With our exploration of the underground we can’t avoid another noisy genre, and this time we’re gonna talk to Michael Kölz, the noisecore/grindcore musician and owner of the AxRxLx label from Germany.
OK, so, for those of our listeners, who never encounter any notice about you and your label, can you introduce yourself and AxRxL?
Me, hihi… I´m a extreme guy, love hard horror movies and brutal noisey sound, so I’ve started an underground label [in] 2013 for raw grind crust gore and noise.
I have to say I am always curious about how people get involved in music they are producing/releasing/distributing… can you briefly tell us about your musical journey so far? How did you get interested in the underground scene? What band, or record was the “ear-opener”, so to speak, for you to start discovering the music below the mainstream?
Hmm, I was 10 or 11, and [I] was in my uncle’s home and saw his vinyls, like Napalm Death and Massacre (old school death metal), and than I hear it – bam! I was into hard stuff and noise sound, I love harsh noise, noisecore, and good raw grindcore – bands like Excruciating Terror or Warsore make the love to the scene and anti-music for me and later I’ve started the label.
From being a listener/fan to being a label owner/distributor could be quite a long way to go, how did the AxRxL come about? Did you need a venue to release your own material?
I started in 20013 with my grind label AxRxL and I release the stuff i want and do it non-profit.
If my information is correct, the AxRxL started back in 2013. When you look back (if you do) at your beginnings, how do you view them? Is there anything you wish you knew back then, so you would do things differently?
Nope, all good! I´m happy with my releases and stuff.
To date, how many releases did you put out through AxRxL? Which one you view as your personal favorite and why? And, while we’re talking about releases, is there any you wish you would release, but for some reason you haven’t been able to do so?
I have over 70 tape releases and plan many in next time, busy at work, haha – but my favourite was Violent Gorge / lt Dan split 7”, very nice one, and first 7” Semen / Kadaverficker, Semen side was killer, [the best] dark satanic crust gore porn I’ve ever heard, and next stuff I´m happy about is tape re-release from Yacopsae – Fuck Punk Rock. And I´m happy about every release and I´m happy I can release my own stuff from my bands.
I guess that might be an important question for those wanting some stuff – releasing stuff in limited quantities has its setback in selling out sooner or later. Do you consider re-releasing any of your sold out stuff again?
Maybe i make a re-release, but first come, first served.
Tape format is still very popular with the underground. Why did you choose to use this format? Nostalgia factor, or something more important, like a personal stand against CDs?
I love the old way tape and vinyl, CD for me is for mainstream.
Do you co-operate with other labels/distros in releasing the stuff, or distributing in in different countries? How do you view this process considering the always increasing postage rates?
Sure, I do co-release with labels from all the world from time to time, as from time to time it’s more expensive to send stuff from Germany to other states.
We’re already almost in the third quarter of 2019, what did you release so far and what would you recommend to our readers from your list?
i have many release but i think the Repulsione / Ji Joke split tape is amazing and the Insect Terror EP on tape and split on vinyl.
And, obviously, I can’t but ask about the plans for the rest of the year…any interesting releases we can expect?
Sure, Cripple Bastards – Punks Not Music (re-release on tape) and Mesrine – Going to the Morgue (re-release on tape).
For those interested to get in touch, what contact they can use?
I´m on Facebook, so people can look me up, or my bands and label.
Any last words or message to our readers?
Make noisecore great again!!! Gore is the law!!! In grind we harsh!!!
https://www.facebook.com/alternativerecordlabel.axrxl/
