In my random moves as a musical ‘spider’ of the sonosphere, this time I came across an interesting British label, False Walls. As a listener some time ago, I had come into contact with one of its productions, the Andrew Poppy box, and thanks to Kathodik I thought I would interview the deus ex machina CJ Mitchell to find out what other interesting productions, between free jazz and contemporary music, are the present and future of False Walls (photo by David Carson).
What are the origins of the False Walls label? How did the idea come about? What were your inspirations? What models, if any, have you referred to?
I started False Walls in 2002 while living in Chicago, releasing six CDs spanning post-rock, improvisation, electronics and a radio project. Many of the musicians on the label were based in Chicago, the city having a great network of bands, venues, festivals and labels.
From those releases, two albums by Tiny Hairs are worth a listen — a fantastic band. At the time, Copper Press (USA) said: “Chicago-based improvising sextet Tiny Hairs makes music that touches on multiple styles: electronica, post-rock, experimental improvisation and even minimalism… ‘Coldless’ [their second album, 2004: https://tinyhairs.bandcamp.com/album/coldless] is a significant and attractive addition to a growing spate of experimental recordings from Chicago that resist easy categorization.”
2002 to 2004 was a time when you mailed review copies to magazines, rather than emailed a download link — the Internet was not enabled to help with publicity far less downloads and streaming. Running the label was time-consuming, and on top of a full-time job I sadly couldn’t devote the time the label really needed — the label went dormant in 2004.
In 2021, and now living in Faversham (Kent, UK), I relaunched False Walls. During covid, much of my other work had dried up, and I had time to think about the possibilities of running the label again — to start, the six original releases could be made available digitally for the first time, and I was engrossed by music which I’d found online by Helena Celle and Andrew Poppy, both of whom were happy to develop plans for physical releases for those works.
Online developments now mean a radically different context for a label compared to 2002-04: for example, digital sales and streaming, social media, downloads offered for promotions, online radio stations.
How do you choose the releases?
The releases have developed in different ways. Sometimes I’ve connected with musicians through knowing their work and developing a friendship with them alongside releasing their work — that’s happened with folk like Andrew Poppy and Cinder/Cindytalk (I’ve known Cinder since the 90s, but only recently released their work).
In contrast, some other musicians have reached out to the label to explore whether False Walls would be interested in releasing their work — I didn’t know Kevin Daniel Cahill or Astrïd’s work until they contacted me.
I’m hard-pressed to define a central musical thread which connects everything on the label beyond it reflecting my interests in dynamics, texture, counterpoint, atmosphere – spending time in rich and enveloping auditory environments. Mostly, this has meant instrumental music, but not exclusively; and I’m interested in methodologies across musics which are improvised or composed, and everything inbetween. My music tastes are broad. I happily move between listening to Evan Parker improvising on soprano saxophone: https://evanparkerfw.bandcamp.com/album/the-heraclitean-two-step-etc, to extended electronic soundscapes by Tremble With Joy: https://tremblewithjoy.bandcamp.com/album/born-trembling.
These albums give a sense of the range of work on the label:
— Helena Celle, Cindytalk and Kevin Daniel Cahill: three solo electronic releases, all (coincidentally) by Glasgow-based musicians:
https://helenacelle.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-counterflows
https://cindytalk.bandcamp.com/album/subterminal
https://kevindanielcahill.bandcamp.com/album/impossible-worlds
— Henry Dagg/Evan Parker: Henry processes Evan’s improvised saxophone through Radiophonic Workshop-era test-oscillators, ring modulators, a frequency shifter and variable tape delay system:
https://falsewalls1.bandcamp.com/album/then-through-now
— Gene Coleman: integrating classical instrumentation (including string quartet and other ensembles) with traditional Japanese instruments and electronics (including Toshimaru Nakamura, Otomo Yoshihide and Sachiko M.):
https://falsewalls1.bandcamp.com/album/exploratorium
In addition, each release includes visuals and/or written material from the musicians and others: sleeve notes, interviews, essays, poetry and visual artwork. I really welcome working with the musicians to develop the ideas and content for their packaging, and work with the designer David Caines on all of the layouts. They have to be beautiful items.
In that respect, the most ambitious projects have been boxsets by Andrew Poppy and Evan Parker – each with 4CDs, book and slipcase. These have been illuminating to develop with the musicians, and the boxsets are a delight to hold, read and listen to:
https://evanparkerfw.bandcamp.com/album/the-heraclitean-two-step-etc
https://www.falsewalls.co.uk/release/ark-hive-of-a-live/
Why is it mostly CD releases?
Since relaunching the label, I’ve continued my commitment to the CD format. For me, it’s the best way to listen to music — though we do digital sales too.
We included a 1995 interview with Evan Parker in his boxset book, where he reflects on vinyl vs CD: “My problems with what happens at the top end [of the frequency range on CDs] are relatively small compared with the problems I have with surface noise, ticks and pops. And yet some people talk about the dark velvety silences from vinyl! I’ve heard all the top record-players – some pretty exotic things costing a hell of a lot of money – and you still hear ticks and pops and surface noise unless you’re deaf. I don’t want that additional information. I’d rather there was some slight distortion of the information I want, rather than a lot of additional information that I don’t want. That’s the end of it, there’s no going back for me.” I agree!
Plus, vinyl is expensive: to make, to buy, to post …
Vinyl has more presence than CDs in music shops now, which I regret but understand — I’m not arguing for less vinyl, but more space for CDs. Browsing in shops for CDs is a rare pleasure these days.
Do you plan for future vinyl releases?
It’s not part of our immediate plans, but it could be considered: many don’t have CD players now, and how will vinyl vs CD sales develop in future?
It’s been suggested to me that the label’s earlier back catalogue of six releases, which is currently only available digitally, is ripe for issuing on vinyl — I don’t know the answer to that yet, but I’m open to exploring the idea.
What do you think about co-productions between record labels? Do you think it is a viable option for your labels?
I haven’t done this, but could be interested.
More than half of the label’s sales have been outside the UK, and fulfilling those sales by mail from the UK isn’t the most efficient way to get CDs into people’s mailboxes. I’m extending my international distribution to shops and websites, which will help with this, and partnering with another label could be another way to help.
Do you think it is important to use social media to promote improvised music?
Yes indeed — and not only for improvised music but all forms of new and experimental musics. The algorithms may be your friend in this respect: introducing you to new musicians and releases.
Bandcamp is one of my favourite places to hear new releases, and social media often links me to those Bandcamp pages.
How do you see the national and international improvised music scene? Artists, clubs, etc.?
From what I can tell, there are multiple approaches to improvisation thriving in different ways in different places.
I live fairly close to London, where Cafe Oto’s programme has been central to my engagement with live improvisation — much as I love many improvised recordings, the live context takes it to another level, acoustically and visually.
Economic and political shifts have meant less possibilities for touring across the UK, as well as less international work coming to the UK — sadly, I hear that similar shifts are happening in other countries. I don’t work on promoting live programmes, so I’m not in the middle of that work, but I fear for increased insularity between and within countries.
Could you tell us something about some of your future projects?
After three years of the relaunched label, I’m now building up a catalogue including different works by the same artists/bands – Cindytalk, Astrïd and Evan Parker are on their 2nd or 3rd label release. This is enriching the label’s work and helping to spread awareness.
We’ve just released our first edition with letterpressed packaging, Tremble With Joy — a new collaboration by Cinder (Cindytalk), Michael Anderson (Drekka), Mark Trecka, and Michael Carlson (remst8). Letterpress necessitated meeting over the printing press, touching and choosing between paper stocks, modulating how heavily the equipment would press to create a debossed cover – resulting in a satisfying tactility on the textured cover:
https://www.falsewalls.co.uk/2024/10/false-walls-letterpress-editions/
The label has also just launched ARK, a blog where musicians, writers and others are being invited to choose an album to write about. The first blog entries reflect an eclectic range of musical styles: Robin Rimbaud/Scanner on Zoviet France, Leah Kardos on Kristeen Young, Ian Masters (Pale Saints) on Baden E Vinicius, and Andrew Poppy on Julia Holter:
https://www.falsewalls.co.uk/ark/
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