Interview with Kamal of Fractured Recordings
One of the most impressive releases of the year is definitely Fractured Recordings‘ Recovery Box Set. The limited edition vinyl box set gathers twenty seminal electronic musicians and composers and each cover a song from the past, which holds personal significance to them. The box presents work from artists such as Momus and Germlin covering David Bowie’s Ashes To Ashes, Ryoji Ikeda covering Back In Black by AC/DC and Fennesz covering A-ha’s Hunting High And Low.
We got hold of Kamal Ackarie, head of Fractured Recordings and curator behind this very impressive project, and asked him some questions about the motivation, the work process and the ideas and meanings behind the Recovery Project. One thing he points out in the interview is how the project also is a genuine tribute to the tradition of vinyl, the medium which so many of these tracks have originally been experienced.
The box itself includes ten 7-inch vinyl singles with cover art by the renowned artist Graham Dolphin, making Recovery a stunning release not only musically but also visually.
After reading the interview, you can also check out some of the original releases by the covered artists here. And you can of course buy the box set from Fractured here.
Nylvi: The idea, the artists participating and the box itself are all quite stunning. What was the main motivation behind this project?
Kamal Ackarie: I was working with Christian Fennesz and he explained to me how much he loved A-ha. He went on to tell me he was the biggest A-ha fan ever. I thought he was joking- believe me he wasn’t! Then I started thinking about how I perceive artists through their practice and that it would be interesting to invite a group of artists to address the way we conceive artists through their work and their influences.
Who would have believed Ikeda loved AC/DC or Fennesz with A-ha?
Also at the time, there was a lot of appropriation in popular culture toward 80’s music and fashion. I was seeing it everywhere and I didn’t really trust nor like it. People not old enough were looking back on an unremembered era. It all seemed so fake. It all is so fake. There is a democratization of popular culture at the moment that is reducing everything to nothing. I wanted the looking back to be done by people who had something to look back to, that would not romanticize and would use it as a way of showing us how they got to where they were now.
Nylvi: Gathering twenty seminal electronic musicians and composer and get them to cover a song from the past that holds personal significance for them does not seems like a easy task. Could you describe the work process?
Kamal: I sent out an initial email to the artists outlining my idea for the box set and inviting them to participate by contributing a track of their choice. People responded to this very well, they like the idea and were excited by the opportunity.
The process was quite easy on some levels on very difficult on others
Basically I discovered that for an artist this kind of project allows a lot of freedom to have fun with and to play with ideas. It’s the perfect forum for them to take things further in their own practice but to be playful and even on some occasions irreverent.
The hard part was co coordinating 20 people with deadlines. The projects deadline was constantly moving on and on to fit with people’s schedules. I learnt to be patient
The scary part was getting their work and listening to it. It was exceptional such high quality I was blown away. It was then the pressure was on my to deliver the best product ever as pay back for their hard work. It has to be said that all the recovery artists worked for free, no one got paid. So I made sure the box was to the highest standard. The project will work as a profit share so once costs are covered all profits go back to the artists.
Nylvi: The twenty participating artists are described as leading electronic musicians and composers, it might also be possible to categorize them as part of the international avant garde and minimalist vanguard. However, for you as the curator, is there something more for you that connects these artists – on an artistic level or on a more personal level?
Kamal: Ok, this is a landmine of a question. Was I the curator? I’m not sure, I was just the guy that had the chance to sit back and fantasize about the line up. You know, that old if you programmed a festival who would you have play situation. Well I played if you made a box set who would be on it. Of course they had to come from a certain field and they had to be artists that personally I truly respect and am inspired by: thus my fascination as to where it all started for them.
Curatorially, everyone was given total and complete free range. I never told anyone that I thought a track was inappropriate for the box, and in my opinion this approach worked well. It’s resulted in such a brilliant cross section of music and form. Recovery basically took shape as the artists chose their tracks. It was really thrilling when I would get an email back from an artist telling me what they wanted to cover. I laughed a lot and got very excited. The project grew before my eyes.
I don’t really think its necessary to define a connection between the artists except that for me they are all my favourites. So, yes, it was a personal decision. I invested 15 k of my own money in recovery, not knowing I was going to break even, so I wanted to at least be happy with it.
Nylvi: Is there any artists that didn’t make it on the box set that would you have liked to have on it?
Kamal: I’m totally happy with the 20 artists in the box. In my opinion no one is missing. Of course when I sat down with pen and paper and wrote out my wish list there were over 30 artists I had identified as suitable for the project. Some were dead, which didn’t make contacting them too easy.. In the end I identified my 20 and out of them only one could not contribute due to work commitments.
Every one else said yes on the first approach. Funnily enough word had gotten out about the project and many of the artists had spoken amongst themselves about it,so they knew who I was and about Recovery. I was sending emails to my heroes and they were responding positively. That says a lot for them, having the trust to put their work in an unknown persons hands.
Nylvi: The packaging is also very impressive. Ten 7-inch vinyl singles with cover art by the renowned artist Graham Dolphin. I would guess there’s deeper meaning behind this then to just make it look good or?
Kamal: Yes, there is a lot more going on here. Of course looking good is important. I wanted the box to have to have some weight and also be iconic. I wanted it to be a beautiful item.
But of course there was the appropriation. A box of covers! So why not choose the greatest artist on this planet working with the appropriation of contemporary culture particularly his work with music? I approached Graham, who amazingly agreed and we met up. Again I did not want to impose any curatorial weight on him so I described what the project was for me and why I was doing it. Graham is a fan of the artists and like me knows most of the covers from the 1st time round.
Graham proposed that he hand draw all the labels. Not only this but redraw them from the original art work from their 1st release genius! So what do you get with his work?
You get a visual artists cover versions of covers. BINGO! You see for me, recovery is about the vinyl and about the music, but also about the box and the packaging. I am a total fetishist. Record covers have always been a strong forum for design. Therefore Recovery pays tribute to the packaged item as well.
Nylvi: This is the first release on Fractured Recordings, a label who specializes in on-off editions, and the Recovery box itself is limited to 500 copies, is this connected to the way you see the future of the music industry and vinyl as a format?
Kamal: Maybe I am just lazy. I mean, 500 copies is manageable for 1 person. I wanted to create a collectors item. I did not set out to be a record label, I just needed a forum for recovery to exist within. I chose the name fractured (which is in itself a cover, as joy divisions publishing company was fractured music).
In regard to the way the music industry is going all I know is that all the record stores in London are closing down. Berwick street is deserted and there are kids out there that don’t know how to handle vinyl. Recovery is a kind of fascism. It will NEVER be digitally released, so it’s a kind of arrogant statement to say that vinyl rules. No record player no recovery.
But basically I think in 2 years there will be fewer record stores. What are they but clearing houses between the distributors and the end user? Cds are completely useless and I can see them being phased out soon. I am told over and over again that stores are selling more decks then before. People are coming back to vinyl.
I imagine we will have vinyl and downloads being the 2 major formats.
Nylvi: What can we expect from future releases on Fractured Recordings?
Kamal: I’m planning to continue the label as a hobby, but i’m really compulsive so it will no doubt be a full time job. Next year I plan to do a series of related releases working with visual artists and sound artists in collaboration. There are a few more long-term projects in the pipeline too. Basically all going well, you will see artist led projects working with vinyl on limited editions.
Nylvi: Top five records of all time?
Kamal: Ok in no order
Iggy pop – the idiot
Sonic youth – day dream nation
Brian eno – taking tiger mountain by strategy
Joni mitchell – hissing of summer lawns
Stevie wonder – songs in the key of life
Tags: Fractured Recordings, Kamal Ackarie, Recovery, Vinyl
