Label: Aurinko

[Insejn]

Label: Aurinko

Date: 10-28-00

By: Mindbender

 

Introduction: Markus from Aurinko Records by Mindbender in Gloria in Helsinki, Finland, just before a 13 Productions party "Planet of Beauty".

 

Q: What does the future behold? What new records are you releasing?

A: In two weeks we will release our 6th 12", which will be from Spies (a French group). One side will have a track called "Wide Shot" and the other side will have a remix of it by Kris Kylven. In some 8 weeks we will release our 7th 12" and it will be by Four Carry Nuts. The A-side will be a killer track called Lucy (male), the female version is already released on Bim's label [Medium Records]. The other side will have a track made in co-operation with Four Carry Nuts and Dino Psaras and it will be called DDT. In January 2001 we will release a CD/LP compilation called Catcher with eight new tracks from Tim Shuldt, Spies, Faithealers, Gilgamesch, 3.Turn, Dark Soho, Four Carry Nuts and Psychaos vs. Four Carry Nuts. In spring 2001 we will release the debut album from Four Carry Nuts.

 

Q: How about on a more general level, what will be your style of music in the future?

A: Aurinko will keep their style. We might get even more hard and with more guitar sound. Maybe sooner or later we will even add vocals to our tracks. But we will continue what we do.

 

Q: Where does the story of Aurinko Records start? What made you establish a record company and how did the beginning go?

A: I was together with Tim [schuldt] in the same school. A bit after we left school, Tim started producing trance. At that time I was into seeing concerts and collecting records. In December 1996, I said to Tim: "What about we start together a label?" and so it began. At this time we were both 23 and didn't have much knowledge on how to release records. The first months of 1997 we used getting information about running a label. In the summer of 1997 the first 12" was released. It was by B.E.T.H. (Tim Shuldt, Dino Psaras and Steve Ronan).

 

Q: How did you come up with the name Aurinko?

A: Aurinko is Finnish for sun. I'm half Finnish myself. When I was 18, I took a tattoo of a sun on my right shoulder. To me, it's a memory of my teenage years. [Markus also has a tattoo of the Aurinko Records logo on his left shoulder]. We needed a name for the label and I suggested to Tim the name Aurinko and Tim liked the idea.

 

Q: Could you give us a short history of your label?

A: In summer 1997 we released the 12" by B.E.T.H. It was a successful debut. In winter 1997 we released the Cychedelic Punk EP, including Donuts from Four Carry Nuts, which is still one of my favourite tracks. In winter 1998, we released the CD/LP Score. In the beginning of 2000 the Tortured Brain 12" came out, then in summer 2000 the Four Carry Nuts 12", Bausubstanz [in English, basic ingredient], and in autumn 2000 the Faithealers 12".

 

Q: How about your growth? Have you grown and what do you think about it?

A: Aurinko has always been Tim and me, and it has always been a hobby, not a full-time job. We're doing this semi-professionally. I work in Munich for Cosmophilia and Tim goes around playing live and works in the studio. When we're not releasing anything, we're just looking around for stuff to release. When we are releasing something, then we have more work. Now, for the last 2 months, we've been three as Gilgamesch [Detlef Funder] has joined the label. We've also been working a bit harder on the label lately. Detlef is helping us also because we are quite occupied by our other jobs. In short, we haven't really grown.

 

Q: How would you describe the music that you release?

A: [Markus laughs and asks me to describe the music that Aurinko releases, which I do. For the reader, I'll give Markus' opinion, because it was actually the same as my opinion] Hard, dark, psychedelic and full-on.

 

Q: What artists do you have under your wings? Any upcoming, never heard, killer artists?

A: Aurinko works with Tim Shuldt, Four Carry Nuts, Dino Psaras, Joti Sidhu, Spies, Faithealers and now for the first time with Dark Soho. Nobody is under Aurinko's wings. I we like something, we ask if the artist would like to release something under Aurinko. If someone likes to work with us, we work together. If someone doesn't like to work with us, then we don't work together. Of course it depends also on the quality of the music that they make. About new, upcoming artists, let's see what happens. It would be cool to have a good surprise.

 

Q: What artists would you like to work with?

A: I would like to work with Skin from Skunk Anansie. She is one of my favourite singers. From the trance scene, we are already working with the artists that we like to work with.

 

Q: What other labels do you appreciate?

A: I appreciate Mute Records (most famous artist of Mute is Depeche Mode), with labelhead Daniel Miller. I respect them because they started as an underground label and with good artists they had success and today they are a very big label. From the trance-labels, we have a close connection with Atomic. Tim Shuldt sometimes releases under Atomic and sometimes Dino Psaras and Joti Siddhu release stuff under Aurinko, though they usually work with Atomic. We've also arranged a great event together and we are planning to continue this co-operation and maybe put up another party together. I also have a lot of respect for Yaniv from Hadshot, 'cause he's doing it all by himself and he has still released a lot of stuff. I think something like 40 or 60 records. Also worth mentioning are Medium Records and Spiral Trax.

 

Q: What are your favourite records and artists?

A: Depeche Mode, Skunk Anansie, Marilyn Manson, Monster Magnet, Bomfunk MC's and Madonna. As a teenager I liked Sisters of Mercy a lot. From trance I my favourites are Tim, for sure, Four Carry Nuts, Cydonia and Nerve (a new project from MOS.). My favourite track is Tim's new track, Pale. It's going to be released on our next compilation.

 

Q: Do you DJ? If so, what type of music do you play?

A: I'm not really a DJ. I've DJ'ed sometimes here and there, when people ask me to come and play. Than I play trance, industrial and metal.

 

Q: Does Aurinko arrange parties? If you do, how have they been and which was the best one?

A: We make events sometimes. The best party arranged was with Atomic in London, the 31st of March this year. We've had several events in Germany. One was an open-air in 96 with over a thousand people, with DJ's Bim, Riktam and Bansi and Tim playing live. Another good one was 23rd April 2000 in Cult, which was a label party. DJ's were Bim and Joti Sidhu. We had live acts from Four Carry Nuts and Johan Bley. A funny thing there was when Johan played drums when Four Carry Nuts played Donuts. One forthcoming party that I'm looking forward to is in January 2001 near Munich, with Four Carry Nuts live and Dino Psaras as a DJ. I hope that the party tonight will be the best one ever.

 

Q: Tell us about the best party you've been to.

A: I've been to so many parties that I can't say which one was the best. I hope tonight will be the best.

 

Q: How about the worst one?

A: Well…umm… One funny one, was when my parents left the me alone in the house for the first time when I was 15 years old. I invited friends over, got drunk, fell asleep in bath tub, with the water running. The water had overflowed all over when I woke up and there was water all over the place. There were holes burned in the furniture from cigarettes and people had been throwing up on the carpet. Then I tried to clean up this mess in panic as my parents were coming home the next day.

 

Q: What do you think about the psy-trance scene globally? Should psy-trance become more popular or is it better underground?

A: I think that it's getting bigger and bigger. There are more artists, more labels, more parties. Sooner or later there will be artists in the charts.

 

Q: What do you think about the musical evolution of psy-trance itself?

A: There are some acts that have made the music for years now and their production has got more professional. Meanwhile, the variety and different styles have increased. When psychedelic trance started, there were only few people involved. Now as there are a lot of people involved, there are many more styles, parties and record releases. I think psy-trance has evolved and is still doing good.

 

Q: Do you have any advice to those, like me, who dream of setting up their own label some day? Or practical advice to those who are already in the process or even just got the company set up?

A: First of all, you need the willpower to do this. When things are not going well and you don't get positive feedback, you need to believe in what you are doing and to be strong. You should decide whether you want to release music that you like or music that sells good. The best if of course if you can release music that you like and which sells good. Extremely important is to have good distribution. And you also need money for the start. But in the end, it is most important to have good music.

 

Q: Finally, do have anything you'd like to say to the Aurinko fans out there?

A: [Markus asks me if I think there are any Aurinko fans. I assure him that there are, because I even know a few.] Thanks a lot for supporting us. I hope that we have one day the chance to make a tour with our artists. For this it would be very helpful to have good organisers in different countries who have good stages, good equipment, and especially, good soundsystems. Anybody who wants to contact us is welcome to do so. Just go to the guestbook at our site or send us an e-mail. I hope that you will like the new compilation.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

You can have more infos about Aurinko label at http://www.aurinko-records.com