Wax Archaeology 101
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Bill Murphy
As is the case with crate digging, luck can play a critical role in the mastering phase, as well. Dante Carfagna found this out when he learned of an unreleased diamond from Chicago's post-psychedelic soul era. The self-titled Pieces of Peace (Cali-Tex/Quannum, 2007) chronicles a tightly wound funk band at the height of its youthful powers; sadly, in 1972, the group would unravel before their debut saw an official release, but producer Willie Woods had kept a watchful eye over the results.
“The miraculous thing about this project,” Carfagna explains, “is that he had the original ¼-inch stereo mixdown reels, which by themselves were in pretty good shape. Being the sonic perfectionists that we are, we decided to do a complete remix of the album with Count [aka Mikael Eldridge of the group Halou] at his studio in San Francisco. [Shadow] and Count cleaned up any small inconsistencies in the playback, which gave us a superior product than what was coming off the reels. And not only was the music still in working order, but the original album art had been preserved, and we were able to reconstruct it from the existing color separations.”
BLEEDING ANALOG
Most reissue labels of the caliber of Now-Again, Solid Steel and Cali-Tex are also natural proponents of the medium that inspired them in the first place, which means that most if not all of their catalog, whenever possible, comes out on vinyl and on CD. “Once we get past the music stage,” Kev explains, “that's the second most important phase for me because I'm a graphic designer, as well. I mean, with a record like The Dragons, if it wasn't done on vinyl, I'd be asking why — really because of the timeframe it comes from. Vinyl is a limited niche thing, and it's becoming more niche every year, but it's what Ninja started with and loves, so we'll always do it up until a point where it doesn't become such a loss leader that it's not viable anymore, which would be a shame.”
In an age when digital media are supplanting their analog counterparts with the swiftness of a brushfire, the dedication of the latter-day archivist to the purity of the art form is being sorely tested. Even the tactile sensation of actually holding a record has become something of a quaint anachronism, with newly pressed vinyl becoming as rare as the genuine article from the '60s and '70s.
“The thing that irks me most about the digital revolution is the lack of a package,” Egon says. “You can have a gatefold LP with all the information about what's inside — even the CD, which is almost archaic at this point, can still have a booklet packaged with it. With the digital stuff, you can make a downloadable PDF available and you can put up a photo gallery at your Website, but it's just not the same — not even close.”
Egon continues to stay busy with a Madlib/David Axelrod remix project that he's helping to executive produce; he also has new releases planned well into 2008 (including a funk compilation representing Indiana and several new sides for the Soul-Cal disco/soul imprint that has been spun off from Now-Again). Cali-Tex is preparing an EP from a Dayton, Ohio-based psychedelic funk band called Stone Coal White, while Solid Steel has more in the works with Ninja Tune even as The Dragons album begins its rollout. If anyone is worried that the reissue well might be running dry, they're not letting on.
“The stack I have to listen to is just an avalanche at the moment,” Kev quips, “and I don't see it stopping or slowing down anytime soon. Everyone's doing it, but it's when something comes in the door that's so amazing that you have to put it on twice in a row that you really sit up and take notice. That's what I think you're always hoping for.”
RESCUE MISSIONS
There's a small but stalwart coterie of reissue labels that have established themselves as experts in their chosen genre, whether it involves funk 45s, film soundtracks, avant-garde jazz, psychedelic rock, experimental electronics or the roots of dub reggae. Here is a few that — like Now-Again, Solid Steel and Cali-Tex — hover above the fray for their singular attention to sonic quality, packaging and above all, their artists' invaluable legacy.
TRUNK RECORDS
www.trunkrecords.com
Created and overseen by UK iconoclast Jonny Trunk, this quirky imprint offers a diverse mix of left-field soundtracks (such as Paul Giovanni's bizarre score for British cult film The Wicker Man) and electronic ephemera (the BBC Radiophonic Workshop's score for The Tomorrow People television series). As Trunk told The Milk Factory magazine in 2006, “The only common theme is me and my daft taste. These days major labels own most things, so the only way I can survive is by unearthing what they don't own, and this is invariably work by the underdog — the eccentric underdog, too. So it's a bit like a musical twilight zone.”
JAZZMAN RECORDS
www.jazzmanrecords.co.uk
London DJs Gerald Short and Malcolm Catto — the latter known in part for his work on DJ Shadow's The Outsider (Universal/Motown, 2006) and as drummer and producer for The Heliocentrics, whose debut Out There (Now-Again/Stones Throw, 2007) has turned cosmic funk heads on their collective ear — are the collaborative force behind the London-based Jazzman imprint. Founded in 1998 by Short, the label focuses on rereleasing hard-to-find jazz, funk and soul records, with its Florida Funk, Texas Funk and Midwest Funk compilations being three of the strongest.
BLOOD AND FIRE
www.bloodandfire.co.uk
Headed by reggae scholar Steve Barrow and founded with the blessing of Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, Blood and Fire has made waves among collectors of '70s dub from Jamaica — particularly fans of King Tubby, Lee Perry, Bunny Lee, Prince Jammy, Scientist and dozens more from the island's pantheon of groundbreaking producers. Always exhaustively annotated and reverently packaged, the label's output remains distinctive most of all for its high standards during the mastering phase — often done in consultation with the original producers. Highlights include The Congos' legendary Heart of the Congos (produced by Lee Perry and presented in a two-disc box set) and the King Tubby compilation Dub Gone Crazy, which inaugurated the label in 1993.
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