advertisement
Founded in 1996, !K7 records launched the now-seminal DJ Kicks mix series (called "the most important DJ mix series ever" by Mixmag), and has, over the years, brought phenomenal releases from milestone members of the Electronic music circle such as Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, A Guy Called Gerald, and Rae and Christian. The label has also brought attention and acclaim to the naughty Electro-Punk of Terranova, and the trippy, ethreal ambiance of Ghost Cauldron, amongst others. As such, their catalogue reads like a who's-who of definitive moments in House, Downtempo, Tech, Hip-hop, Electro, and all the little moments in between, with little regard for 'genrefication', and it's this attention to quality that makes the label a tastemaker.
There is a definitive !K7 sound, however, and this is what the label collects and presents with its 150th release, !K7150. The 2CD+DVD set tours the highlights of all of !K7's releases, from Vikter Duplaix's "Sensuality" (yup, that was !K7) to Princess Superstar's "Do It Like A Robot" (them again) and Tiga's 2003-defining "Hot In Herre" (take a guess as to which label). The strongest label compilation the industry has seen in a while, the package gets a cherry on top from the included DVD, which includes the videos for the tongue-in-cheek sexiness of Swayzak's "I Dance Alone" and A Guy Called Gerald's "Fever", amongst others. While prepping to release this phenomenal retrospective, Stefan Struever, head of A&R at !K7, took some time out to answer some questions about where the label's been and where it's going.
JIVE: Talk about the formation of the label. How did !K7 come about, and was
there a specific purpose/mission behind it?
Stefan: The label originally started in 1985, as a video production company, and then transferred swiftly into a record label through the X-Mix series. At the start, company founder Horst Weidenmueller had taken (videos of) shows by bands like Mudhoney or Nick Cave and then sold these video tapes to shops. When electronic music exploded in Berlin he and a few friends started to do the first computer animated videos for techno music (This) led to the X-Mix series which was released on different formats (video, cd and vinyl). When I joined the company in 1996 we started a second mix cd series, DJ Kicks, and the artist label K7 Records. So in a way the company has developed and progressed step by step rather then having an initial starting point / mission.
JIVE: The DJ Kicks series has become one of the most respected mix
compilations in the genre. If you had to pick a favorite (and I'll go first… Mine is Andrea Parker's), which would it be and why...from a purely personal preference?
Stefan: To be absolutely honest with you, I couldn't pick a singular one because for me it really depends where and when I listen to them. If I am in party mood or here in the office I'd rather have something uplifting like Tiga's or the Playgroup or Carl Craig. If I listen to them at home with friends around, it's more the chilled ones (like) Kid Loco or Kruder and Dorfmeister.
JIVE: What process went into picking the tracks that would appear on the !K7 Retrospective?
Stefan: For me it was important to give a pretty good idea about the
label and the music we put out, even if you are not familiar with the label yet. Secondly, I wanted to include tracks representive (of) the artists output on K7. Last, but not least, I wanted both cd's (to) sound great and also work individually.
JIVE: Musically, what artists, bands, producers and/or DJs excite/interest you right now?
Stefan: I am always interested in artists who work on their own individual sound. That is also the artist I am after for the label and I think it works pretty good. F.E. Herbert’s stuff only sounds like him, just as Ursula Rucker, just as Kruder and Dorfmeister, just as A Guy called Gerald, etc. etc. Thank god there are quite a few (original) artists out there currently. The artist (and) crews who excite me the most at the moment are the Kompakt folks from Cologne, Trevor Jackson's output, DFA (to a certain degree), Kopernik, Modernist, Beck, Erlend Oye, N.E.R.D., Radiohead, (a) blues collection from 1914 -1934 a friend of mine has given me recently; Warp & Wonder records; Sonic Youth, Underground Resistance, Cody Chestnut and "Little" Jimmy Scott.
JIVE: Where do you hope to take the label within the next few years? Any
major upcoming releases you'd like to talk about/are excited about?
Stefan: Hopefully we can broaden our musical spectrum (even more) and will release even more versatile music. The releases I am currently looking forward to most are our new signings: Five Deez and Dani Siciliano; the new fantastic Ursula Rucker album, and all our lovely artists who are in the final stages of getting their new albums ready (Princess Superstar, Swayzak, Funkstörung, Peace Orchestra, etc).
Related Links:
!K7 records
Buy !K7150 |
