IF? Records

Infobox record label
name = IF? Records


founded = 1995
founder = Andrez Bergen, Brian Huber, Mateusz Sikora
genre = Hip hop
country = Japan
location = Tokyo
url = http://if-records.tripod.com IF?/

Established in Melbourne, Australia, in 1995, and currently based in Tokyo, Japan, after relocating there in 2001, IF? Records was one of Melbourne's first independent local electronic music labels, as well as a prolific live gig and rave party organiser in this city in the '90s.

Iffy muzak

Started by friends Andrez Bergen, Brian Huber and Mateusz Sikora in January 1995, IF? released its baptismal compilation within just a few months, featuring a line-up of purely Melbourne-based, and mostly new, experimental electronic and techno producers - including [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Voiteck Voiteck] and Zen Paradox.

The compilation was called "Zeitgeist".

"It's harsh, hard, at times unlistenable," appraised Mixmag editor Dom Phillips at the time. "It's industrial techno that's quite insane, yet oddly inspiring." ["Underground Melbourne", Dom Phillips. Mixmag, Vol. 2, #58, March 1996.]

Phillips nominated the compilation at #4 in his choice of the Top 10 Melbourne-made records up to 1996.

IF? subsequently released a dozen CDs, tapes and vinyl EPs prior to the shift to Japan - all of which showcased local Melbourne producers, such as Little Nobody, Zen Paradox, [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Voiteck Voiteck] , Artificial, Honeysmack, Blimp, Son Of Zev, Soulenoid, Isnod, Guyver 3, TR-Storm, Q-Kontrol, Josh Abrahams, FSOM, David Thrussell, Mute Freak, Schlock Tactile, Beam Up, Brewster B, 8-Bit, Dee Dee, Digital Primate, and the LN Elektronische Ensemble.

The label's first two compilations, "Zeitgeist" (1995) and "Zeitgeist 2" (1996), were repackaged and distributed internationally through Belgian label Nova Zembla, a subsidiary of Kk.

IF? was a founding member of M.U.K. (Melbourne Underground Konsortium) and the Sunblock collective of Australian underground electronic music labels.

The label has also released debuts for Soulenoid (a.k.a. Adam Raisbeck from Sense), Guyver 3, Little Nobody, Artificial, Blimp (Pro-Jex), DJ Venom, Kid Calmdown, Schlock Tactile, Marcella Brassett, Son Of Zev, Isnod, Kandyman, TDM, Laika, Belka & Strelka, Slam-dunk Ninja, and the LN Elektronische Ensemble, and sourced remixes from international producers like Si Begg, Jammin' Unit, Biochip C, Tobias Schmidt (Tresor), Tal (Sub-Rosa), Jason Leach (Subhead), Steve Cobby (Fila Brazillia), Thomas P. Heckmann, Voco Derman, Brixton (Holzplatten), and more recently Japanese musicians Captain Funk, Magnet Toy, Funkarmor, Masaya Sasaki, Toshiyuki Yasuda (formerly from Fantastic Plastic Machine), Naotoxin and Yamaoka.

The IF? Records remix EP "Bare" by Little Nobody, featuring Marcella Brassett on vocals, was adjudged Single of the Week in [http://www.beat.com.au/ Beat] magazine when it was released in August 2000.

The label's subsequent release, the Little Nobody album "Action Hero", was one of the 4 final nominees for Best Album of the Year in the 2001 Australian Dance Music Awards, of which The Avalanches were the eventual winner.

The label continues to release vinyl and CDs in Japan, and will be releasing a Little Nobody remix compilation internationally in 2008.

IF? live showcases

IF? Records was the organiser of dozens of live electronic showcase events in Melbourne over the six year period from 1995 to 2001, including a series of over 25 parties, first called Zeitsprung, then Zoetrope at the Punters Club in Fitzroy, with live performances from people like [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Voiteck Voiteck] , Zen Paradox, Sub Bass Snarl, Josh Abrahams, TR-Storm, The Sonic Voyagers (Voiteck vs. Zen Paradox), Graham Mono, Son Of Zev, Blimp, Frontside, Soulenoid, Viridian, Honeysmack, Little Nobody, Isnod, Half Yellow, the LN Elektronische Ensemble, Guyver 3, Q-Kontrol, Schlock Tactile, and Tee-Art.

"Zoetrope 3 [June 12, 1997] had a mix of house and acid, drum 'n' bass and techno, performed live by three undiscovered (except by Andrez Bergen) Melbourne artists," reported Keren Shuvaly in a postscript review of the gig in Melbourne's [http://www.beat.com.au/ Beat] magazine. "In between sets, Andrez played some of his own music, and it all sounded so good it was hard to distinguish between who was playing. One difference, though - live experimental music is far more enjoyable than a DJ playing someone else's music on a turtable. For those who missed this one - it was your loss!" ["Zoetrope 3" gig review, Keren Shuvaly. Beat, 18 June, 1997.]

The label also collaborated consistently with premier Melbourne clubs like Club Filter, Teriyaki Anarki Saki, Global Warming, Revolver, Centriphugal, Pony, the Rob Roy and Honkytonks, arranging live shows and IF? theme events, they organised benefit gigs for public broadcaster 3PBS, and they ran the Omniglobe underground warehouse parties at the massive Global Village complex in Footscray in 1995/96, featuring headliners Jammin' Unit (Germany) and Biochip C (Germany) - along with the mandatory inclusion of dozens of local live acts and DJs.

Up in Sydney, IF? often worked extensively with clubs like Frigid, Warm Up, Scissor*Paper*Rock, and Club Kooky.

Since moving to Tokyo in 2001, IF? has continued to release music and has also focused on introducing their integral Australian roster to the Japanese live scene, often in collaboration with Tokyo underground electronic music collective TTAK.

IF? releases

*"Zeitgeist" compilation (1995)
*"Out Of Standard" EP by Soulenoid vs. Guyver 3 (1995)
*"Zeitgeist 2" compilation (1996)
*"Perception Camera" album by Guyver 3 (1996)
*"Zeitgeist 3" compilation (1997)
*"Solid Gold Collectibles" EP by Little Nobody (1997)
*"Pop Tart" album by Little Nobody (1998), IF? Records
*"Electro-Lollipop-Explosion" album by Artificial (1998), in conjunction with M.U.K.
*"Sunblock - The Greatest Australian Electronica Album In The World Ever" (1998), as a member of Sunblock
*"Action Hero" album by Little Nobody (2000)
*"Bare" EP by Little Nobody & Marcella (2000)
*"ZOO" compilation (2000)
*"Cocaine Speaking" remixes EP (2000)
*"Reaction Hero" remix compilation (2001)
*"Live, Sorted & Tauted" EP by the LN Elektronische Ensemble (2001)
*"Gay Sons Are Great Fun" EP by DJ Venom (2002)
*"Pop Tart" mixes EP (2002)
*"Mitanime Remixes" EP by Schlock Tactile (2003)
*"Beer Goggles" EP by Kid Calmdown (2005)
*"Depth Charge" EP by Little Nobody (2003), in conjunction with Fitja
*"Eating The Heart Of The Fishes" EP by Little Nobody (2005)
*"For Lease" album by Kandyman (2007)
*"Ninja Daddy" EP by Slam-dunk Ninja (2007)
*"The Slack Plague" split EP by Little Nobody & Slam-dunk Ninja (2007)
*"Sputnik A-Go-Go" remix EP by Laika, Belka & Strelka (2007)
*"Choke Hold" 7-inch by Yağmurcuk Kuşu/Kimsecik (2007)
*"The Slack Plague" EP (2007)
*"Game Over: Variations" EP by Little Nobody (2008)
*"Techelectric Tangents Vol. 1" EP by Little Nobody (2008)
*"Techelectric Tangents Vol. 2" EP by Little Nobody (2008)
*"Wayward Seafarers" EP by Little Nobody (2008)
*"Slam-dunk Ninja: The Perspicacious Remix Selection" compilation (2008)
*"Submerged" EP by Son Of Zev (2008)
*"Live in Tokyo" EP by Ein Kleiner Schelm vs. Little Nobody (2008)
*"Engine Room" EP by Dick Drone (2008)
*"Woklurk Orange" EP by Little Nobody (2008)
*"Z-13.1" compilation (2008)
*"Z-13.2" compilation (2008)

Reviews and media feedback

"Melbourne's IF? label delivers another knockout collection of predominantly Victorian, predominantly four-on-the-floor beats. Stunning packaging and nicely intro-ed and outro-ed, the compilation as a whole is well worth the investment." Seb Chan in Sydney's "3D World" newspaper in 1997, writing about the compilation "Zeitgeist 3". ["Zeitgeist 3 Review", Seb Chan. [http://www.threedworld.com.au/ 3D World] 1997.]

"Dada, an art style that called itself anti-art, peaked way back in 1917 with Marcel Duchamp's display of a toilet urinal at a horrified exhibition. But if Andrez Bergen is to be believed, Dada is an integral component in the workings of the Japan-based IF? music junta 90 years later," wrote Jamie Ata in the pages of Melbourne's [http://www.beat.com.au/ Beat] magazine in 2007. "The events IF? put on [in the past] were mad - innovative collaborations of DJs and live acts crossing the spectrum of beats and pieces, often called upon to play one-on-one and challenge themselves as well as each other, at parties like the Omniglobe raves, and the legendary Zoetrope sessions at the Punters Club in Fitzroy from 1997 to 2001." ["What IF?", Jamie Ata. Beat, February 7, 2007.]

"It's full of fascinating manic spirit, a refusal to simply settle down and be normal, which is, of course, brilliant. The jacking, snarly house tracks are wild. 'Apocoloppola', a lysergic, obsessive collage of film dialogue and weirdness, is stunning. And the hip hop tracks are unforgettable." Chris Johnston in The Age newspaper in 2001, writing about Little Nobody's "Action Hero". ["Action Hero Review", Chris Johnston. The Age, 2001.]

"A playful sensibility prevails in the music - the 15 tracks here oscillating between wall-of-sound big beat ('Nobody Plays Guitar') and an abrasive minimalism ('Track 28') reminiscent of Autechre, between dubby ambience and classic acid house. This sonic catholicism can occasionally prove distracting but, in Bergen's defence, he takes a rough-hewn approach to the collision (and collusion) of sounds that prevents this collection from lapsing into the merely tasteful or clever." Shane Donaldson, reviewing the same album for The Weekend Australian newspaper, in 2001. ["Action Hero Review", Shane Donaldson. The Weekend Australian, 2001.]

When reporting on the label's most recent gig back in Melbourne - Zuzushi 2, in February 2007 - Rohan Trollope of The Age reported that "Zuzushi translates from Japanese as either shamesless or impudent, which should give you some indication of the self-mocking bravado with which IF? Records is staging its gig tomorrow night. Very cool, very casual." ["The Weekend Starts Here", Rohan Trollope. The Age, February 9, 2007.]

"IF? Records, leading up to 2001, when Andrez [Bergen] took the label to Tokyo, was quirky, amazing electronic music that made a mark in and beyond Melbourne," the editor of Australian Vice Magazine, Briony Wright, told Saori Nakagawa in an article on the label for [http://www.tranzfusion.com Tranzfusion] in 2006. ["ZU-ZUSHI 2: IF? REVISITED", Saori Nakagawa. [http://www.tranzfusion.com] , December 19, 2006.]

"It all sounds like a rabid dog being flogged against a corrugated iron fence." Mixmag in the UK, reviewing the second "Zeitgeist" compilation in 1996. ["Zeitgeist 2 Review". Mixmag, 1996.]

References

Links

* [http://if-records.tripod.com IF? website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/if_records IF? at MySpace]
* [http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/531/clubs.asp Japan Today story]
* [http://www.tranzfusion.com/articles/shownews.asp?newsid=6101 IF? Records 2007 article]
* [http://www.discogs.com/label/IF%3F IF? discography @ Discogs]