Mats Gustafsson interviews Ed Hardy
When I think about Eclipse Records out of Bullhead City, Arizona I think of
a record label and a mail order which is all about a fan’s perspective,
about excellent service and possibly the one outlet that comes closest to my
own sonic taste. Eclipse is one of those labels that somehow always get it
right. No matter what genre they choose to cover, they always seem to come
out in one piece, at least artistically speaking. The simple answer to the
complex equation of how it’s done has probably more to do with following
that vague feeling in the gut than it does with trying so much to analyze
what is or isn’t suitable for the label, or its perceived audience. Or maybe
it’s as simple as label boss Ed Hardy states: “I'm not too concerned about
how many copies will sell with each release because if I believe the record
is excellent then I am sure people will want it. It may take awhile for some
records to get noticed but that is not too uncommon.” It’s out of that sort
of uncompromising attitude that some of the most fascinating music is bound
to come.
I guess that this fan approach of sorts also explains why the mail order and
label came to be in the first place. Hardy explains: ”Since music has been
so important in my life ever since I was young, I have been buying records
and CDs for a very long time. I never was happy with the jobs I held after
college and after being out of work (while going back to school to get my
teaching certificate) I took a job at Tower Records just to work somewhere I
thought I could be happy and was a buyer there for awhile until my wife and
I moved to Arizona in 1995. I thought I wanted to own a record shop when I
moved out here but I quickly realized that people in Bullhead City don't
want the type of shop I wanted to run. That was when I decided upon
starting the mail order. The first Eclipse release was a lathe cut
polycarbonate LP of Father Moo & The Black Sheep which I had 52 copies made
by Peter King. The second release was my first real vinyl release and that
was Five Pieces by Ian Middleton.”
There have been an impressive row of releases ever since, covering the
grounds of corrosive drones, Kraut-inspired repetition, Japanese noise, free
folk and more recently the fertile lands of Finland’s thriving underground
scene. The recent interest in the free folk and Finnish scenes has most
certainly had an effect on the label in that more people are aware of
Eclipse now. Hardy says that “the triple LP that Time-Lag and Eclipse
released earlier this year opened up eyes and ears of many who were not
really aware of these 'scenes' so to speak. And with all the interest,
especially this year, with the Finnish underground has definitely had an
impact on Eclipse. I released two LPs by Finnish groups who were not very
well known. Anaksimandros has had several releases but the Eclipse LP was
their first one in an edition of more than 200 copies and the Päivänsäde LP
was their first non-tape release. Both of these LPs were released before
the media really started investigating what was happening in Finland. I
continue to stock a lot of music from Finland and I think people look to
Eclipse to find these releases. And I think the same can be said about the
free folk music, too.”
As far as pointing out the most important factors that decide whether a
record will end up on Eclipse or not Hardy says that the most important
factor unquestionably is the sound. If he enjoys the sounds then he’s going
to be interested in releasing it. The fact that Eclipse has long-lasting
relationships with several artists for many years and that Hardy is
committed to working with them now and in the future has resulted in that he
so many times receives recordings that are already slated for release before
he actually gets to hear them. I imagine that this is all possible due to
the belief and faith that he has in these artists and that’s he’s simply not
too worried about receiving something that he wouldn’t want to release.
I asked Hardy to try to describe where Eclipse fits into the larger
scheme of things in the music world. Here’s his reply: “I feel I provide an
important service to the fans of the type of music I offered in the mail
order and label, to the artists creating the music as well as small labels.
I am trying to offer as much of this music as possible - and that means
tracking down micro CD-R editions, lathe cut records, cassettes, as well as
CDs and vinyl from various small labels and individual artists from around
the world. Ideally my mail order will be able to carry all these fringe
musics so the people/customers (I don't like the word consumers!) can get a
hold of these recordings from one source as opposed to buying a CD-R in
Norway and a lathe cut 7" from New Zealand where it gets to be difficult
with currency exchanging. What I hope to do for the artists is support them
by helping get their music heard and hopefully put some money in their
pocket by buying directly from them so they can continue doing their art. I
also support small labels who have little or no distribution elsewhere. They
are responsible for much of the great music we enjoy so I support them by
stocking their releases. So, I think my role in the music world is to be a
distribution center for people to find these types of music at one place
while supporting the artists and labels that are responsible for the amazing
music. I feel honored to be a part of it.”
When checking out the line-up for the
upcoming Terrastock fest in Providence I realized that there are quite a few
Eclipse-related bands/artists in the line-up. I asked Hardy if he’s planning
to attend the festival himself, what his impressions of the previous ones
are like and how important festivals like Terrastock are for the survival of
the label.
“I'd like to attend the Terrastock
festival in Providence next year but nothing has been decided yet. I've
been to the previous Terrastock festivals - all of them except for the one
in the UK. They have all been really great - and I think they continue to
get better with each one. The last one in Boston was fantastic and it also
was the place where the Fruits / Roots 3LP idea was born. Previous festivals
in Seattle, San Francisco, and the debut one in Providence all had their
share of highlights and I'm sure the one upcoming in April will be
incredible as well. There is a great spirit at these Terrastocks - festival
goers are very supportive of all the artists involved and there are great
performances by legends (Tom Rapp, Country Joe & The Frond Fish, etc) and
young unknowns (Six Organs played T4 in Seattle in 2000 before Chasny was
well-known). It’s a great time, really.
Terrastock is hugely important. Before
Terrastock in 1997 there were not too many festivals (I can't think of any
that come to mind but I'm sure there must have been). Now there are several
festivals worldwide that have a spirit somewhat close to Terrastock - I
think it was a huge inspiration to others. There have been a few free folk
festivals in the Northeast of the US (Brattleboro, VT and Amherst, MA), the
No Fun Festival in Brooklyn will have their third annual (so far) in March,
and there are the incredible festivals in Scotland for the past few years
(usually at least 2 per year). Terrastock is the only festival where I set
up a table to sell records. I did this at T4 and T5 and this was hugely
important to Eclipse. I was able to meet many customers in person as well as
meet new friends. It was essential for me to be at these fests selling
records to get myself known and make some money to fund new releases.”
As far as the future goes Hardy believes
that the label definitely will be going strong 5 years from now. He expects
Eclipse to continue to grow and he hopes to keep on releasing quality
records and CDs (vinyl will remain top priority) on a busy schedule. He'd
love to be able to release 20 records a year in 5 years time. That makes at
least two of us, Ed.
A portion of this text was previously
been published in an interview Mats Gustafsson did with Ed Hardy for the
fifth issue of the amazing Dream Magazine. Extended and updated December
2005 ©
terrascope online
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