Start with a history of Spastic Fantastic.
So, where can I start. I've been running my label more or less since 2007. This was the time when my band The Omnipresent Disease recorded the first demotape and we wanted to spread it around. Going to school doesn’t take up much of my time so I decided to found a small DIY label named after a song by The Italian Stallion, who unfortunately split up this year. I thought it would be great to support friends and talented bands by releasing their stuff, so some small releases followed. I’m really addicted to this whole punk thing and running a label gives it more consistency. Making artwork, spraying a bunch of tapes, getting in contact with labelmates around the world – I just love it and hope to get the chance to carry on with Spastic Fantastic for a long time.
What's been the highlight of your label so far?
I wouldn’t mark any of my releases as a great highlight in my really youngish label's history. Every release has its own charm. Let’s put it this way, any tape costs a lot of time, any wax release a lot of money. Accomplishing things is a handsome feeling and it’s important to have reliable contacts when making releases. I remember working on the split 7’’ between Alarmstufe Gerd and The Omnipresent Disease. It’s great to see, that people also believe in younger bands when they spend lots of money releasing some crappy punk music on wax. I would say these are the tiny highlights of releasing records.
When did it start to feel for you like Spastic Fantastic was becoming a big deal?
I don’t think that Spastic Fantastic is a big deal at all. The time I spend on the label has risen and I have to save a lot of money for future releases. Maybe it’s a bigger deal in my life and I feel myself a bit more useful, but I won’t say it’s a big deal in any other way.
Tell me a bit about Razing Nightmare. When did that get started?
I started Razing Nightmare when I was quite bored in 2006. I wasn’t involved in a band, but I wanted to design some shirts for me and friends. I started working on the first design and asked around, to see if it sparked any interest. I sold about ten shirts to my beloved buddies, but there was more potential. Anyway, more and more people wanted to have a shirt and I reprinted older designs and worked on more motifs. Today, Razing Nightmare has passed 7 designs, hass sold hundred times and has finally found an “offline” skateshop, where people can buy it without doing any mouse click. I invested a lot money and time in this, but it makes my pants wet seeing a stranger in the city wearing RNC.
It seems like you've got a lot of projects on your hands. Does running Spastic Fantastic take up most of your time?
Haha yeah, as Frid, our bassist, already said I love to be the “Johnny on the spot”. I have a shitload of work at the moment, while having my final examinations, but I try to work very passionatly on everything I’m involved in. Spastic Fantastic takes a lot of time, but I also invest hours promoting Razing Nightmare or searching for shows for The Omnipresent Disease or the less serious project Napoleon Dynamite. Unfortunately I abandoned the Polly Rocket Shows Crew due to some priority differences, but I really recommend the present one for sweaty punkrockconfetti shows in Unna.
Aside from t-shirts and music, are there any other areas you'd like to get involved in?
Regarding my future, my biggest aim is to pass my final exams and study design at the FH Dortmund. Apart from that, I would love to start screenprinting things and launch a powerviolence band. Oh, I forgot, you said “aside from music”. Really? No.
What would you say is the defining characteristic of Spastic Fantastic?
Past releases have shown that I’m really into thrashy hardcorepunk, but I won’t say no to any other subgenre if it’s nasty and supports an antifascist ideology.
Some “No Go’s” that I will definitely never release: Metalcore; bands trying to get the big master deal and sharing stage with Hatebreed; and bands who are involved in any commercial contests.
Does it have a motto?
Not really but “Thrash heil” sounds cool, doesn’t it!?
How do you find out which bands you want to release stuff by?
There are many different ways to find the way to Spastic Fantastic. Either it’s me playing in a passionate punk band, or it’s one of my friends playing in a passionate punk band or we don’t know each other BUT, you can guess, you play in a passionate punk band.
Mostly I ask the bands by myself. Although I don't try to fit in a certain stereotype or make profit with any band I (hmm I don’t like this word) “sign”. Due to the fact that something like MySpace makes it quite easy to write hundreds of messages s a day, it’s unlikely that something will get my attention with a ready made label correspondence, like “Hello LABELNAME, we are BANDNAME, we played shows with SHITTY BANDS in cities like OUR HOMETOWN. We play some BLA BLAH WEIRD SOUNDING GENRE music. Would you like to sign us?” Many times a month I ask myself, why German or Austrian bands write me in English.
What are your next releases going to be?
This year, Lipkick, an (guys, attention!!!) all female 80s hardcore band will release their first 7’’ on Spastic Fantastic and some other DIY labels. A split with Regina will follow next year. Furthermore, I joined in some international co-productions like a live LP of The Hatepinks (77s snotty punkfuck from France), a discography of In Defence (thrashmonster from the States), and a split between Killin It (thrashcore in the veins of Tear It Up) and Thrashington DC from France, who play some aggressive fastcore.
Besides that, we are working on songs for a new 7’’ of The Omnipresent Disease, Nihil Baxter will release their first 7’’ next spring on SFR and, if I have a mind to do it, I will try to co-release the debut CD of Napoleon Dynamite. Woo!
What do you see the future holding for your label?
I hope to get the possibility to release everything I listed above.
I ain’t got a big bank book or great earnings from my projects, so money is the biggest problem making records. Needless to say, I’m trying to promote any Spastic Fantastic band, as well as I can. Perhaps I'll get the opportunity to go with some of the bands on a Euro tour and meet wonderful people, which would be a great progress.
Are there any websites/bands/people/labels you'd like to give a shoutout to?
Yes, of course! First visit the current and upcoming SFR bands websites, like The Omnipresent Disease, Nihil Baxter, Alarmstufe Gerd, Regina, Lipkick, Napoleon Dynamite, Killin It, Thrashington DC, and The Hatepinks, they are definitely worth it! Thanks also to bands like Sidetracked, Undressed Army (R.I.P.) and The Italian Stallion (R.I.P.) for giving so much love to the DIY punk scene. Check Rising Riot Records out as well, they are a great influence and have an ass kicking roster.
Do you have any advice to finish with?
Thanks Alistair for the great questions and supporting the DIY underground network and small labels such as me. To all the others: Don’t waste your time, do what you feel like doing, and support your local scene. Thanks for your attention!
Thanks a lot to Maz for this interview. Tune in to the Crasier Frane show on Monday at noon at Subcity to listen to a mixtape he made especially for the show.
