Interview: QBICO 26/05/2007
I think QBICO is the one and only. It's the most exciting record label for me. You also have many ideas and I think they are fresh. I listened to some QBICO's LPs today.
They are hot and I'm always happy to get brand new stuff from you. It's like a powerful magma!
Q0: I know some great music influenced you who started QBICO. Please let me and folks know about your history.
I always had a particular attractions for vinyls since I was around 12 years old and I was lucky enough to have the coolest record shop in town very close to my home so I'd spend whole afternoon in one corner of the shop to hear all the latest black imports from the US of A... all the best DJs used to hang around that mythical shop... that was the 1st big influence. it's strange that I love music so much becouse in my family no music at all ! my parents never played any music in the house, not even radio ! as Muruga said to me "you got the light"... and probably he's right... I feel so lucky to be able to be like a channel between the musicians and the listener... and I love to bring joy/good vibes, when somebody enjoy the rockets that I put out... anyway, to get back to yr question I started with heavy metal, like: AC/DC, Venom, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue... then pop music and after vistiting that record shop my preferences went to black music in general and on funk especially ! around 17 I started to play sax so I start to dig jazz music (before some bit the blues)... which in the end, along with funk is my true love(trulofa).
after that I started hearing lots of free music which I'm still digging today ! other musical infuences had been electronic and experimental music in general, also dub and ethnic stuff I like... I think that good music exists in all kind of music. what I don't like is of course commercial stuff and too celebral, academic music; I really much prefer music that comes from the heart and soul...
Q1: What existence is the ESP label for you?
that's a mythical label and for sure a point of references for qbico aestethic in general.
it was unique and it broken lots of barriers, so it got all my admiration: it was visionary !
I think that one of the best thing about ESP is that it's immediatly recognizable, I mean if you pick up 20 LP you'll immediatly be able to say that this one is an ESP LP and if you're able to distinguish yrself from the rest/the mass, it means that you're doing something different and special, right ?! right on ! that's a central point for qbico and one of my goal: to be immediatly recognized !
I heard that you had hit on the label name because at the tune "QBIC" of Marion Brown. What did you see from his tune?
I like it a lot: both as a title and musically !
so I just added an "O" to "close/seal" it
Q2: Recently, you also are participating as a player in Global Experience Orchestra released from QBICO. How did this group start?
ok, here's a little story: i was invited by my friend Jon who lives in Aarhus, Denmark to do a Qbico U-nite in Feb. 2006
our original idea was to bring Arthur Doyle in trio with Vin Paternostro and Ed Wlcox (who used to play with him already in his Electro-Acoustic Ensemble) BUT unfortunatly Arthur got some troubles so in the end Daniel Carter came to Denmark... so we (i and the Americans) arrived one day before the U-nite and since Daniel, Vin & Ed had never played together they asked if they'd do a little jam at Jon's flat... fortunatly Jon accepted (he's a very young and accomplished musician too) and the trio played for a bit... after that Jon and Marc joined in and Jon kindly handed me a balalaika saying: "please Mr. Qbico"... so we all started playing together, improvise and have some fun... incredible enough we played for another hour, lost the sense of time and we flow with it... it was a great experience as we had never played together and in the end a collective sound came out, without ego voices to predominate... yes it was totally spontaneous and improvised, a collective voice, that was magical ! there are lots of musicians who came out from classical school that can't improvise, play from the heart... if you close them the book and can't read the notes, maybe they run out of ideas in 20 minutes... these are not musicians to me but players of other composer's music... I saw once Peter Kowald doing a bass solo for an hour and half without any notes in front of him, this to me is a creative musician...
Do you have any release of this group & QBICO on near future?
not really sorry and probably it'll be really difficult to re-unite again...
Q3: How about the selection of <<qbic-o-rama>> in this time?
I used to work in a radio station when younger for a couple of years... and I think it was a good experience...
so I know already a little bit on how to structure a radio program and I'll try to best to bring you some good music and an eclectic show...
mostly I'll play for you free music stuff with some ethnic influences and some weird vibes... stay tuned !
Q4: OK, do you have some message for the fan of QBICO?
yes, please start or continue to support small labels who have no support of any kind and which are struggling to bring you creative music.
It's hard these days to do only vinyls and go against the flock/the market BUT I like that ! I like to be an outsider !
trulofa
ep
