Repulse Records are one of the two record labels (Morbid Records are the other label) in Western Europe that has been true to Death Metal throughout their career. When other underground labels wimped out and jumped on the Black Metal bandwagon; Repulse Records continued to release honest, true ultra-brutal Death Metal releases. They deserve eternal praise for this attitude. Repulse Records started up as Drowned Productions back in 1990, but developed into Repulse Records in 1993. Long time Death Metal ‘ead Lord Loch Lomond sent label founder Dave Rotten an interview sheet and a quick answer followed.
1. Please tell us when and where Drowned was started.
- I started DROWNED PROD. back in October '90 when I decided to release
demos to Spanish Death Metal bands with the aim of helping them to be
promoted in and outside of Spain. One year after I joined forces with the
guys of HARD VINYL, a Heavy metal record store, and then we started to do
7"EP's and albums, but they turned to be such greedy assholes, and I decided
to leave in December '93 to form my own new label.
2. How many records did Drowned release ?
- We released something like 12-13 7"EP's and 7 albums (on LP, CD &
cassette, at least the 5 first ones).
3. It is always very interesting (but sheer torture for the label manager) to hear label manager’s view on releases they released some years ago. In your case; that means your the releases on Drowned. Could you please give us a presentation of these releases. What is your views
on them in hindsight ? Where are these bands now ?
- Well, it's not a torture for me. I'm really proud of having released such
albums. UNBOUNDED TERROR & NECROPHILIAC were the very first Spanish Death
Metal albums ever released, but they broke up after some months... I'm also
proud of having released such cult albums from bands like DEMIGOD,
ROTTREVORE & PYREXIA. The two first ones broke months after too, but PYREXIA
continued. Now DEMIGOD have reformed and it looks like they're coming to
REPULSE as well!! The other two albums were Finnish PURTENANCE & and the
split with ALTAR (Swe) & CARTILAGE (Fin). Both albums didn't sell too
good...but good ones for sure!!
4. You started Repulse Records after the Drowned saga ended. Why did you
call your new company Repulse Records ? What does the name Repulse
Records means ?
- I don't know, that was a name I had in mind for years, when I was looking
for a name for my band AVULSED, i got many and one of them was REPULSE. It's
easy to understand both in English & Spanish and it's something like
"repulsive", like the music we produce, ha, ha!!
5. How many people works in Repulse Records ?
- We're actually five guys. Three are partners, and the other two are just
enployees/friends.
6. Repulse Records is mainly a Death/Black Metal label. But Repulse
Records has also released some releases with the very impressive Doom
Metal band Golgotha. With all respect; I find it amazing that Europe’s
best Doom Metal band are signed on Europe’s premier Death Metal label.
Could you please tell us why you have signed Golgotha ?
Do your promotion of Golgotha create any problems with your more brutal
releases ?
- No, it's mainly DEATH METAL label!! But our first release was a Doom
Metal band, ha, ha!! I'm glad you like GOLGOTHA so much, I really think
their 2nd album will amaze everyone who likes Doom!! Just wait!! We signed
GOLGOTHA because their leader Vicente was in UNBOUNDED TERROR and we're
great friends since 1990. We know ourselves 100% and I support him in
everything that he does. When he decided to break with U.T. and formed
GOLGOTHA I found this much more interesting!! No, this band doesn't create
any conflict with the rest of brutal releases. Perhaps the Black or Thrash
releases create it more, but not GOLGOTHA...
7. You are also running your own bands Avulsed and Christ Denied. Both
bands are successful. Could you please tell us more about these two
bands ?
- I started AVULSED in January '92 just after my military service and since
then we've worked a lot to create the kind of Death Metal we want: Brutal &
melodic but with quality. We have released a few demos, one 7"EP, a mini CD
and two CD's (one of them are re-mixes). We have done two European tours
supporting SINISTER ('96) and INCANTATION ('97) and went through a few
line-up changes. Now we're working in our 2nd full
length album.
CHRIST DENIED is a project formed only by two members. We started this in
January '94 and since then we have released one 7"EP and a CD in two
different German labels, though this CD is now re-released by QABALAH PROD.
Now we're going to to a split 7"EP with a Japanese band called MASSGROUND on
a Japanese label and our 2nd CD should come out in early '99 through QABALAH
PROD., a sub-label of REPULSE REC.
8. Repulse Records also work together with some other small labels from
Spain. Black Dragon, New Gotia/Requiem and the impressive Qabalah
Productions. Can you tell us more about these three labels ?
- QABALAH PROD, is run by Toni, one of the employees at REPULSE RECS, so
this label is now officially a sub-label. He signs the bands and do
everything and we lend him the license to manufacture. We do the promotion &
distirbution for that label. As for NEW GOTIS & BLACK DRAGON, they're just
two Spanish labels we're helping on distribution...
9. When you approach a band; what are the most important reasons for you
to sign the band ?
- The most important thing is that I get really impressed with it. Then I
must see their attitude and also if we can afford it, of course!! Normally
we prefer Death metal bands, but sometimes we find other great bands in
different styles.
10. Is it difficult to run a record label from Spain ? What is the main
problems and advantages being based in Spain ?
- No, it's not that difficult. In fact I think we have somekind of
advantage, because we're the only Death metal label who takes this 100%
professinally and that's why we have become the biggest extreme music
mailorder in our country and a respected label in the world.
11. You distribute underground metal releases in Spain. Is the
underground scene in Spain big enough to give Repulse Records a decent
profit on this distribution part of the business ?
- As I told you, we're the biggest mailorder distributor. The distribution
through record stores proved to be almost an impossible thing, as they're
generally run by idiots who don't know anything about music, and not to
mention Death Metal, so they only want stuff from big labels announced on
big mags. Anyway, our mailorder covers the whole Spanish territory, which is
pretty big and that's really a lot!! We get a decent profit, but not enough
to make a decent living... just to carry on releasing more stuff and paying
invoice after invoice...
12. What is your release plan ? Could you please present these releases
for us ?
These are our upcoming plans:
RPS 032 CD CENTINEX (SWE) "Reborn Through Flames"
SWEDISH DEATH CD 15.07.98
RPS 033 CD ANASARCA (GER) "Godmachine" BRUTAL
DEATH CD 07.07.98
RPS 034 VID 1st REPULSIVE FESTIVAL "Golgotha+Avulsed+Ouija+
Reincarnation+Uncreation+The Heretic" DEATH/BLACK/DOOM VIDEO 01.09.98
RPS 035 CD SCATTERED REMNANTS (USA) "Destined To Fail" BRUTAL
US DEATH CD 15.08.98
RPS 036 CD JESUS MARTYR (ARG) "Sudamerican Porno"
POWER/THRASH CD 15.08.98
RPS 037 CD REPULSIVE ASSAULT COMPILATION "Volume 3"
LABEL COMPILATION CD 15.09.98
RPS 038 CD SEPSISM (USA) "Purulent Decomposition" BRUTAL US
DEATH CD 15.09.98
RPS 039 CD GOLGOTHA (SPA) "Elemental Changes" MELODIC DOOM
METAL CD 15.10.98
RPS 040 CD TOTTEN KORPS (CHI) "Tharnheim: Athi-Land-i..."
BRUTAL DEATH CD 15.10.98
QAB 006 CHRIST DENIED (SPA) "...Got What He Deserved"
BRUTAL DEATH CD 01.07.98
QAB 007 DAWN (GER) "Entrance To Malevolence" DEATH METAL
MCD 15.08.98
13. Besides of the release plan; what is your future plans for Repulse
Records ?
- ??? Our plans are our future releases, ha, ha!! We just hope to become
the biggest Death metal label ever!! Just when everybody thought Death Metal
was Dead, we were the only ones who had guts to bet for it and then I hope
to get that faith paid back!! (I could not agree more. Death Metal rules !!! -ed)
14. Finally; when you have closed the door to the Repulse Records office and desperate need a rest. What is your favorite music, except the kind of music you work with ? What is your favorite past- time activities ?
- I like many other kinds of music, but always in connection with Metal. At
home I don't listen Death Metal that much, mainly because my wife isn't that
much into that and I also want to change after 10 hours listening to it. I
listen bands like PRODIGY, TYPE O NEGATIVE, CLAWFINGER, ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION, CHEMICAL BROTHERS, ORBITAL, TWO, DIE KRUPPS, MINISTRY... a lot of stuff, mainly industrial & techno.
Thanx a lot for your time.
- Thanx to you !!
Please contact Repulse Records if you have more questions or want to receive a copy of the most interesting mail- order catalogues I have ever seen. It is written in Spanish, but it is still very interesting for those of us who do not understand this language.
Repulse Records
PO Box 50562
28080 Madrid
SPAIN
Phone: 00341 522 5636
Fax: 00341 531 1122
or contact them at their new web- site.