Label
Name : UXICON RECORDS
Country: Belgium
Started in : 1994
Orientation
: Underground Metal
Label Manager: Burt Beyens
Interview of Burt Beyens the Label Manager of Uxicon Records an underground label from Belgium :"The idea behind the creation of this label is the lack of interests by existing labels!! I can say that via this way I can spread out music over the world! Without this it was/ will be never possible!!".
1-Hail
Burt!! First of all could you make a bio of Uxicon records?
In the
year of 1994 I started the first activities from Uxicon records to release
tapes from underground bands!! In these days my label called'filthy noise
productions!! A first release was the demo from intestinal disease,( later
on came the full LP on Ux!!), so whit this release I started and made
good contacts into the underground! However the interests from myself
growed into something different: releasing stuff on vinyl and CD!! And
yes!! My first real record release on Uxicon became true in 1996! The
Agathocles/ punisher split EP came out with totaly diy spirit and limited
on 300 copies only!! Most of them decame spread in Spain, coz it was released
before an agx tour in Spain!! Later on this EP was repressed 2 times more
with more professionalism!
Afterwards I started to work on a first CD release and I started to find
bands for making the family more attractive and more interesting!! Until
today, Uxicon tries to be the deliverer of honest underground music, spread
out to the whole world!! And my aim is to continue with this coz without
people like us, the underground cannot resist the strength of the nowadays
capitalistic and global world!!
2- Why
did you choose that name, and what gave you the idea to create this label?
The name Uxicon is the 27 letter in the alphabet of the language Esperanto,
or the European new standard language (mostly used in high conferences
from Europe!!)
I choosed this name coz I think it's modern and original in the underground!!
The idea behind the creation of this label is the lack of interests by
existing labels!! I can say that via this way I can spread out music over
the world! Without this it was/ will be never possible!!
3- Is
Uxicon records only you or somebody else? And why?
I am alone in the label, but in the work I have I get some help from my
sister and mom!! (thanks in eternity for that!), but for the rest I do
it all on my own, coz in the past I got too many times in this mess with
people when money was involved!! To this point I stay alone in this label
coz I think it's the best way, and the hardest way!!
4-What
are the orientations of your label?
I do not have orientations in the label! If it is cool music into the
underground metal/ hardcore movement its okay for me!! Nazi's are not
welcome in any way!!
5-Please
tell us some words about your past releases? Are you satisfied or could
be better?
As you can read in the bio, the past releases were a bit poor in what
the artwork concerns, but after the first CD release it started to grow
better!! I am happy with the way it all was coz never expect the things
must grow from one day to the other you know!!
6-How
do you promote your stuffs?
For the promotion with every release, I try to send around 300 promotional
copies to zines radio stations and other sources that can help to promote
a release in the right way!
I do not have the money to pay expensive ads in glossy magazines coz it
is a waste of this money!! with trading adds I try to promote the releases
into the zines, but I prefer the true underground spirit and most of the
zines do adds for trade or for free coz those people know what they are
doing ok!
7- Internet
and web sites are very important in this time! Do you think that you could
go back to the times when only paper and pen were available?
I spreaded the way of running the label, coz it's impossible to answer
all mails in one day because of the fastness!
So there are some ways you cannot avoid snail mail today!!
8-What
are the conditions for a band to be signed on your label?
There are conditions!! I must know the people in the band and I wanted
to listen to the music they want to release too!! All the time I was in
the studios were the recordings took place or I was the man behind the
mastering (executive producer!!). The people in the band must be cooperate
with the label in a friendly way and may not spread bullshit like Nazi
stuff etc...
9- What
is a contract, if any, at your firm like? And what can you offer for the
bands that your work with?
I can offer the fact of spreading the music from an Ux release worldwide
and the contacts from these bands is getting better themselves!! I never
work without a contract, it'" important that the people in the bands
I sign stay themselves and not expect from me that I am as rich as EMI!!
That is the good spirit to work with!!
The bands must realize that I am underground so the concerts that they
organize did not all come from my side coz we (the label and the band),
forming a sort of cooperating thing to make sure we both make progress!!
For sending a band on tour with the most famous bands I do not have any
money and I will be stupid enough from my side to make organisations like
clear channel better of you know!!--
10- The
LELAHEL METAL website is intended to be a document of the current state
of the Arabian Metal scene Have you an idea about this scene?
Now coz we are too far away from contacts we make! In the time that the
wall in Germany falled, there where a lot of bands unknown but it will
be growing and become better!! (It must!). So for me is this an opportunity!!
Bands,) please let me know that you re on the planet and try to send me
your music!!
11- Bloody
Gore is an Indonesian band signed on your label; can you tell us more
about the Asian metal scene? And have you planned other releases from
this region or others (for example the Arab world)?
The band bloody gore is splitted up now, but the Asian scene as I know
it is full of brutal bands!! there are most of the time professional tape
releases and there are some labels who started to work with licence deals
for western bands and this is good stuff coz people do not can effort
CDS and a good solutions for spreading the music is the alternative to
put it on the market in other formats, controlled in the country too!!
I guess this stuff put us more together than possible!! I do not plan
other releases from bands in that area !! In the meanwhile this scene
is developing fast and soon there are people running labels who can do
these bands releases! on this point, when those people there start to
contact the world to trade then its distributed and more easier to find
it on the market!!
12- You
come from Belgium. What do you think about the current Belgian metal scene?
The country we live in is not big and so we carry a little underground
scene, with not so many people and bands around!! Today we have huge problems
for the local scene what concerts is concerning!! The bands on tour play
now in the only place we have for the underground, and it push away a
bit the opportunity for the local bands!! Organizing concerts on diy base
is getting really expensive as I did this in the past too!!
13-We
know that you played as a drummer in AGHATOCLES and now you are the bass
player of the oldest Belgian death/ doom metal band called INSANITY REIGNS
SUPREME!! Can you tell us more?
Off course the way I left agx has a story for me!! I played 12 year in
this band without the feeling of progress! This was not in the same line
as the other members in the band coz it are extreme ideas!! So on those
points we got stucked and there was the only way to leave the band for
good!! I stayed for two months out and then the question came to join
insanity as bass player! Not easy when you play bass again after 12 years,
but it worked out great and also the friendship I found that was passed
away in agx was great to feel again!! So I still do the drums and soon
I will start a new try out with some people as drummer, but we will see
what it turns out!!
14- Your
hobbies and interest? What kind of music do you listen? How old are you?
My greatest interests are music so that is my hobby!! Also I listen to
all styles of music and it's for me all the time like lessons!! Everyday
I listen music and I learn! I am 31 years old!!
15- What
are the next plans for the label? Do you have already some planned stuffs?
Tell us more…
The first release for the near future will be the new full CD from insanity
reigns supreme! This CD Called 'prophecy of doom' will be out at the end
of November 2003!!
Then the next release will be the debut full CD from the Italian grind
band called dysmorfic!! (EP out now on uxicon rec! ) also the second demo
from insanity reigns supreme will be an option to re- release on MCD with
the two video clips as bonus!! I will see what the future brings!!
16- What
do you think of the concept of our website?
Great opportunity for the people over your countries! Itis like a kind
of connection between different cultures!! I only can be positive about
this!! Also the website is looking very pro done 
so
a lot of precious time is crawled in this!! I guess you should receive
also from other people the respect for what you do for the underground!!
My respect you have fully!!
17- Thanks
for the interview! If you think I forgot something important, the last
word is for you!
Thanks eternally for this interview my friend!! If there are individuals
who want to contact me, please do not hesitate!! All bands may let me
know your music into the underground dahmer@pandora.be
Let the worldwide underground be united and stand together for eternal
cooperation!! Let thy body be the temple of the cult!!
Interview by Lelahel
Email: dahmer@pandora.be