STAALPLAAT : an interview with Geert-Jan Hobijn and Frans De Waard.
by Philippe Petit

Staalplaat is a forum for soundartists, an organisation network with a music label, an e-zine, a publishing house, a radio program, an audio-galerie, shop, mail order and distribution company, based in Amsterdam and Berlin. For 20 years they have concentrated on new and experimental music.
" Up to the year 2000 we have produced over 300 audio releases by artists such as Muslimgauze, Rapoon, Ryoji Ikeda, Charlemagne Palestine, Jim O' Rourke, and many others. Staaltape as a label has a strong opinion on artwork and packaging. In the past we used hand made laser cut paper, CDs in leather ( Illusion of Safety with a real bullet!), stolen Soviet army badges and lots more. In our Mort Aux Vaches series we produce a wide variety of materials, such as paper, plastic and sand paper… "
A collaboration between Staalplaat and the VPRO radio (national Dutch radio). It has welcomed the works of : Scanner, Maeror Tri, Merzbow, Zoviet France, Kapotte Muziek, Muslimgauze, David Shea, Etant Donnes, John Duncan, Ryoji Ikeda , Stilluppsteypa, Kreidler, and Flying Saucer Attack, Goem and in the future Troum, Signal/Noto/Byetone/Komet and TV Pow." We have a long history of organizing events. In the eighties we were co-founders of a concert space called "The NL Centre" in Amsterdam. Here we organized concerts from, among others, Laibach, The Hafler Trio, Einsturzende Neubauten. Later when "The NL Centre" was shut down we were co-founders of the Ambassade foundation that organized music, film and machines performance festivals at different locations in Amsterdam. After a long rest we revitalized these activities. We have participated in international festivals organised many concerts, workshops, the 5 week Staalplaat audio-galerie presence at the exhibition 'sounds&files' in Vienna, and we have the Staalplaat Sound System (that played at the opening Festival of "Le Lieu Unique" on 31.12.1999. in Nantes) "
I sent my questions to both the founders of Staalplaat ; Geert-Jan Hobijn, and Frans De Waard.

http://www.staalplaat.com

	If I understood well Staalplaat is handled by 2 persons : Frans De Waard and you Geert-Jan. So, I'd like to know a little biographical information about you, such as how old you are, where you grew up, your schooling... Any sort of information that could help readers to understand how you got to be who you are today. Geert-Jan Hobijn : no staalplaat is not a two person thing but frans and I step more in the licht as staalplaat person but please don't write it is a two person project I was born in 1959. In 1981, I founded the Staalplaat foundation in Amsterdam as an international audio art forum and network, I am the chairman of the foundation and active as artdirector and curator In 1997 I moved to Berlin and founded Staalplaat audio gallery there. Which friendly piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to start his label ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : it depends on what you want. if you want to get ritch--> don't do it if you want to be famous----> don't even think of it if you want to have lots of spare time---> better sleep on it one more time the artists will think your making money with there music even when your losing money distributors think selling your records is more then enough, only fools pay for them. you must only do it when you think you have something to say, when you don't mind if nobody is listening and when you can explain to a artist it is not your fault that he won’t become a megastar in six weeks don't make any promises for the music business is worse than the stockmarket. What used to be tape-only labels are now CDR-only labels. Do you think it makes it easier for people to start their label and run less risks ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : CDR- label is good for small things, no and low risk. The problem is that people do not take a cd-r seriously, this is not the real thing and the artists and public will treat you accordingly. Frans, you also have a CDR-only division : Microwave Recordings. How come that the records you issued on this label aren't on Staalplaat ? Frans De Waard : WELL, BASICALLY I LIKE THE EXPERIMENT IN MUSIC, THE RAW AND PRIMITIVE DIAMONDS HIDDEN IN MUSIC. CDRS ARE JUST A PERFECT MEDIUM NOWADAYS TO SPREAD MUSIC. EVERYBODY HAS PRO-TOOLS, EVERYBODY CAN BURN A CDR, SO WHY SHOULDN'T IT BE REPRODUCED ON CDR? SOMETIMES YOU COME ACROSS MUSIC THAT YOU HEAR WILL HAVE THE POTENTIONAL TO BE GOOD BUT IT ISN'T WELL DEVELOPED; OR AN ARTIST THAT IS SO UNKNOWN YOU CAN'T SELL MANY COPIES. BUT I HAVE SOME SCOOP FOR YOU: I STOP DOING MICROWAVE, BECAUSE I THINK MICROWAVE HAS TURNED INTO A DEAD END. MUCH OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN SAID IN THAT AREA IS SAID. BESIDES MICROWAVE, STAALPLAAT HAS MANY OTHER CDR LABELS: BAKE, PLINKITY PLONK, HOND IN DE GOOT, ACID PLANET, KORM PLASTICS, RECYCLOPEDIA. EACH HAS IT'S OWN THING. To me the role of a label should be to discover new acts, help them get promotion, distribution, spread the word on their creativity. It seems that could be the motto behind your label. Right ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : Right! Staalplaat is a forum for sound artists, organisation network with a music label, an e-zine, a publishing house, radio program, audio-galerie, shop, mail and distribution company all based in Amsterdam and Berlin and probably lots more . For 20 years we have concentrated on new and experimental music, organised events, installations and collaborated with international artists and art institutes. Where most organisations measure their success in terms of sales or riding the crest of the latest trends, Staalplaat was created to discover the rough diamonds, to take risks and embrace all surprises. The centre of Staalplaat's strategy is to invest in the future by stimulating new sounds, establishing and supporting new routes, connecting artists with new improvisational themes and experimental music ideas, the exchange and exploration of different meta musical concepts and thus expanding the boundaries of what we call "music." We use different means to realise the process.
	I have noticed in your list of distributors that some of the companies are mailorder rather than proper distributors, or better say mailorder-lists that have extended their activities and sell to some very specialised Indie record stores. But they do not sell to chain stores. So do you think that it would be useless for your records to reach those music supermarkets ? Do you wish to keep your music within a certain circle of specialized connoisseurs ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : no not at all you should not ask us this question but to the music supermarkets, we would love to sell to them Or did you chose to keep things, prices under control and thus avoid mass-distribution in certain countries ? Frans De Waard : OH NO, I WOULD LOVE TO SELL THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF CDS OF ONE TITLE, BUT IF THAT WOULD MEAN ENTERING THAT CORRUPT WORLD THAT IS CALLED 'POPMUSIC' AND USING THEIR TECHNIQUES, THEN I RATHER SAY NO. POPMUSIC NOWADAYS IS A MARKETING TOY, ENTIRELY THERE TO EXPLOIT CHILDREN. EVERYTHING IN POPMUSIC IS A MARKETING CONCEPT, EVERYTHING IS THOUGHT, EVEN EMINIMEN IS CRAEFULLY PLANNED. Today, there are more and more chain stores and less and less passionate/smaller record shops. Are you affected by that (de)evolution, or did you delibarately chose to stay away from that "market" ? Frans De Ward : IN THE PAST WE GOT DISTRIBUTION THROUGH TOWER RECORDS, BUT THEY STOPPED DOING IT. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY. WITH THE COMING OF THE INTERNET, CHAIN STORES AND SPECIALIST SHOPS AS ENTITIES IN SPACE (A PHYSICAL SPACE YOU CAN ENTER) WILL DISAPPEAR, AND SPECIALIST ONLINE RETAILERS WILL TAKE OVER. STAALPLAAT WILL HOPEFULLY START THEIR E-COMMERCE SITE ON APRIL 1ST... What gave you the reason, or motivation to start your label ? Weren't you satisfied with other labels'music ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : we organised music events and wanted to release there music that was one reason we wanted to understand the labels we worked with that was a other reason it looked like fun. I like making covers. there are hundreds of reasons and I need al of them Did you start with a certain idea, concept ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : no I don't think so
	How would you describe a typical Staalplaat act ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : many have asked this question and I never came up with a good answer. It must be a sound that we think is worth while releasing and that needs support. Most labels have an example, or a favorite other label which they like, and you ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : yes I like Trikont very good label Any label you could say was an influence on you ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : no t that i can think of…Any label that you think has been influenced by yours ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : yes I think so, I have read some reviews where the journalist was thinking the same but I think these labels have now more there own style or should I say they stayed in the industrial ambient and we left? You pay a lot of attention to packaging and your website is good-looking. Could you give us details on the person in charge of the design ? Especially the Material series. Geert-Jan Hobijn : I am in charge of design ( wow that sounds German) and the material series in even totaly my solo project, it is funny that you mentioned the Microwave Recordings because I intended it to be the 'Microwave Redlabel' as tribute and extention of Microwave Recordings but frans did not like the idea, so I used my own label name. What is according to you the most beautiful record/art-object you ever issued ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : we made some relay good pieces of art but so did many others. If you want to know what makes us different from the rest you must look at our work as a whole. No other group has made so many and so extreme, experimental artwork or packaging's. If I would bring all our material I think I you would understand Often people do not consider "microsounds" to be rich and believe that very few is happening... Often associating it with the theory of "less is more", whereas a lot of things and ideas can be noticed in the music of many so-called "microsound" artists. Would you say that this is because many listeners : a) do not listen b) do not care c) can't understand the subtelties Geert-Jan Hobijn : I’d say to them : d) take your time and listen again Frans De Ward : THIS IS A DIFFICULT QUESTIONS BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH AESTHETICS AND PERCEPTION. I CAN'T SAY THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND... MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE IT TAKES TIME...*Could you give us some precisions on the actual scene in Amsterdam ? Any other local label, activists that you feel close to ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : I don't live in amsterdam any more I moved to berlin for music a great place to be Frans De Waard : I DON'T LIVE IN AMSTERDAM EITHER, BUT IN NIJMEGEN (A SMALL REGIONAL CITY, BUT WITH MUCH MORE GREAT CONCERTS THEN AMSTERDAM, SORRY TO SAY). NOWADSY AMSTERDAM HAS A GOOD SPACE FOR EXPERIMENTAL CONCERTS (THE OVERTOOM FILMACADEMIE) AND IT SEEMS IT IS GETTING BETTER IN AMSTERDAM. HERE IN NIJMEGEN THERE IS A SMALL CONCERTSPACE, EXTRAPOOL, WHICH ORGANISES A CONCERT EVERY 2 OR 3 WEEKS. BUT THERE AREN'T MANY VISITORS UNFORTUNALLY. IT'S THE ONLY PLACE IN THE WORLD WERE YOU CAN FIND ME DJ-ING! Anything to say on the musical situation of The Netherlands today ? Frans De Waard : IT SEEMS IT'S GETTING BETTER, THERE ARE SMALL STAGES IN AMSTERDAM, NIJMEGEN, UTRECHT AND ROTTERDAM. BUT IT SEEMS THERE WAS MORE GOING ON IN THE PAST... How does your selection process work? Geert-Jan Hobijn : survival of the fittest Are they pieces personally requested, or volunteered to you ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : yes all sorts of ways are used but the best material is the material you go out and get Is there anything that you regret or that you'd change if you could ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : yes I regret that muslimgauze died and would give a lot to change that, but I know I can't Any album or band that you wish you had issued on Staalplaat or Microwave ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : no What are your goal as a label. Futureplans ? Geert-Jan Hobijn : I would love to release DVD's in AC3 ( 5.1 chanal system) Upcoming releases : material series 1. Kozo Inada - excerpt from d[] (Material Series, Staalplaat STCD 154) 2. Heimir Bjorgulfsson - untitled cut from Machine Natura (an interpretation inconsistent with the actuality of a situation) (Material Series, Staalplaat STCD 148) 3. Pure - excerpt from Low (Material Series, Staalplaat STCD 149) mini cd's 1. Klaus Beyer - Gelben Unterwasserboot, from Hauptmann's Pfeffer Einsame Herzclub Band (STmCD 018) beatle songs in german!! 2. Ken Montgomery - excerpt from Icebreaker (Staalplaat STmCD 020) music(?) made with a Ice crusher. Mort Aux Vaches 1. Roger Rotor - excerpt from 'End' from Mort Aux Vaches rest 1. Bourbonese Qualk - from 'On Uncertainity' (Korm Plastics KP 3003) 2. Ekkehard Ehlers & Stephan Matthieu - Joshua's Theme, from 'Heroin'