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Who are you?
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Why are you doing this?
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What kind of music are you looking for?
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Where did the name Noise Factory come from?
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Are you hiring?
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Are you a member of a secret society that controls the world?
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What is your favourite colour?
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Are you the same Joe English who drummed for Paul McCartney and the Wings?
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What is your philosophy about music?
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Who are you?
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We are:
Joe English - joe@noisefactoryrecords.com
it's my label, please don't touch. your contact for everything noise factory.

Sean English -  sean@noisefactoryrecords.com
the man who likes to listens to music.

Zenia English - zenia@noisefactoryrecords.com
marketing guru.

distributors:
Canada - Outside Music
USA - Darla Records
USA - Carrot Top Records
USA - Tonevendor
Germany, Austria & Switzerland - Cargo Records
United Kingdom - Cargo Records
Japan - Plop

"We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams."

Why are you doing this?
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because we love music and we are just crazy enough to start an indie label.

What kind of music are you looking for?
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we are looking for beautiful music. we have a particular ear for experimenatl electronic, post-rock, ambient, blissful, mind blowing, gut wrenching, emotional rock, loud, soft and minimal noise. we like these words, but words can't capture the music we seek. finally, drum machines are good.

Where did the name Noise Factory come from?
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the name comes from a series of parties and a college radio show during the early nineties. while the rest of world was falling in love with the post-punk movement of nirvana, we were wallowing in the beauty of industrial, experimental and ambient electronic muisc. zenia decided that the noise factory would be a good name for a record label. the rest is history.

Are you hiring?
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Sorry, no.

Are you a member of a secret society that controls the world?
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yes, we are freemasons.

What is your favourite colour?
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varying shades of grey.

Are you the same Joe English who drummed for Paul McCartney and the Wings?
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NO.

What is your philosophy about music?
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"The forms of snowflakes and faces of flowers may take on their shape because they are responding to some sound in nature. Likewise, it is possible that crystals, plants, and human beings may be, in some way, music that has taken on visible form."

- Cathie E. Guzetta

The Noise Factory is not made up of musicians or former record executives. The Noise Factory came into existence out of a need and desire for something new. We truly believe the music we represent is some of the most wonderful and beautiful music currently being made. Our strength as individuals lies in the marketing and business side of music. Unlike many indie labels we offer a different viewpoint, one of the music lover and consumer. This gives us a unique advantage to see what the consumer sees and thus utilize our marketing skills to the advantage of the artist.

Intent. Why are you making music? What is your intention? These questions provide the answers to the Noise Factory's philosophy about the music we work with. We are not interested in bands or artists that are creating music for the sole purpose of selling the music to a mass market. Music is far to important and far to powerful an art form to simply degrade into a purely monetary thing. For us, music transcends the monetary realties of our society.

We want to work with bands and artists that with or without us will continue to make music out of shear passion and need to create something that is distinctly their own. New, different, powerful are all things we look for in a band. Basically, we dislike more than we like

I receive many emails from bands claiming that they have an image and sound that will sell records. If you are band who designs your image and music around the demands of the market, or if you are a band obsessed with selling records and writing music that will sell music then the Noise Factory wants nothing to do with you. We are looking for bands that need to create a sound that expresses their own vision. We take music very seriously, we simply do not see music as just a commodity. We don't believe in one hit wonders, we are here for the long haul.

Now, it would be an absolute lie if we said we don't want to make money. This is a business we need to make money. Bands want to make money so that they can continue to do what they love to do. But the music will always come first. We need to believe in the integrity and artistry of the music. We love music, we love the business of music and we want to bring music that is beautiful, eternal and true to its form, to the fore-front. This is what it is all about, and who knows maybe we can change the world of music along the way.

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Want to know more about the label read this interview.

NOISE FACTORY
WAVELENGTH 146
SUNDAY JANUARY 12,
Naw 11:45pm, Tinkertoy 10:45pm, Beef Terminal 9:45pm
Purveyors of: Minimal techno to ambient guitarscapes
http://www.noisefactoryrecords.com/

Hey Joe, give us a quick thumbnail of your personal history in the music scene and how the label got started.

All roads lead back to Joy Division. They were the most influential band during my teen years. From that point, everything else fell into place. At one point I was so into electronic industrial music that I began adopting the anti-guitar philosophy of Test Department. That didn’t last long. The next major influence came with David Sylvian’s Secrets of the Beehive. I suppose these two musical styles represent the scope of what would become Noise Factory Records. As for the Noise Factory, it began as a college radio show on CHRY during the early ‘90s. The show played mainly industrial, electronic and ambient music. We had a couple of parties under the Noise Factory moniker, but once we graduated university it all kind of ended. Life began to play its cruel little game. I got a job at IBM and hated every day. So I started the label in 1996. I knew nothing about running a label, and I had no contacts but I had a good friend that was in a band called Nancy, Despot, and wanted to put out an album. It made sense at the time and it still makes sense.

My impression is that Noise Factory started out as a guitar-rock-oriented indie label, and that at some point a few years down the road you repositioned yourself as a more electronic-music-focussed entity. Assuming this is even a fair assessment, would you say this was a conscious decision or is it something that just happened?

When I started the label, I always intended it be an electronic and experimental label. It’s kind of strange how things have a way of happening. In the beginning, there were times when everything seemed out of focus and chaotic, and yet somehow I ended up exactly where I always wanted to be. The point at which the Noise Factory began to become what it is today was in November of 1996. That’s when Brian Gunstone, my friend and lead singer/guitarist for Nancy, Despot, died. This had a profound effect on everything I did label wise for the next four years. We worked with Mike Matheson’s band Kennel District (named after the Pavement song and trying to sound like it — flux = rad ed.) during the period just after Brian’s death for few reasons ,essentially. One, to keep my mind occupied and the label going and second, I liked the music. There was also the air of familiarity: Mike Matheson (now Beef Terminal) had helped produce the Despot album and he was also close to Brian. When I think back now, I don’t know if I was emotionally or mentally truly focussed on the label during this period. The real turning point for the label came when Kennel District disbanded and I contacted Kevin Drew (now of Broken Social Scene). I had basically had enough of the label as it was and I wanted to put out a compilation that really represented my taste in music and the direction of the label. Kevin helped me put together the compilation Beautiful Noise (the apocalypse), and with that release I had found the label’s soul. Plus Kevin allowed me to release a project that he was working on with Charles Spearin called KC Accidental. Somehow, I found my way and ended up exactly where I wanted to be.

In recent years, it seems that some bricks have been knocked out of the wall that separates “dance” and “rock”. How does Noise Factory fit into this general “crossover” (ugh, I hate that word), or do you at all? Feel free to comment on the positive and negative aspects of this trend as a whole.

I don’t think we fit into this at all, for one main reason: I never really consciously follow any trends. I am not trying to sound cool or anything, it’s just that I honestly don’t know what the current trends are and I don’t really care what they are. I just like the music I like. I can say this, though: I think what people are beginning to realize is that the medium of expression, whether it be rock or electronic, is really irrelevant because the sentiment or emotion is the same. The music is coming from the same place and ethos. The need to create something new that reflects the artist’s vision is why, whether it be electronic or rock, it still has the same feel. The spirit of creativity is the link between the musical styles and in that sense it makes the feel of the music similar. I don’t see much difference between the music of Naw and the music of Beef Terminal. They both come from the same place, they just choose a different mode and style of expression.

To continue with the theme of the dreaded “c-word”, no act seems to exemplify this spirit of electro/indie synthesis more than Beef Terminal. Tell us a bit about your history working with Mike, and what it is about his music that draws you in.

It’s kind of weird. I think at the point Noise Factory began to come into its own was the same time Mike began to explore a new, yet familiar, path with Beef Terminal. During one long in-depth conversation about music and life, Mike told me about some recordings he did while in high school under that name. These recordings are still available, and if you bug Mike enough he may make a tape of this material for you. So, when I began looking for music for the compilation, it was about the same time Kennel District disbanded. Mike gave me some of these early recordings, and they reminded me of some of the more ambient industrial pieces that I was listening to a decade earlier. The ambient (or almost noise) piece on the compilation is some of his earliest work. Beef Terminal was the sound and idea I had for Noise Factory, and it had been sitting right there in Mike’s head for two, maybe more, years. Needless to say, the music was exactly what I was looking for. What really draws me into Beef Terminal’s sound is the emotional impact and its beautiful sadness. The intention of the music is very pure and honest. It is what it needs to be and nothing more. There is also something very visual and cinematic about the music. It seems designed for traveling through a decaying urban landscape. The aspects of Beef Terminal I like the most are the darker pieces with the quiet sounds lurking in the background. I prefer his more ambient and quiet works, but overall I am always blown away by his ability to capture a certain mood. Also, like all the bands we work with, there is an ethical factor involved in making music. What I truly love about the music is that it’s not being made for me or anyone else, it’s just being made for the need to be made.

What are your current and/or upcoming releases, and why do they excite you?

Our last three releases have been Sparrow Orange’s Hands and Knees Music, Beef Terminal’s The Grey Knowledge and Naw’s The Resound Of A Foggy Autumn Dawn. I wish more people would discover the Sparrow Orange album. It is such a beautiful, sad, warm and introspective piece of work. Sparrow combines that interesting blend of electronics with a post-rock feel. With Beef Terminal and Naw, I finally have some artists that can and will be playing live shows. The music has been the most exciting part of all this. Beef Terminal has taken his music to a whole new level with The Grey Knowledge. This will undoubtedly lead to more exploration and more music. Naw’s sound has taken the label in a new direction, and it’s a musical style that I have always enjoyed. With Naw, the scope of the Noise Factory is really complete. As for upcoming releases, we have a new release coming from Tinkertoy and a new (sort of) album from KC Accidental. I am really excited about working with Tinkertoy — I think they are one of the best experimental electronic bands in the city. I was actually a big fan of their music and it took me a while to contact them, because I was a little intimidated. Actually, now that I think about it, this has been the case with all the artists on the label. As for KC, what can I say, this is pure excitement. It may only be available in this country on import, but it’s an incredible release.

On Jan. 12 at Wavelength, you are co-presenting a double label “showcase” (another word I hate! grrr!) with Greg Clow and Piehead Records. How was this alliance forged?

I hate the word “showcase” as well, but I couldn’t figure out what else to call it. The alliance was forged quite simply. Piehead has recently put out a Naw album (Gibberish) and they are planning on putting out a Tinkertoy album in 2003. I was looking at doing something like this and so was Greg, so we decided to do it together. Our labels not only share some artists but I think we share a similar aesthetic. Piehead puts out local experimental electronic and post-rock artists. You may have to do some exploring to find their releases but once discovered you won’t be disappointed. On top of that, Greg’s radio show on CIUT, called Feedback Monitor (every Tuesday from 10 to midnight), is one of the best places to discover new music. He’s been a great supporter of the label and to do this showcase with him is a great thing.
— interview by Jonny Dovercourt