by Eden Hemming Rose

I started the label because I wanted to create a collection of artists who, I feel, are all cutting their own strange path with their music.

It comes from my obsession with time and also a quote from my favorite book “Briefing for a Descent into Hell” by Doris Lessing in which the main character describes the beginning of his tumultuous adventure as:

“…now it is rough, we toss and heave as it was in the Great Storm, when my raft fell apart like straw, but I know now this is a good cross patch, it is creative, oh what a frightful stress, what a strain, and now out, yes out, we’re well out, and still swimming West, but South West, but anti-clock Wise, whereas before it was West with the clock and no destination…There, there is my true destination and my love, so, purpose, be sure to hold your course.”

What else could I be doing that would really be worth it? The inspiration comes from the musicians that I meet and the music they make. Their music is so much bigger than me, than AntiClock, than anything I could do but I am honored to give them a chance and listeners that are seeking it a chance to find it. AntiClock is kind of a force in itself, I don’t think I could stop it. Just when I feel like giving up, some artist comes along and feeds the fire and I HAVE to bring them in because it feels so right. These are all artists that I believe in. I believe in their music, I believe in what they’re doing.

It’s not really that hard. Money and time are the hardest things I have to deal with but I just do what I can and hopefully it works out as best as it can. It’s actually easier to run a label, I think, now, because the internet has opened so many doors and ears. Its given access to so much that I can’t imagine what it could have been like doing anything independent before. I get frustrated when I feel like I don’t know enough or I can’t do enough for the artists…like send them around the world to play shows, or sell enough cds for them that they can quit their day jobs and support their families by their passion alone. I feel like the music should be appreciated and known by more listeners but at the same time, I know the listeners we have are as unique as the music we put out, they are few and far-between. I know they’re real and that we haven’t created it by any false measures but by our own worth.

There isn’t any one particular artist that I want to release. I like releasing artists that are relatively unheard of and that I feel, as I said above, are cutting their own path.

First and foremost, as it states on our site, I am most interested in music that is “occult or recondite”. I listen to and appreciate all of the cds that are sent to us through the mail. I don’t listen to and get irritated if I get mp3 attachments sent to our email. I do occasionally listen to links that are sent but I really do prefer to have something substantial that I can look at and listen to in my car. I also really enjoy it when it’s obvious that the person sending the demo is familiar with the music that AntiClock releases. If you don’t have time to listen to us, I don’t have time to listen to you. A short letter about the band is nice as long as it’s not egotistical and bloated. I hate falseness. Just be real or be absurd or be humorous but don’t tell me you’re the “next big thing”. I don’t even know what that means. Any band that sends fancy band photos is wasting their money. I don’t care what you look like. Because AntiClock is run by one person, I don’t have time to respond to all of the artists that I’m not interested in releasing and, often I don’t feel like I can come up with the proper response to why I can’t release it. I can only release a few albums per year and so I have to feel like the artist truly fits in with what AntiClock is and can make it grow. A demo may be rejected because it simply wasn’t music that I like or I may even like the music personally but didn’t feel that it was completely right for AntiClock.

I’m planning on releasing an album very soon by an amazing classical band called Aranis, out of Belgium. I’m also going to be releasing Ctephin’s next album “Child Phonography” which will include a drawing from each of their 7 children, then hopefully frogtoboggan’s “Roanes” and “Red Letter” (possibly on vinyl), The Phantom Carriage’s “Skull Exposed to March Rain”, a new one from Mike Seed, and a limited handmade cd from The Gray Field Recordings. I’d also like to release a compilation of AntiClock artists’ songs not included on any other albums.

The best record(s) I’ve heard in the past year would be Aranis’s self-titled album and Coil’s “The Ape of Naples”. Those are the first that come to mind that really blew me away but there are a ton of albums that I really love and have listened to in the past year.

Most labels can’t do any more for you than you can do for yourself.