London record shop World Of Echo is to launch a new label, with the first release (rather brilliant catalogue number of WOE001) a reissue of Mutabor!’s ‘Two Wishes’. The 12" was the sole release from the Anglo-German group – you can listen to the excellent no wave post punk sax skronking above, and preorder the release <a href="https://worldofechomusic.com/pages/world-of-echo-music" target"out">here. World Of Echo tell us that "Recut and mastered, ‘Two Wishes’ is now presented with the original front cover artwork alongside additional imagery, including a 16 page booklet, all culled from Asquith’s own archive. A brief bolt of energy at a crucial juncture in music history, Mutabor!’s story is emblematic of the mutli-verse of post-punk and the creativity its ideology necessitated." We dropped Natalie Judge and Stephen Pietrzykowski from World Of Echo a line to find out more about the new label.
How has the first year or so of World Of Echo been, and what has kept you going through the covid hell?
World Of Echo: Well, we’re actually about to mark our second year as a bricks & mortar shop, which the release of WOE001 conveniently commemorates. time flies when you’re in the middle of the apocalypse. what’s kept us going? stubbornness, i guess. when you’re operating close to the margins, you’re familiar enough with the economy of survival at the best of times (as i’m sure you can sympathise with at tQ), and used to digging your heels in. we were unfortunate enough to lose someone very close to us to COVID, so honestly, the routine of work ended up being an unexpected salve, a little normality amidst the storm. WOE001 is definitely dedicated to the memory of Roman Alfons Pietrzykowski. putting something good out into the world is helpful when you otherwise feel helpless.
Opening a record shop is mad enough, why did you decide to do a label too?
WOE: Wax! Trax, Rough Trade, 99, John Cusack’s place in High Fidelity – there’s a long storied history of shops with their own in-house imprint, so I think we’re just continuing that tradition. The idea from day one was always to do both, but we wanted to concentrate on being a shop first and foremost before launching into something else. Does having waited make it less mad/more sensible? At this stage, with the world on fire, it probably doesn’t matter!
What’s the philosophy behind what you’re going to be releasing?
WOE: No philosophy as such. the shop has an aesthetic of sorts, so i suppose the music would have to reflect that. But all that really means is reflecting our own personal interests. The answer being, then: do we like it?
Tell us about the first release and why you’re putting it out
WOE001 is a reissue of the solitary 12" by Berlin-based Rema Rema/Malaria! offshoot, Mutabor!, originally released on Peter Kent’s short-lived post-4AD imprint, Loaded. We met Gary Asquith through a mutual friend, and he told us about the record, shared the story of its provenance. It didn’t take much more than one listen to know it was something we’d like to be involved with, and obviously the pedigree of the people in the band speaks for itself. Strangely, this one seems to be unknown to most Malaria! and Rema Rema fans, so it feels right to be throwing some light on a record otherwise lost to time. I should also give credit to Matthew Walkerdine, who put together all of the artwork – for a two track 12", it feels quite deluxe!
Give us five records out this autumn that you’re currently into and our readers should buy?
Ippei Matsui & Aki Tsuyuko – Natsu No Zenbu
K-Group – Series 4
Arv & Miljo – Himmelsvind
The Midnight Steppers – Isolation Drives
Cindy – Free Advice
