AVANT! was born in the spirit of early 20th-century avant-garde movements like Futurism and Dadaism, and by later Cold War world division scenarios, in the hopes that the name could represent the basic idea of a new, stripped-down punk avant-garde.
AVANT! became a vehicle with which to gather the EU bands I liked. Not because I don’t like U.S. bands, but just because I'm Italian (or European), and there are still too few Italian bands to focus exclusively on my country. So why not help the deserving ones?
The label was born in the end of 2007 when I self-released a split 7-inch between my band and the solo project of Tenebras, singer from Nuit Noire, a band I loved as an underground black metal freak. At first, of course, I had no money to pay one whole press on my own so that 7-inch was co-releases with Tenebras' lavel, and other friend labels like Todestrieb, Produzoni Sante and Quo Vadis. That record went out really fast and it felt amazing.
So the will of to do more with the label grew. And a more structured idea of how to do it grew up simultaneously.
Soon I got in touch with Disordered Records who had did 7-inches for Human Eye, Intelligence, among others, and we found this Swedish wild synth-punk band The Black Bug, with whom we released a limited 7-inch. (“You A Grave,” in the compilation). That was the last co-release with another label.
Next release was the first non-EU ban, a 7-inch EP by Mexican feedback mayhem band Los Llamarada. (I'm also doing a 12-inch MLP for New York-based Cult of Youth. That was the first one entirely done by myself and probably the top seller too.
After this little trip to Mexico, I released a 12-inch from who I consider the best Italian punk band: Movie Star Junkies. The perfect shit for my label. I was proud to put together (with the band) seven crude tracks from their darkest period (2005-2007). This was followed by The Feeling Of Love, who were friend-mates with Movie Stra Junkies.
Krysmopompas is a weird chapter. I freaking love the double LP these guys had on S-S last year. Plus they represent perfectly the fundamental idea of AVANT!: the essence of something that's 20th century European. Black and white, minimal layouts, cold as fuck music, sung in their own language (German), too. They gave their two most “cold-war punk” songs they could (without me requesting them) and I just love it.
Same thing goes for the upcoming LP by Cccandy, a one guy solo synth project from Lonesome Berlin. Again l get this old European metropolis feeling. I may be the only one, but I don’t give a toss. Check the title-track in the compilation and tell me I’m wrong.
The past is alive.
Download the AVANT! Record Impose Labeled Compilation here.
01 The Feeling Of Love – What's your name, Who's your daddy
02 Virus – English Teacher Bleach
03 CCCANDY – Lonesome Berlin
04 Krysmopompas – Gesa
05 His Electro Blue Voice – Call
06 Nuit Noire – Faerie Punk
07 Movie Star Junkies – Subliminal Man
08 The Black Bug – You a Grave
09 Cusak – Sucking time
10 Los Llamarada – The Blanket Escape
