discaholic interview paal nilssen- love

Mar.12, 2013

discaholic interview paal nilssen- love, march 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you an official discaholic?

– Nja, according to the airlines, I guess the answer is yes

 

 

Do you need help with it?

-Never. Need more time, more cash, more people like me in the bands…

 

 

 

When did you start collecting?

-Depends what you mean with collecting… the first record I bought was at the age of 10 or so… was making a list of all my records at the age of 13…

 

 

 

Was vinyl the first thing you collected?

– First record I bought must have  been some record with Kiss… can´t remember…

 

 

 

 

What gives you the biggest kick? Collecting shoes,  cymbals,  books or vinyls?

-This ”interview” is about records, so; records: vinyls

 

 

 

Was the fact that your dad has a great collection of vinyls an important start for you, as a young collector?

-Of course.. he´s a completist, so am I.

 

 

 

 

 

How many records have you ”borrowed” from your dads collection?

– Ha ha! My folks borrowed my flat the other day and he took back a Charles Tyler LP that I´d ”borrowed” years and years ago… quite funny… let´s say a handfull of 10-20 records…

 

 

 

Did Art Blakey give you any vinyls when you were sitting on his lap as a kid?

-No no, only his drum sticks which I broke next day when practising… my dad however got him to sign an LP for me

 

 

 

 

How do you buy your records mostly nowadays ? on tour? eBay? Local shops? Privately?

-On tour. Japan-Chicago and now Brazil…. Of course eBay and discogs

brazil march 2013

tokyo jan 2013

 

tokyo jan 2013

tokyo….. jan 2013…..

 

 

 

How many meters of vinyl do you have in your collection?

– Many…

How many meters would you like to have?

-How many can one have?

 

 

 

 

Is trading records the most fun you can have with your clothes on?

-Do you have to wear clothes when trading?

 

 

 

Is trading records the ultimate intimacy?

-Of course not! I´m not a f— pervert!

 

 

 

Is the smell of a record an important factor to you?

-No, it´s the shop and the other customers that smell…

 

 

 

Is the weight of a record an important factor to you?

– Depends… if on tour it´s a drag but then at least you fought for it when you get back home… 200 or 220g is of course the ultimate wheight of the actual vinyl.. then there´s the cover, 400g gatefold……..yeah baby

 

 

Can you let us know how a vinyl per day can keep the doctor away?

– 20 records can keep your wife away…

 

 

 

 

Alphabetical or by genre?

-Genre, country, then alphabetical… but from right to left

 

 

 

Mono or stereo?

-My amp has a mono button. Works fine…

 

 

Favorite format?

Was 10”…. 5” is nice

 

 

 

Limited or unlimited?

-Limited if possible

 

 

 

 

 

 

What record is closest to sex?

– Guinness?

 

Which one is no sex at all?

– Guinness?

 

 

 

 

What record has changed your life most dramatically?

-Any Luiz Gonzaga, Era Mela Mela with Mahmoud Ahmed, Clay with Yamashita trio, Jazz Composers Orchestra with Cecil Taylor

 

For the best ?

-All above

 

For the worst?

-Depends how you see it. Your own reaction to whatever record you hear that provoke the shit out of you can create interesting things.

 

 

 

Describe a perfect shopping/ hunting day!

– Serious hang over, then a full English breakfast (with tea), then loads of coffee, then some serious damage at whatever record store and then a good session at a favourite (to become) pub/bar with whoever was with you doing the same thing…. Repeat this next day

 

 

How is vinylhunting in Ethiopia?

– Was good but more and more people know where to find the gems…

 

 

Favorite city for vinyl hunting?

– Tokyo of course, then Chicago, now Brazil, might be Buenos Aires in a couple of days…

 

 

 

 

What records do I wanna steal from your collection?

– Ha ha. You´ve got Challenge that I´ll inherent from my dad so that´s done… and you finally found the ”Korean Free Jazz” with Evan Parker… hmmm.. Could be that signed copy of Art Blakey at Champs a Elysees….

 

What records do you wanna steal from the DC archives?

– I don´t steal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Protecting plastic covers or not?

– not

 

 

What is the first section you hit, while arriving to a vinyl shop, where you have never been before?

-The shelves, new arrivals, world music, avant garde

 

The section where you would never look in?

– Japanese reggae (I like reggae, don´t get me wrong)… but in general, let´s say elektronika, techno, etc etc…

 

 

 

What is your favorite record shop in the world?

– Disc union in Tokyo; Shinjuku, Shibuya and not least Ochinamisu


Why?

– Got it all…

Dusty Grooves in Chicago is not bad either…

 

Why is playing in recordshops a good idea?

– Getting a discount

 

Why is playing in recordshops a bad idea?

– No time to shop?

 

 

 

Give us a list of your 5 favorite:

 

 

Ethiopian vinyls /7”

Lemma G. Hiwot – PH164, Hay Loga (Arr. Getachew Degefu)

Tewelde Redda – PH104, Kirar Mistequane (Trad)

Tlahoun Gessesse – PH100, Yehagere Shita (Arr M.Astatke)

Zeleke Hailu – ETH110, Ere Zeraf (Hager Feker)

Kebede W.Mariam – PH186, Weha (T.Lemma, Orch Ethiopia)

 

 

 

Cumbia vinyls

Anibal Velasques, Chico Cervantes, Michio Sarmiento, Lucho Bermudez, Pedro Laza

 

Drummer vinyls

”Learn how to play latin drums”, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Tony Oxley/Howard Riley, Clay with Yamashita trio, any album with either Ed Blackwell, Phillip Wilson or Steve McCall. Of course, Elvin Jones, Larry Bunker, Paul Lovens, Lytton, Bennink, etc etc

 

Brötzmann  vinyls

For the cover, package and music, the triple box with the poster, also duo with Walter Perkins, duos with Bennink, 14 Love Poems, machine gun of course… and for Adophe Sax

 

Shoe makers

Alden, Lucchese, Crockett & Jones

Girlfriends

Lollipop, Cashmere, Sugar, Cherry, Emerald

 

 

 

 

 

What is your fav drum solo, recorded on vinyl?

– Papa Joe Jones with Count Basie trio, ”Caravan”

 

The worst?

– He he … I have some manners!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Is this interview too long?

– Long a go…

 

 

 

Why are there so few female discaholics? How many do you know?

– That´s not the problem, there´s too many idiots that collect just to collect, most of them men… there´s a few chicks that like shopping vinyl, DJs and girls interested in vinyl… but rumour tells me there´s some girls in Oslo…

 

 

 

Are you a completist? Is there a label or an artist that you NEED everything from?

– Jaaa… but I´ll never get there….. got all Jair Rodrigues, Elza Soares… could easily go for the complete Incus and FMP catalogue. And Fuentes, Tropical, Phillips Brazil, Ethiopia, Analogue Africa, Sublime Frequencies, etc etc

 

 

 

What single vinyl release got you going to start play the drums, or was it a live experience that set it off?

– This interview is getting serious… Art Blakey, Art Blakey and Art Blakey, must of been the one with Monk

 

What vinyl makes you wanna stop playing the drums?

– Again, I have some manners… and some shit records encourage you to continue…louder, better, heavier

 

 

(Almost vinyl related questions):
Who is the sharpest dressed free jazz/ improv
musician?

– Not you I´m afraid…  Nick Stephens… John Stevens did a good job too

Who has the best shoe estethics and take care of his/ her shoes the best?

– Ab Baars of course

 

 

 

 

Can you recognize a fellow discaholic in an ordinary group of people? Are there any specifics that give the discaholic away?

– pale skin colour, foul odour, desperate look in the face,

 

 

 

What is the maximum of records,  in weight, that you have been schlepping home from a tour?

-50-60kg

 

What is the maximum of eBay packages per day that you have recieved?

– Sorry, 3

 

 

 

 

When will we see a vinyl release on PNL records?

– There´s already three out… cunt

 

(if you would have answered this interview in time , the question would still have been valid, dick! – Ed´s note )

 

 

Is the TRUTH within the grooves or in between?

– After

 

 

Are your roots in your record player?

– I like that phrase of Evan P. but music is something that happens live!

 

 

 

 

Which record can save the world?

-”We are the world”

 

Which record will not save the world?

-”We are the world”

 

 

 

 

paal nilssen -love  nov 2012 – marh 2013