| Rekords Rekords Interview (Kerrang Magazine)
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Artist: Josh Homme (guitarist/vocalist with Queens of the Stone Age)
Label Name: Rekords Rekords
When formed: A mere three months ago!
Roster: All the Desert Sessions back catalogue, some early QOTSA stuff, Fatso Jetson.
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Why did you decide to form your own label?
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Mostly because Man's Ruin (who put out the Desert Sessions albums) were [sic] going under and I didn't want to stop making those records.
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| What's the best thing about running your own label?
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I feel like there is some music that just has to be heard at all costs--and if I can put it on my shoulders and get it out there then I will. I also just like concentrating on the music and artwork and staying the hell away from everyone else. Not all music is geared toward selling hundreds of thousands of copies. The idea with Rekords Rekords is to continuously stay at the same spot. That way releases will remain consistent. You won't even need to know who it is or where it's from. You'll just know that it'll be good music.
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What's the worst thing about running your own label?
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I'm sticking my neck out. The label is completely funded and run by just three people. We do all the work. I'm glad I'm a workaholic or I'd be in big trouble.
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What have been the highlights/success stories?
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Our first release ('Desert Sessions Volumes 7 & 8') has already been a little bit of a success. We tried to be conservative with the numbers we pressed, but I've already had to re-press twice and it's only been out two months.
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What's your main goal with the label?
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Goal one is to do well enough so that some major label offers to buy Rekords Rekords for a million pounds. Then I can tell them to go fuck themselves. Goal number two, without sounding like too much of a pretentious bastard, is to put out music that is more geared towards art. Something must come out to offset the stuff that's too bubblegum.
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If you could have any artist on your label, who would it be and why?
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Iggy Pop doing duets with Bjork. Just because it would make sense to me. Plus I would get to be in the studio and continually masterbate!
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What do you look for in bands you sign?
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Well, with Rekords Rekords, we don't sign bands. We're partners. We split the money with them and they own the record when we're done. So often record labels have this cotton slave mentality, which is like 'you don't know what you're doing and you just gave me everything - thank you!'
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Do you have an address for bands to send demos to?
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As we're planning to be so limited (five releases a year) sending demos isn't a good idea. We're just going to discover bands as we travel the globe. The last thing I need right now is hundreds and hundreds of demos.
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Isn't setting up a label what you're supposed to do when you're a rockstar? Look at Papa Roach, Lars Ulrich, Korn...
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To be honest I don't know much about what those other guys are doing. But if they have any intention of their labels 'blowing up big' then I don't have anything in common with them. The intention is not to do well - it's just to make music for music's sake. You can still have success and stay small. Everybody's so hyped up on getting huge, as if to grow and grow is the only way to feel and do good!
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Which band are you kicking yourself for not signing?
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None. We only just started, man!
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