Can you explain
how the label was formed and what the aim was?
A couple of artists in Edinburgh - namely Phase
6 and Beluga - saw an opening for starting up a conduit
for local artists to be heard worldwide, and forge some
sort of infrastructure for modern music in Scotland.
The aim was to give an opportunity to those who had
tried and failed with other labels, not necessarily
from Scotland. Essentially the focus was on electronica
at the time but this was by no means a set genre for
the label, which prefers to see itself as simply modern.
Its introduction of electro, indie guitar music and,
of late, folk has proved the point.
Why are you called Benbecula?
Benbecula is an island in the far west of Scotland
and serves a dual purpose. Firstly it represents the
hidden side of Scotland as many people, even Scots,
are unaware of its existence, and secondly it’s
just a really nice word.
There are three biographies of very different
individuals on your site: Ivor Cutler, John Peel and
Caspar Pound. Do these personalities go some way to
explain the ethos of Benbecula?
They certainly do as they have one very obvious
facet in common to us which is they are pioneers in
their field. These individuals stuck to their ideals
through decades and were never influenced by trends
or manufactured culture.
What are your thoughts on the health of the
electronic music scene in Scotland?
Benbecula has gone a very small way in introducing
some sort of platform, but there is a long way to go.
The UK has its roots in pop and probably always will.
Scottish folk like a singsong and it’s in their
blood, and so we are up against it. I guess it makes
us all the more determined. There is an incredible amount
of very good bands and also electronic musicians doing
very good things in Scotland. We have the Instal Festival
which is highly specialised and well attended. Of the
two main cities, Glasgow has a better scene due to the
number of people and also because the Edinburgh population
is very transient - lots of students etc. People try
to set things up and then end up moving on. The Glasgow
gig scene is very good with good venues like King Tut’s
Wah Wah Hut.
How have things changed since you set up?
All the red tape that comes from running a label with
regard to contracts and collection societies has increased
over the years, and planning a release takes a lot longer.
Having said that we have gone back to our roots with
the limited CDR Minerals Series.
How did that idea come about?
We eventually hooked up with the Fence guys [a record
label based in a small fishing village on the east coast
Scotland] about a year ago, and were immediately charmed
by their releases which were almost entirely home-made.
Fence took many years to flourish which is possibly
to their advantage as they were able to promote themselves
through a very organic and home-made process, a lot
longer than Benbecula ever did. We were completely inspired
by their attitude and it was almost an awakening of
our childhood days in the label. We decided to get back
to basics with a set of CDRs, in a similar vein to what
Fence do, the same ethic. We make no secret of this
and we have extreme admiration for them. The Minerals
Series represents music we would otherwise not
have been able to release.
What Scottish based artists do you admire?
Outside of the label, we respect many performers in
many different genres, even the classical percussionist
Evelyn Glennie.
Do you have any links to Boards Of Canada?
Not a great deal other than Marcus [Eoin] probably gets
the same bus into town as me.
Do you get tired with questions about and comparisons
with Boards Of Canada?
Yeah shut up! I guess people see the word electronic
and Scotland and just make a juvenile connection. But,
that’s part of the game and I guess folk just
require a reference point. I’ve known of their
music since pre-Skam and have a lot of respect obviously.
There’s an enormous amount of speculation
about Christ’s prior involvement in BoC. A friend
of mine claims that she met him a few years back in
Edinburgh and he explained that he left BoC just a few
weeks before the whole Skam thing took off. Is he ever
likely to acknowledge this in any way...?
I can’t comment I’m afraid.
Where in Scotland would you recommend listening
to Benbecula records?
I highly recommend listening to Benbecula at a wind
farm - where technology meets nature. The ones south
of Dalkeith are a good local spot. Then there is the
Rest and be Thankful, Loch Rannoch, Loch Torridon...
Looking back over the years what three records
you are most proud of releasing?
- Music Volume One – Let’s get
the ball rolling!
- Christ - Pylonesque - It put Benbecula on
the map.
- Reverbaphon - Our Heart Beats With Joy -
In many ways, the best album I own.
What's planned for Benbecula in 2006?
The new Christ album, lots of more little limited
CDRs, lots of money hopefully.
Stuart Aitken |
