Rune grammofon Kristoffersen
Oct.10, 2012
Discaholic Corner Interview series —- Rune Kristoffersen
Are you an official discaholic?
– Depends on your definition, but probably, yes. Discaholic light, maybe…
How did you start collecting, which one was your first record, bought with your own money?
– Jimi Hendrix – The Cry Of Love. Still have it and still a favourite.
Heard that one and Led Zeppelin III in music class at school at the golden age of thirtheen and bought it without even owning a record player, had to borrow from my grandmother, ha ha…
After that I bought everything with his name on it before moving on to other artists.
When did you first realize that you have the discaholic disease?
– Only in later years.
Do you try to treat it?
– Eh, no, should I?
Can it be treated?
– Wouldn´t think so, not if you´re really bitten.
Are there any secret Fra Lippo Lippi test pressings / acetates… that we haven’t seen yet?
– Not really, we never finished stuff unless we were pretty shure it would be released.
No outtakes, alternative mixes, no unrelased gems, etc.
Which FLL vinyl is the rarest, hard to get, these days?
– The rarest is probably the 7” single “Now And Forever” with a wrong label logo on the label. Everything else with both label and sleeve is correct. I believe there´s only 10 or maybe 20 existing. And I have a couple….
One hard to get item, at least complete and in mint condition, is a split 7” with Italian band Minox on the Firenze based art label Industrie Discograpiche Lacerba. It came with three cards and an art magazine packaged in a numbered cardboard envelope.
Does format matters?
– All vinyl formats have their own charm, but I never liked picture disks.
In what way is vinyl more fun to:
Produce? – The sleeve
Listen to? – The sound and the whole experience of active, dedicated listening
Look at? – The total visual package
Hold? – Just the total feeling that somebody took great care in producing this art
Smell? – A typically “old” smell can be intriguing…
Can u list your favorite record in the following genres?
Free jazz? – Spontaneous Music Ensemble – Karyobin
Indie? – Joy Division – Closer
Punk? – Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks
Noise? – Jazzkammer – Timex
Electronica? – Black Dog – Bytes
Are Lists a good or bad thing? DC is not sure… and we are very ambivalent… but… meanwhile…we will continue publish them…
– I´m not sure either, have never really bothered with lists, which is strange really.
But have a feeling I might at some point.
How do you sort your collection? Alphabetical or by genre?
Any thoughts about re arranging?
– Alphabetical, but also a couple of sections by label.
Considering a few more by label.
What record is closest to sex?
Which one is no sex at all
– I suppose there´s an unhealthy overweight of unsexy records in my collection, haha.
A number of Hendrix tracks would probably be the closest I can think of… Kate Bush “The Sensual World” is pretty hot in its own way come to think of it.
How do you find your records? Or do the vinyls finds you?
– The usual: record fairs, internet, shops. These days I generally have most fun at fairs, although prices can be somewhat off-putting.
Describe a perfect shopping/hunting day!
– That would be at the London Olympia November fair, finding a number of records from your wantlist in great condition and reasonable price. My needs are simple…
What records do I wanna steal from your collection?
– Maybe excellent first pressings of Nick Drake´s “Five Leaves Left”, Spontaneous Music Ensemble´s “Karyobin”, Amm´s “Ammmusic”, Jimi Hendrix “Electric Ladyland”, Van Morrison´s “Astral Weeks” Pharaoh Sanders “First”, Sun Ra´s “My Brother The Wind” and various early Mothers on Verve.
What record do you wanna steal from the Discaholic Corner website?
– Springboard (love the sleeve!!)
– PJ Harvey – Dry
Is “Tap dance for scientists” ever gonna come out on 7“ again?
– Strongly doubt it!
Is “Now and Forever” a good title for an album?
– Most certainly
Is looking for vinyls with fellow discaholics the most fun you can do with your clothes on?
– Without doubt, that and football (live and on TV)
Is trading records the ultimate intimacy?
– I haven´t been much of a trader I´m afraid. I guess I don´t have much I want to dispose of. And if it´s that poor, I can´t imagine anyone wanting it…
What is the first section you hit, while arriving to a vinyl shop, where you have never been before? – Rare and/or collectibles
Secondly? – Progrock
Thirdly? – Krautrock, jazz
The section where you would never look in? – Unsorted bargain bins
What is your favorite record shop in the world?
– Don´t get to travel much these days so hard to say, but London and Stockholm are generally good hunting grounds for me, especially Stockholm is great nowadays with Andra Jazz, Nostalgipalatset and Record Mania.
Why?
– Good selections of shops and I generally like both cities.
Glossy or matt?
– Matt in most cases, or even better: inside out. Or textured in some way or another.
How many gram is ideal for a 12”?
– Not a big issue for me, I feel that 180g is slightly overrated.
What record has it all? Great music, great cover, great feel, great rarity?
–For me, I´m afraid the greatest records doesn´t have the really great rarity bit.
But where everything else is just right on the money I could name Captain Beefheart “Trout Mask Replica”, Joy Division “Unknown Pleasures” and “Closer”, Genesis “Foxtrot”, Ornette Coleman “Free Jazz”, Wire “154”, Magazine “Secondhand Daylight” before I realize this list could easily go on for a bit…
Are u a completist of any artist, label or group?
– Not when it comes to artists, but there are certain where I´m looking to have UK first pressings of all their albums, or at least from their “prime” periods; Jimi Hendrix, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa / Mothers, Van Der Graaf, King Crimson, Genesis, Black Sabbath, Gentle Giant, Neil Young, Magazine, PIL, etc, etc… I have complete sets of Caroline, Obscure, Compendium (Norwegian) and always looking for early Virgin, Charisma, Island, Vertigo, Harvest, Silence, Rough Trade, Factory, United Artists, Ohr…
What record label has been most influential/ inspirational for Rune Grammofon, when it comes to music and design? In the past and in the present?
– 4AD, Factory, Impulse, Blue Note are some. Nowadays I like Häpna, Sofa, Hubro, Mego, Tzadik, although a couple of them have probably been inspired by Rune Grammofon.
Will the flexi return?
– Doubt it
Will there be any Rune Grammofon flexis?
– Can´t imagine, but never say never.
What is yr favorite vinyl box ever released?
– Here I´ll limit myself to my own collection and say Keith Jarrett´s “Sun Bear Concerts” on ECM which is a classic, beautifully designed and executed 10LP box set. Recently I like Grateful Dead´s “The Warner Bros. Studio Albums” on Rhino. And the Neu box.
Is this interview too long?
– Possibly, yes…
Is Derek Bailey right ? — “music is like living, but better“?
– I can go for that.
Is Evan Parker right? — “my roots are in my record player?
– Ditto, why not?
Rank the following discaholic parameters: smell, feel, music, liner notes, cover art, design, sound, rarity, obscurity, thickness of vinyl:
1. Music
2. Cover art
3. Rarity
4. Obscurity
5. Feel
6.
7.
8.
9.
Any other parameters of importance?
– I´m sure there is but can´t think of any just now.
What “impossible” record are you still looking for? Which one is nr 1 on your wantlist?
– Don´t have any impossibles on my want list, and no specific nr 1 anymore, they´re all obtainable if you have the money. But here are some very possible, all UK first pressings of course:
Captain Beefheart – Strictly Personal
Tim Buckley – Starsailor
Cressida – s/t
Bill Fay – Time Of The Last Persecution
Shelagh McDonald – Album
Van Morrison – Moondance
And some early Ohr and ESP stuff
Which record can save the world?
– Quite a few have at least changed, and quite possibly saved, my world, I think I´ll keep it at that…
Which record will not save the world?
– Far too many.
How many vinyls per day keeps the doctor away?
– On average, one will do nicely.
Rune Kristoffersen, October 2012.