How long have you been doing this and what got you started running an independent record label?
Dark
Hedonistic Union Records was founded in April 2014 as a means to help
up and coming or already existing bands to release their music on
Limited Edition Vinyl.
What motivated you? Why here, why now?
My
unending love for music. So many great bands were going undiscovered or
unnoticed, especially on bandcamp. Over the last few years that has
changed immensely with independent labels popping up and signing some of
these bands and helping them with a release in one format or another.
It's a shame to see so much talent wasted so I'm glad to help each and
every band out as much as I can and feel proud to be part of a movement
that's pouring their blood and sweat into this. Worth it every damn step
of the way! I've been a music fan all my life and my motivation in DHU
stems from the fact that I want to help out some of these bands and help
them to get their vision and music out to their fans, including myself!
What's your prior history in the music world?
I've
been in 14 bands/projects since 1997 and have been writing material
since 1995. Everything from classic rock to hardcore to metal to
experimental music to soundtracks and the combining of said genres.
Sadly none of them amounted to anything, but I like listening to it
occasionally. Put most of them up on bandcamp as well, made about 10
bucks in the last 6 years from it haha. I've roughly written, recorded
and produced about 40 Records on my own. Not the highest quality but
definitely DIY!
What was your first release?
Year
of the Cobra - The Black Sun EP (DHU001), although that was released by
3 labels, with Devil's Child Records (US) and Heavy Metal Vomit Party
(Slovenia Republic) respectively, so actually the second release Brume -
Donkey (DHU002) was DHU Records' first official solo release.
Any special projects planned?
Every
damn one of them! Already out, sold out or soon available are Year of
the Cobra - The Black Sun EP (DHU001) in 3 different color variations
(Sold Out), Brume - Donkey (DHU002) in 3 different color variations
(Sold Out), Inuka - Anno Doomini (DHU003) still available in 3 different
color variations, an album fans of heavy music are still warming up to,
but I tell you, it's a personal favorite. Great song writing, and just
really classic doom metal, from Singapore! Florence Lee has an amazing
voice and I truly believe in her vision. There's the Little Foot Long
Foot - Woman EP (DHU005) which to me is one of the finest female fronted
rock record I've heard in ages, seriously underrated. Joan Smith is a
truly talented guitarist/vocalist, you can't deny this fools, get on it!
Coming in September is a brutal split of 2 cult bands, namely Black
Capricorn and Weed Priest (DHU006) with a double sided cover with some
very fitting wax colors. But in particular the Disenchanter releases
(DHU004+DHU666) that are coming up. Disenchanter and DHU Records decided
to release their whole catalogue on vinyl at some point during a lot of
very crazy and long conversations (what's up Joey!) Back to Earth, On
Through Portals and Strange Creations will all have their vinyl release
this year. It has grown into something really special that the fans and
ourselves will dig very much. We went all out for this one and will blow
people's mind for sure! Lots of exclusive artwork by Amy Morris,
Rosario at Unexpected Specter and Sabine Stangenberg of Disenchanter
respectively, with some damn sexy wax to go with it! Grajo's self titled
(DHU007) album is coming soon with some very unique artwork and wax
colors, pure heavy doom metal from Spain sure to tremble the earth's
crust! There's a 7 inch coming up of the band Doomstress (DHU777) with
badass cover artwork by none other than David Paul Seymour and with some
sassy wax to boot, very limited! We got a vinyl version coming your way
of one great album by Mother Witch and Dead Water Ghosts called Ruins
of Faith (DHU008), pure fucking doom from Russia, released earlier this
year on CD by DGRECORDS. The Mother Crone - Awakening (DHU009) release
which was at first going to be a single LP but later on we noticed it
went over the time limit a bit so it's going to be a 2LP. Side A, B and C
is the album Awakening and we'll do some bonus stuff on the D side, get
ready for that one! The Youngblood Supercult - High Plains (DHU010) 2LP
release with artwork for the gatefold done by the amazing Branca
Studio, an album that's surely going to be in the top ten list
everywhere at the end of the year and rightfully so. Then there's Old
Blood's debut (DHU011) which is going to be something very extravagant
to say the least; a real red carpet treatment. Next to the music, which
is in itself a breathe of fresh air in the world of heavy music, there's
lots of cool stuff coming along with it, but more on that later as it
unfolds. A split between 2 DHU bands is coming toward the end of the
year as well with a very slick concept that I'd never expected, really
looking forward to that one. Plus! A new signing coming up of a band
that is going to break the barriers of heaviness once more with their
outstanding debut. It's gonna get a lot darker in this union I can tell
you that much. So brace yourself fans of all that is heavy, there's a
lotta cool shit coming your way from DHU Records!
Are you looking to tap into a particular local scene or were you aiming to capture a sound?
No,
not really. With DHU I literally wanted to release music I like and
listen to myself and that could be any genre as long as I dig it. I'm
actually not really fond of scenes. I love music. If DHU would be going
for a scene specifically that means I'm limiting myself and then I'd be
doing this for all the wrong reasons. But, to narrow it down a bit, I
like dark, cold, deep, groove-driven heavy music the most i.e. Doom! But
I'm also a huge fan for instance of movie soundtracks, that's why I
like a label like Poisoned Mind Records, they have all those elements
just mentioned. I love the way they have heavy bands, experimental
bands, synth bands, soundtracks and the affiliation with horror movies,
it all fits perfect to me. It's cool if, as a label, you can incorporate
more elements than just one. For me, as long as it's rebellious,
revolts against the standard, goes against the grain, works from a DIY
ethic and totally kicks your ass with true conviction, DHU Records is
happy to help and support in any way possible.
Tell us about the label Name and logo.
As
a musician I always wrote down words or sentences that had a dark or
occult ring to it or just sounded cool to me. I was watching a
documentary on National Geographic about religion and the occult and the
guy being interviewed mentioned certain types of people being in a
'Dark Hedonistic Union' and I was like wow, that sounds cool! This was
2-3 years before I started the label, I just kept it as a note in my
phone and didn't look at it anymore. Until I decided to start a label,
it was the first thing that came to mind, the rest is history. Plus, I'm
fascinated by all that is dark, heavy and unknown, always have been, in
movies, music, books and art so the name fits in and makes complete a
life dedicated to the dark arts. The logo DHU Records uses now came
maybe a year after I started and was messing around with letter types
til I found the right combination and later added the evil eye with the
inverted cross, which was basically a drawing for a tattoo. My first
logo however is on the Brume - Donkey release and was made by my
brother-in-law, a tattoo artist, but after a while I thought it looked
too much like the Darkthrone logo so designed the current one myself and
asked Joshua Wilkinson at the Company Design to perfect it. I think it
looks awesome.
There's so much to learn about running a label, share with us some of the lessons you're learning along the way.
To
me it's kind of learn as you go along and just communicating with a lot
of people from other labels, musicians or just business people; you
learn and so do they. When working with bands I just try to come to a
mutual agreement and provide the best deal for them where we can both be
happy and move on to the cool and most important stuff; the art and
music! All cards on the table all the time is how it works best.
What changes do you see ahead for the music industry?
There's
so much going on right now in the music industry in terms of technology
and the DIY movement that it's hard to say really. I keep myself more
busy with what is at hand rather than thinking about what lies ahead.
What will you do to stay on top of new and emerging technology?
Not
much I reckon. If some new thing comes along I'll read into it and if
it's worth working with it I'll definitely go along with it to get the
best out of it. But the old adage 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' goes a
long way for me.
What's the biggest challenge facing you today as an independent label?
Record
store day? Waiting periods are so much longer once orders go in for RSD
at the plant. At first I didn't see the problem but then I'd have to
wait for a test press for a month/month and a half and was like 'oh, I
see' and waiting times for the actual vinyls being like 4 months or so.
They're like: "Get in the back of the line you puny little shit, big
spenders are coming, make way!" It's not cool, especially when you have
to break these things to a band and their fans. Independent labels are
vinyally challenged in that way. And there ain't a damn thing you can do
about it either. Other than that the challenge is to keep it
interesting for yourself to keep doing this, keep getting inspired etc.
No problem there though, I have access to so much cool shit you wouldn't
believe, and from those wells I can extract profusely and endlessly.
Seems like there are a lot of independent heavy labels emerging these days. What will you do to set yourself apart?
Keep
doing my will. It's the whole of the law. Every independent label
supports music they like. If a band I like gets signed by a label I
like, that's a win-win. If a band I like will release with DHU Records
that's a win too. I don't see this as a race or competition. We are all
different entities that support one another one way or the other.
There's a unity and it's mostly under the banner of heavy music but not
exclusively. Every band is unique as is every label. The end justifies
the means, and in this case that is some very exclusive, limited and
damn sexy vinyl! I have seen the best vinyl releases come out through
independent labels and I love it. My personal vinyl purchases come for
about 98% from independent labels. So what I'm actually saying is, the
labels are apart in the sense that we're unique but are united when it
comes to the music. Real music: not radio friendly, shit kickin', rock
'n' rolling, satanic, ugly, sweaty, dark, compelling, thought provoking,
occult, unnerving, bong toking, blood shedding, lovecraftian, goat worshiping, evil, high, swift kick in the nuts, adversarial, riff
filled, hardcore, weedian, off the deep end, guts spilling, witchy,
inappropriate, DIY, beautifully depressed, inebriated, black coffee
slurping, damned if you do, doomed if you don't, shitfaced HEAVY FUCKING
REAL MUSIC!!!
What do you look for in your bands?
Honesty,
integrity, heart, balls, a hard working 'take no crap off of no one'
diy ethic! Oh, and any or all of the aforementioned references in the
last line of the last answer.
How do you find your artists? Are you a club rat, constantly searching live venues for cool acts?
No,
I'm on bandcamp all the time since I discovered it some years ago and
that's basically where I found all the bands I'm working with today.
Bandcamp is probably THE place to find the best music that's not
discovered. I'm truly amazed how many gems I have encountered these past
years and still encounter almost weekly. I actually can't thank them
enough for that.
What are you looking for now?
To get all these releases out to the bands and fans!!
Are you involved in all the creative decisions?
More
or less. I definitely think with the bands I work with. If they present
something cool and it touches me I leave it as is. The whole picture
has to fit. So sometimes I'll just say, a little more to the left, a
little more to the right or something like that. Other than that, maybe
the logo placement. Fortunately I work with some really artistically
creative musicians and that's truly a blessing and very inspiring. I
love art and get very excited to see what all these bands and artists
have in mind for their music.
What would you like to see happen for the future of the music industry and your label in particular?
I'd
like to see a future where Major labels like Sony and EMI etc. are
being exposed for not producing real music and are nothing but fat cats
filling up a bowl that's already overflowing. They produce so much copies
of a copy with their 'flavor of the day artists' and get way too much
money then is good for these corporate pigs. They sell products not
music. Promoting herd mentality instead of individuality. More bands
should levitate toward independent labels and more independent labels
should be created. DIY for DIY. Supporting one another and stand united.
The pulse of heavy music lies in the underground and that's where it's
always been and always will be. It's rooted in hard work and passion and
is where the heart of music beats the loudest. If I could make the same
money with DHU Records as I do with my daytime job I'd be content. I
just hope I can do more killer releases as they come along and keep it
up and leave a mark and an example for future independent label owners
and a dent in the giant corporate machine, slowly dragging that wretched
beast into the ground. We as fans are doing a way better job. There, I
said it.
Anything else you'd like to share with the waveriders?
I
want to thank each and every single person that has shown or given
support one way or the other to DHU Records these past 2 years; The DHU
Cult, bands, fans, other independent labels, buying vinyls and showing
those pics on social media, and, most importantly, digging the music I
dig the most! You are all a true inspiration to keep DHU Records going
and we are all part of a movement that is growing in numbers rapidly, so
hails to that!
And of course: Do it first, do it yourself, keep on doing it. Support DIY!
Hails and Horns!
Robert Black
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