Battery 9 front man and One F record label boss Paul Riekert has been rather busy of late.
Besides working on a new Battery 9 album and a further release with his musical partner Anton L’Amour, he has reissued one of his band’s classic albums and anthologised the recordings of another of his side projects, Breinskade.
On top of that he has released two great new albums by local acts Trike and Bittervrug.
This is what he revealed when the Mail & Guardian caught up with him:
What was behind the decision to re-release Battery 9’s classic second album Strop?
It was unavailable for years and people kept pestering me for copies. Bless them. Also, it needed a remastering.
I understand you are busy finishing off a new Battery 9 album. Can you tell us a bit about it and when it should be released?
I intended to do just an EP, but it’s grown into an album.
It’s quite heavy, most of it, negative and pissed-off, with the customary balance of funny stuff, of course. Most of the tracks are tirades against stupid humans.
It’s entitled Galbraak and is going into mastering in a few days. It should be on the shelves in September or October.
You recently reissued the material from your early 1990s project Breinskade. Can you tell us about this project and why you decided to release it now?
It was a pre-Battery 9 project with Huyser Burger and At Nel — I made the music and they’d help out on the live side.
Musically, it was a strange local hybrid of Rotterdam hardcore-techno. The violent shows were 10 minutes long, hinted at absurdity and all the props were smashed in the last minute.
The only official release under this name was a six-track cassette entitled Bierbaard, in 1994. I’ve released it now, because I can! It’s been sitting there on the shelf.
I understand that you are planning a Paul Riekert and Anton L’Amour album.
We’ve been recording it as we’ve had time over the last four years, bit by bit. Anton and I have a unique musical connection; it’s very instinctive, and we’ve recorded in the same way.
We’re still at it, so we hope to have it on the shelves by November or December.
What else has been keeping you busy lately?
I’ve been writing a lot of music for TV and radio. I’m also working on a spoken-word album of short stories when I get the chance.
Any local CDs besides the ones on your label that have blown you away lately?
Koos Kombuis — Bloedrivier, Insek — Maaiers and Jane Rademeyer — I Think a Halo.
But I’m a bit behind checking out local music, I must admit. I’ve been too busy making it.
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