Q&A With Angoisse
5.20.16 by Bobby Power
Based out of Barcelona, Angoisse is a boutique cassette imprint specializing in disparate, largely electronic sounds. Run solely by David Romero, who also records under the alias Fingering Eve, the label operates under a stark but diverse sonic umbrella that covers everything from noise and industrial to ambient and dissonant techno. Angoisse’s latest batch of tapes emphasizes this singular sense of variety with three new tapes, including the pummeling electronic scrambles of Pure Matrix, a blissed-out drift of ambiance by Dominic Coppola and Forest Management, and the return of Hsdom (aka Jochen Hartmann of the dearly departed Phaserprone imprint). We caught up with Romero just a few days shy of releasing this new batch of tapes to talk about the label’s withdrawn demeanor, austere but striking aesthetic, and apparent (lack of) ties to the local Barcelona scene.
When did you start Angoisse, and how did the first releases come together?
Started Angoisse a few years back with a friend who was a key piece in the Basque black metal scene and isn’t involved anymore with the label.
Where does Angoisse fit within Barcelona’s music scene?
I have no idea.
What artists or labels inspire you?
Right now most inspiration comes from things that are not music related, from fashion brands to editorials and magazines, to tech wear ads, accelerationism, speculative fiction, sport cars, trap music videos, and my personal Instagram, Twitter and Facebook feeds.
This new trio of tapes seems perfectly balanced, going from serene and subtle, through odd and abstract, to pummeling and dissonant. Do you see this batch as a triptych or three parts of a complete piece?
Each release is a complete piece on it’s own and I don’t really see them as a triptych but I guess it could work as that in some way. I prefer to think of it just as a batch that fits very well the idea of releasing electronics for all conditions.
Did you reach out to the artists for this batch, or did they come to you with the material?
Both.
Do you accent demos, or do you commission each release?
I prefer to commission each release.
Much of your back catalogue covers noisier and somewhat abstract techno sounds. Do you intend to branch out even more as the label continues
It’s constantly evolving and changing with every batch so it can branch out or even die any day.
You recently issued the label’s first piece of vinyl, with Exoteric Continent’s Peninsula 7-inch. What was different about working with vinyl? Why make a format switch for that particular release?
First vinyl was actually another 7-inch by Alleypisser that came out in the very first batch. The format switch on both releases was based on the artists’ preference due to either recording the material with that format in mind and just feeling like doing it at the time but it’s really annoying to work with vinyl and deal with pressing plants.
Do you design the art for all of your releases? Do the artists have any input
I do it at this point but always with the artist’s input until we get to a point where the final design is a good blend of both parts aesthetics and ideas.
Are there any hurdles to being both an artist and a label owner?
I’d say there’s advantages as I do not depend on anyone to release my own stuff and control everything.
What’s next for you, and for Angoisse?
There’s a new Fingering Eve release that should see the light soon and there will be some live dates after the summer too. For Angoisse, “Vanity Fair” by Gabi Losoncy is near ready and I’m very happy to release it very soon. After that there are many releases in the works and I’d rather not disclose any names yet, whoever cares should just keep an eye on the label’s sites.