Glitterhouse Records is the label of the week and it is one of Germany's longest running independent labels.
The label's history goes back to 1987 when music lovers and concert promoters Jan Korbach and Reinhard Holstein decided that they needed to pave ways for some of their favorite bands that didn't have a label in Europe. During the 1990s the label published a big part of Amphetamine Reptile and Sub Pop Records' early catalogs in Europe, including bands like Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Tad, Boss Hog, Unsane, Codeine, Califone, The Dirty Three and many more. Glitterhouse Records still maintains a strong reputation by releasing diverse artists like Tamikrest, Sixteen Horsepower, Wovenhand, The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project (featuring Nick Cave, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan, Isobel Campell, Mick Harvey etc.) , Dirtmusic, The Walkabouts and many more.
Glitterhouse’s Rembert Stiewe was kind enough to give Benedikt Reynisson some of his time to talk about the label, today’s music world, wanting to release Iceland’s darlings Of Monsters and Men and more.
Pictured in the text is the Glitterhouse Records staff: Reinhard, Jan, Lennard, Archie, Yannick, Linus, Cristoph, Dörthe and Kevin.
Could you tell us about how you got involved with music and why you started Glitterhouse?
Uhhh. That’s a long story. Both Reinhard Holstein and me were born and raised in a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere of Germany. A very rural and quiet – some say: boring – world of it’s own. In my teens I met Reinhard by accident – that must have been in 1980. It was at some family member’s birthday party; our former girlfriends are sisters. We talked about music. Both of us were equally surprised about the fact that there’s another individual in town being a dedicated follower of all kinds of interesting and thrilling music which was not mainstream. Reinhard had started a fanzine called “The Glitterhouse”, I always liked to write. From issue #2 on I joined. We founded a band called “The Chosen Monks”, too – most likely we were the worst band that the world has ever seen. Because of the fanzine we got in touch with a lot of bands from everywhere and most of them didn’t know where and how to release their music in Europe. Thus we decided to do it. “Glitterhouse Records” as a label and mail order-company was born. Since then we released some 740 releases including most of the early Sub Pop catalog. We never had Nirvana and Soundgarden, though – which didn’t help to survive the struggles we had to go through over the years, to be honest.
Are you influenced by other labels?
I would like to say: no, not really. We’re stubborn. We used to be kids from an isolated place. We didn’t look left or right. But that’s bullshit. Of course you’re influenced by other labels. I can proudly say, though, that we never hopped trends.
How does Glitterhouse operate?
The label: Scouting, signing, marketing, selling, struggling. Trying to survive. The mail order: selling. The Orange Blossom Special open air festival (that we run for 16 years now): enjoying. We’re still situated in good old Beverungen in an old mansion, Glitterhouse got 10 employees and three interns.
Does the Glitterhouse catalogue reflect your music-tastes?
Yes, the label-catalog and the billing of Orange Blossom Special certainly reflects our collective musical tastes. The mail order catalog with a broad variety of musical styles does reflect our musical testes to a certain extent as well..
Are there any recent albums that you’ve listened to and you’ve said to yourself: “Man… this record is so amazing; I wish that it would have been on Glitterhouse.”? Any “classic” albums?
As a classic album, “Nevermind” comes to mind, of course – I wouldn’t have to drive a `95 Ford Mondeo then. More recently there are several lesser known albums by lesser known bands: the first album by the German band GET WELL SOON for instance. Dan Mangan’s “Oh Fortune”. Funny coincidence: both were released by City Slang, run by our good friend Christof Ellinghaus – who used to live in Beverungen as well. So we turned from sandbox buddies to competitors, in a way (just kidding – there’s no rivalry involved at all). More albums I wished they were on Glitterhouse: “Have I Told You Lately That I Loathe You” by the Swedish band HOLMES, “Hurra! Hurra! So Nicht” by German singer-songwriter Gisbert zu Knyphausen and of course everything by Bon Iver or THE CARDIGANS, the coming album by DRY THE RIVER, the debut by OF MONSTERS & MEN from Iceland – there’s so much great music around. But Glitterhouse can’t be everywhere at once.
What are your thoughts about music streaming and file sharing online? How does this affect your label and sales? …and do you think it affects major labels more than indie labels or vice versa?
It might be helpful but it sucks. The share that artists and labels get is just ridiculous. Of course it affects the sales. I can’t tell if it affects major labels more than indie labels, though. Never been a major.
Do you have thoughts on the collapsing world economy affecting music in any ways positive or negative?
Hum, a tough one. I don’t know if it does. It might change the perspective songs are written from. It might sharpen the social awareness of the songwriter. It might feed the anger of the youth in general. It definitely is bad for sales of sound carriers and downloads, though. If you got less money than some years ago (or if you THINK you got less money), what would you spend your bucks for: food or music downloads? If you could download food for free from the internet you might spend money on music. Bus as long as music is available for free and food and rents are not, you won’t spend it on music. Or films.
Most independent labels have their specific policies when it comes to “signing” artist/bands, only a few sign via demos, some only sign local acts. Do you have any guidelines or policies when it comes to signing new bands?
We’re still fans (okay, every label claims that). But it’s true. We sign what we think is good, what we think has to be heard, even if it has only a slight chance in a very small market. No matter if we put out Garage-Punk, Grunge, Amphetamine-Reptile-Noise, Singer-Songwriter, Indie-Rock you-name-it in the past – we always loved what we released. Especially during tough times this is the least you can ask for.
We did sign some “acts” via demos. We never signed local bands (well, there aren’t any in Beverungen). It’s tough to sell German bands in the rest of Europe, as long as they don’t fancy a particular “German” twist that might sound exotic elsewhere. So we hardly ever sign them anymore – with the exception of Andrea Schroeder. Her debut album will see the light of day in September.
What are the fun/dreadful things about running a label?
Fun: Working with interesting people from around the world, having turned a hobby into a profession, witnessing lots of live gigs (still).
Dreadful: Well, if you want to become rich in the music industry, you’re certainly on the wrong boat if its’ flag says “indie-label”. Permanent struggling is stressful and not very healthy.
Do you have any great things coming up for the label in 2012 that you would like to share with us?
Hah! Sure I would: Norwegians MOUNT WASHINGTON will change the face of melancholic Indie-Pop forever, Sweden’s Golden Kanine will tour the big festivals in Europe, Seattle’s own THE WALKABOUTS are back with a bang after a six years hiatus, after all these years Penelope Houston finally found her way to Glitterhouse Records, WOVENHAND will come up with their most extreme album to date, Nive Nielsen & The Deer Children are the first band from Greenland that Glitterhouse ever signed, Andrea Schroeder will show the world that Germans can actually be really cool, The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project (feat. Nick Cave, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell, Lydia Lunch, Mick Harvey etc.) will see its second release, Australians Adele & Glenn (ex-Go Betweens) recorded a very refreshing yet sunny album, Ben Zabo (from Mali) wraps world-music into some mighty sexy grooves and – last but not least – Josh Haden is back with the legendary SPAIN. And the Orange Blossom Special festival will keep us busy, too.
