Disordered Records Interview

I came across Disordered records a while back looking for an Intelligence 7", and Rocco, from disordered emailed me back a few distro places to try in the US. They happened to be sold out, but months later our paths crossed again after I got into Digital Leather and saw Disordered had just released the 'Closed my eyes'7". Being based in Italy, I never really tried to order direct, I figured I would just have to track them down through the usual domestic places.
Well I must have been added to the Disordered mailing list after those exchanges, and thanks to g-chat we started randomly talking one day and I had to ask about his new label, I loved where every single was going, it was shaping up to be the greatest start to documenting a particular sound, a new dischord or rough trade or siltbreeze.
I know sometimes I might come off a little too strong in my insane love for 7"'s so I try to tone it down a bit when talking to people at the labels, but Rocco is more excited about 7"'s than possibly even me. I may have started a blog...but Rocco started Disorder, purely to curate a vision for this new sound, and in the format that made the most sense, that historically has been the medium for the new sound, it's cheap, but more formidable than a burned CD, and 7"'s continue to be relevant in the music landscape.

But then as soon as it started, it was over, I read a message on the myspace page about the label being finished. I had to ask Rocco about his experience as an up and coming European label, and what the future holds for Disorder.

In the short history of Disordered records your releases seem really focused on synth punk, lots of mutated electronics, distorted vocals, high energy. What is for you personally about this sound?

Well, I started listening to punk music about 8 years ago and I got a kind of "evolution"into my musical taste. At the beginning I listened to oi! and punk 77 because I searched into this the energy you are talking about. Then I started to see this music in a different way, so I deleted the "social meaning" that media use to put next to the punk and I saw them in a continous research of a new approach to play music and to interpretate the sound, usually keeping on its basis the r'n'r...and this how i actually see the punk..a kind of exploration of new sound that is based on aproximation and in energy,without any care about playing an instrument in a good way. I started buying a lot of LP's and 7"s about several indie labels like 'In the red records', 'Crypt' , Goner ,'S-S', and many many more. I just feel very lucky to listen to this music so I wanted to give my little contribution with a label that looked forward about the punk sound..and my personal thought was that in the 1977 synth punk bands as Units, Screamers, Nervous Gender, The Normal had that approach about punk music that I explained, so for me it was obvious starting from their sound to continue the search of a "new sound" that they found in 1977 with their music. One step beyond with every issue.

How has your experience been working with these bands? Did you approach it as a fan of this scene first or do you know them or were in contact with them in some other way?

I was just a fan of the bands I put out...I started this experience as a passion and I try to maintain a low profile because I didn't care about notoriety or business. I see culture (music,cinema,painting,etc) as a way of elevating the human being (as Schopenauer says), so money does not figure into this vision. Intelligence was the 1st band that accepted. I started co-releasing this issue with a friend of mine, the boss of Lo-Fi records at the beginning of 2007 and I countinued for 1 year until now from January 2007 - February 2008. A french dude called Mikael did the artwork and cover sleeves of the records on my label.

Did Disordered go beyond releasing records? Did you organize shows, etc?

Yes. I booked a spare of gigs into my town as feelers/clorox girls and I was into the organization (with Chiara, a florence girl and Massimino, a guy from naples of the 1st european tour of Digital Leather that was in October 2007. I had the luck to see Human Eye and Digital Leather playing the same night in madrid! Amazing show.

What's your experience with the music scene in Italy when it comes to synth-punk?

Well,about synth-punk, personally I don't know any synth punk band of italy.. but I saw recently a gig of a band of Turin called Movie Star Junkies that played an amazing show. I guess they are the best live Italian band. About their studio recordings, they are too much blues for my musical taste, but they are however great to play blues punk genre. There is also another band that never played live yet, but I like a lot their 7"s. They are called His Electro Blue Voice and they play an original post punk with the drummer's label 'Avant!' records,and we are co-releasing the Black Bug 7".

All your releases are in the 7" format. Was there something special about the seven inch in particular?

I just like 7" format. According to me is the best format for punk music. Moreover there are few good LPs into punk history.

Did you have plans for anything other than seven inches, were longer format releases a possibility in the future?

I guess no more. I think I already touched the top with the records I put out, so actually I don't see any other interesting band around the world.

What pressing plant did you use? How was your experience with them?

I used a pressing plant from Milan, but the upcoming release will be pressed in Verona. I hope they will work well as Milan dudes did!

Do you have any advice for anyone about pressing seven inches?

Hmmmmm. The only thing that I learned thanx to Scott Soriano (S-S Records boss,Sacto label) is that if you are going to put out a 45 rpm, each side must be no more than 4:30/5 minutes in order to have a good sound! About the 33 rpm, the right size would be of 6 minutes. (I did this mistake with human eye 7" because I didn't want to put as the b-side an instrumental song!)

I hope you have plans to continue the label, what's the future hold for disordered records?

This label has started as a projection of my mind, as a personal vision of music, and every issue should represent what was my vision of punk in the period it has been put out. I feel very proud that Scott Ryser, the Units singer, loves my label because I consider him a genius for his contribution to the world music through synth punk.
It's a shame that the media has stopped with the Sex Pistols, The Clash and Ramones because they have to retreive about 30 years of punk music. in 1977 the "No Future" slogan had a meaning but in the following years it evolved since nowdays and it will also in the future. It was born from nothing and it can transform in everything as a kind of energy.

Disordered will evolve in something else. It can be a short movie, a book or everything my mind wants. Surely it will be no more a music label. At least actually I think so. But I am pretty sure it won't.

Moreover i'd like to say that I am not a vinyl collector...i just have about 20 lps and 20 7"'s that are the result of several years of researching music that allowed me to build new thoughts and new scenes into my mind in order to find a dynamic equilibrium and new large horizons about vision of life...the chance of touching the endless through the ears.

---------- Rocco, Disordered records 2007 - 2008 ------------

Thanks Rocco, it's been really inspiring to talk to someone halfway around the world who is thinking about the same stuff musically and doing something about it, I hope a couple people follow your example and start a few labels of their own, I know I am going to.

Be sure to check out these distro places for Disordered records releases, they will be legendary.

USA

PUKENVOMIT

FLORIDA'S DYING

CONTAMINATED

BISTRO DISTRO

GONER

EUROPE

ITALY: HATE

GERMANY:GREENHELL,PTRASH,INCOGNITO

UK:HO DISTRO

FRANCE:YAKISAKANA

SWEDEN:KENROCK