!CK & Ectoplasm members mixed) which probably be out later this year. Moleskine (one of La Fuite's bands) are working on the recording of their debut 7", which will maybe lead to a first co-release with La Fuite and a first vinyl for Urticaria??! But mostly, when it comes to split release with an international band they are already in touch with labels they used to work with, so it goes like that. At the same time we run a small distro so we sometimes trade tapes or whatever with labels like: Sorcerer, Dirty Slap, Hidden Bay, Mangel, Arvo Disques, Future Folklore, Bitume Rugueux, etc. Also shout out to the Buddy Records team who are always supportive and up to expand the DIY solidarity network yiihaa.
I'm a big fan of your releases. I really like the fact that we can find there raw hardcore punk as well as dark post-punk or recently psychedelic synth-wave. Quite a variety. What do you look for in music when you consider releasing an album?
Aha it's a recurring question between us, what are the limits. But we suppose that it's only a spontaneity and crush story. We don't feel the need to fall into a particular category and deprive to release something that grips us anyway. Even if basically, we try not to scatter too much, we figure out that this label will naturally shows up with punk related thing and its deviances. That's why Laure is currently working on her new label which will provide an even wider spectrum and that will only concern solo projects of people doing their stuff behind closed doors!!
COMFORT pic by Antoine Guerin
I know that you are involved not only in releasing albums, but also in the concert scene. Can you say something more about that?
We started booking concerts in Rennes in 2018 with friends. Here in Nantes as said before "guitar" musics usually take place in bars like Le Café du Cinéma, Chien Stupide, Lune Froide, etc (RIP La Rumeur :() so we maybe lack self-managed places here. Or there are some but they are probably more oriented for the noise/experimental scene. That said, La Dérive is more in this process but we didn’t had the opportunity to go often. We miss booking gigs, so please do plan a tour around here, reach out and come say hi!
s!ck stickers flyer
Your cassettes ALWAYS have absolutely great covers. I know that many of them is your work, Rob. In Urticaria the visual part is super important and goes beyond the cassettes themselves. Would you say more about that?
Thanks a lot, I appreciate you like it !! I was doing visuals stuff before doing the label with Laure, so I'm glad I can keep doing it for Urticaria, it was also a good way to keep doing flyers during pandemic. I can't be more pleased to do artwork for some of my favorites bands.
You've done a lot of great cover art/design for album releases and posters around the world. Has your interest in drawing? Creating graphics always gone along with the music? You have a unique style. I love how weird, disturbing and psychedelic your works are. Can you tell us more about your inspirations?
It actually did! Its so motivating to make artworks for bands, I like going through drawing, collages, digital and analog, it's so absorbent and playful. I pick up ideas from old flyers, books, ephemera, zines, comic book, etccccc
zipper flyer
Is there a place on the web where we can find your collected works?
For the moment no, but it could be great to take distances from social networks and small smartphones squares and have a website someday, but I have no idea how it works.
As always at the end I will ask about your upcoming plans. Let us know what you are working on...
We really looking forward to book concerts again and see bands coming back here! We just did a reissue from the self released tape of Cosey Mueller, which will be out by the end of the month. We have 2 tapes on the go, Some Exercise an art-rock/post-punk band from Toronto which will also be available through new label Contact Minimal in Montreal, the debut tape of Nantes band Néron feat members of S!CK, Ectoplasm, Lauren Ville, Precipice, Moleskine and finger crossed the debut 7" of Moleskine co-released with La Fuite who are preparing some good post-punk to dance to!
https://urticariarecords.bandcamp.com/
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