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Alveran Records - Basic DIY Hardcore Attitude & Ethics
One of the most prolific labels on the European hardcore
scene is Bochum, Germany’s Alveran Records. For more
than a decade, they’ve been putting out a slew of high
quality records, covering all aspects of modern hardcore,
from the brutal metal core of Shattered Realm to the melodic
emo of Set Your Goals, as well as hardcore-orientated metal
bands like End Of Days and Society’s Finest.
By Jon A
LowCut: How and when did Alveran Records start?
Nikos: Alveran was started by Sascha in 1995, basically
as a total underground label without real distribution companies
behind it, just trading records with other small distros,
you know. The office basically was his garage, so that's where
Alveran was born and raised. Real low profile, basic DIY hardcore
attitude & ethics. Alveran mainly put out music from local
and American tough guy/mosh bands back then. Well, things
evolved and took their own course from then on, with bigger
distribution deals, bigger bands, the deal with Eulogy, and
so on. But I guess the label really took off in the past 5
years, and especially in the past two years, with hardcore
becoming more commercialized and breaking into the mainstream
- at least the mainstream rock music. By now 5 people and
several helpers work for the label.
LowCut: At a time where a lot of bigger labels are
complaining of falling sales, closing down national branches,
what made you start a new label on your own?
Nikos: Since Alveran has existed for more than 10
years now, the label started before the so-called crisis of
the music industry. But one could say that we are still growing
while other labels are mourning. I guess it’s just about
the way you treat your customers, you know? We are not trying
to fool anyone, we just try to put out good records of bands
that deserve it, and try to support the underground as a whole.
It's not just about the money, we try to give the scene as
much back as possible, and I guess people recognize this and
appreciate it.
LowCut: Is it easier to function as a small, specialist
label nowadays?
Nikos: Easier is the wrong word, it's just realer,
if you know what I mean. Major labels don't really care about
their bands as long as they keep selling, we only put out
bands and records that at least one or two of us like. We
all have a strong connection to the worldwide and local underground
hardcore scenes. It always sounds like a cliché, but
there really is a worldwide hardcore scene, with people who
know each other and support each other. So I guess you just
have more support from the scene in general if you are a small
and specialized label like us.
LowCut: Alveran functions as a sub-label of Century
Media, or do they just handle distribution?
Nikos: No, we were only for about a year with Century
Media, and they only handled the distribution of our stuff.
LowCut: You license releases from some North American
labels, most notably Eulogy Records, as well as your own artists?
Nikos: Yes, Sascha and John - the Eulogy boss - go
back for quite some time now, and this cooperation started
years before the hardcore boom we have witnessed in the past
years. We now have a deal with Abacus Recordings and put out
select stuff from their catalogue in Europe, but this is not
a licensing deal, this are coop-releases, which means we are
basically partners putting the stuff out together and working
on them together.
LowCut: As a label, how do you see the current metal
core scene, artistically as well as financially?
Nikos: It has grown to immense heights in the past
years, no one in the scene would have ever thought it would
develop like this years ago. But it’s good, and the scene
and its bands deserve it, because in my eyes you can find
the best and most talented musicians in the extreme music
sector right now. Just think of bands like Mastodon, The Dillinger
Escape Plan, Darkest Hour, or stuff like Horse the Band, Coheed
& Cambria, Set your Goals, The Warriors and so on. All
of them have a hardcore background, and all of them have profited
from the growing of the scene, as well as from the crossover
between metal, punk, hardcore, emo, alternative, hip hop.
LowCut: You release a couple of titles of this music
every month, how do you keep it up?
Nikos: What do you mean, how do we keep it up? I mean,
that's what we are here for, to release records. We work our
asses off of course to keep it running and even invest a lot
of our own spare time in doing this. As I mentioned before,
it's not only about the money, we are just very happy to work
with what we love most, which is music!
LowCut: You cover a relatively wide area of alternative
heavy music, from the grunge of DK Limb through the emo of
Calico System to the hardcore of Donnybrook, metal core of
Shattered Realm, and death metal of End of Days. What’s
your requirement for releasing an artist?
Nikos: We just have to like it, and the bands have
to convince us that they really mean it and that they live
for this. So it doesn’t really have a lot to do with
what sound they do exactly, rather what the whole package
looks like, and how we in particular like the songs. I mean,
I'm listening to anything from death metal to chaoscore, from
old school to emo, from tough guy hardcore to grunge, from
very progressive music to very simple music. As long as it
rocks my ass, I don't care what genre they play.
LowCut: Do you still see a red thread running through
your catalogue?
Nikos: Yeah, all of our bands definitely have a hardcore
background, even if some bands are more hardcore, so to speak,
than others, in regards to their sound. Even the guys from
DK Limb have been playing in various hardcore bands before
starting DK Limb.
LowCut: For some reason, women handle promotion at
quite a few of the more alternative and metal underground
labels – like yours - in a business that’s otherwise
male dominated. Do you have any explanation for that?
Nikos: Women like to talk a lot you know, and that's
basically what promotion is all about, ha-ha! But jokes aside,
it's never bad to have a woman promoting stuff. I guess you
too like it better to listen to a sweet women's voice on the
phone than to some moody guy, right? But all in all, I know
a lot of women in the music business who also handle other
stuff than promotion, so I do not really see any connection
there.
LowCut: Which release are you proudest of personally?
Nikos: Well, I guess the first Unearth full length,
because it was way ahead it's time, and one of the records
that really got it going for this kind of music. From the
more recent stuff I just loved the new Warriors and Casey
Jones, as also the new Planes Mistaken for Stars, which comes
out in September.
LowCut: What can we look forward to hear from Alveran
for the rest of the year?
Nikos: Good and honest music, straight from the heart!
That's what it's all about! And of course we’re keeping
it as diverse as possible! Just look at our upcoming releases
for August and September: Full Blown Chaos, Narziss, Planes
Mistaken For Stars and Righteous Jams don't really have much
in common, except for that hardcore background I mentioned
earlier, but still each band is pretty good at the particular
style they are playing.
Alveran Records suggested listening:
Casey Jones – The Messenger CD
Set Your Goals – Mutiny! CD
Nueva Ética – Inquebrantable CD
The Warriors – Beyond the Noise CD
End of Days – Dedicated to the Extreme CD
http://www.alveranrecords.com
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