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CREVETTE RECORDS : THE DISTRIBUTOR’S, RECORD SHOP’S & BRUSSELS LABEL’S FEEDBACK

on June 12, 2021June 12, 2021 By futurgrooves

Futurgrooves and The Void Project team honors its collaborators and the artists that allow the label to grow. Today, we are catching up with Pim and Jakob from Crevette Records, The Void Project’s official distributor in Belgium and elsewhere. Focusing on the Brussels record shop of excellent electronic music: Crevette Records.

Who is Crevette Records?

To begin with, Crevette Records is a fascinating duo, who decided to create a place dedicated to electronic music that did not yet exist in Brussels. In 2016, Pim hadn’t found his musical pleasure in the capital. He then decides to launch the adventure of Crevette Records, by proposing a record shop axed on electronic music. Later on, Jakob joins him to develop the distribution side of Crevette Records. In only 5 years, Crevette Records has imposed itself as an unmissable place of underground electronic music in the Belgian capital.

What is Crevette Records?

Crevette Records is mainly a vinyl record shop, but not only! Crevette Records’ project has, in reality, many roles in the music sector: label, records store and distributor. A true showcase of the Brussels scenery, Crevette Records is the link between the capital’s artists and the world’s record stores. Actually, Crevette Records’ power is to create a link between professionals and the particulars, on a local scale, but also on an international scale. The record shop offers a meeting place, where the passionates can meet, share, and discover music. “We call it a record shop, but in reality the ‘shop’ part is only a small part of Crevette Records. The social function is very important”, Pim explains.

Where is Crevette Records?

If you walk through the emblematic Marolles neighborhood, it would be impossible to miss the green glass and the pink shrimp of the record shop, drawn by Lea Nahon, artist and tattoo artist. “We chose Marolles, because it is a place that I love, and then when I visited the shop, I knew it was the right one!”, Pim explains. “A good thing about the Marolles neighborhood is that everything is open on Sundays and closed on Mondays, which is very cool for DJs”, Jakob adds.

Walking into the record store, Crevette’s team will welcome you (of course) with music, in an intimate atmosphere, intertwining nature’s green and industrial decoration. With its 4 listening stations, the shop is really well-thought to find and listen to your future favorite tracks. It’s actually a well-known craftsman known in the Brussels electronic scenery who was in charge of the shop’s layout: Clauset & Dekeyser.

Crevette Records : why? For who?

Crevette Records addresses everyone with axed electronic music propositions, but also disco, original African music, jazz, soul, and hip-hop. With over 10,000 disks, Crevette Records addresses itself to a diverse clientele with one thing in common: the love for music. “Our clientele is as diverse as our disks”, Pim explains. “Actually, our shop is axed on electronic music in the widest way, we don’t only offer dance music, we offer music that you can listen to anytime”, Jakob adds. Crevette Records started with DJs as its first customer base, but finally imposed itself as a meeting place for collectors, as well as the first starters. “We see children, seniors, DJs, tourists… we see ages from 5 to 75!”, Jakob details. “And it’s actually better than to have only a certain profile that comes into the shop”, Pim adds.

Crevette Records also supports the local and international underground scenery, by proposing disks that have just come out of pressing. Crevette Records is then more than a record shop, by proposing TO DISTRIBUTE disks, such as The Void Project , Basic Moves and the last EPs of Hoot’s label and the Warning Records’ last EP.

Crevette Records : new projects to come?

For almost a year now, Pim and Jakob have been planning the expansion of their distribution network and have decided to support almost 10 additional local labels. New things are planned for the webshop as well, but they won’t tell us anything more and make us wait for the surprise. “We have worked on a lot of things that, we hope, will be seen soon”, Pim concludes.

Crevette Records : the feedback

The Void Project and Crevette Records are initially tied by a collaboration that isn’t ready to stop anytime soon. Professionalism, trust, and common passion, The Void Project has been able to cross borders, thanks to Pim’s and Jakob’s amazing work. VP004 will soon be in the record shop’s cases, and we hope it will soon be available worldwide thanks to The Void Project’s official distributor: Crevette Records.

Maison Records: the record shop’s feedback from Brussels

on May 18, 2021May 18, 2021 By futurgrooves

Futurgrooves and The Void Project team promotes its collaborators and the artists that made it possible for The Void Project’s label to grow. Today, we went to check on Pierre-Antoine and Thomas, the founders of Maison Records. The two Brussels-adopted deliver to us their course and their future projects.

Who is Maison Records?

Five months ago, Pierre-Antoine (P-A) and Thomas decided to break the boring lockdown routine by creating Maison Records, a secondhand record store centered around electronic music and every type of house. The two French men originally from Montpellier (Thomas) and Lille (P-A), are actually bartenders and festival organisers, who moved to the Belgian capital a few years ago. Due to the stopping of events, the guys of La Petite Soeur launched the adventure of Maison Records.

Where is it?

This welcoming duo and full of humor has chosen to establish its headquarters of electronic music in a glass room, on the mezzanine of Supermarket, a shop that supports local creators. Supermarket and Maison Records, united in one place, support Belgian artists, each one in a different way, and they actually don’t only share a place. “Our projects match because Supermarket only works with Belgian or European creators. If it’s further, it would be fairtrade business”, P-A confesses. “We sign up in sustainability, in the sense that we are a second hand store, we bring collections that people haven’t had the necessity of using back to life”, Thomas insists. Maison Records is then an adventure resulting in a combo of passion and friendship. But what do we find there, who do we run into?

Maison Records: why, and for who?

On your way to Maison Records, it won’t be rare to run into people who have a passion for music, but you certainly will run into DJs! Indeed, on your way up to the mezzanine, you will be walking into the den of the maxi 45 spins, a disc format initially aimed for DJs and their mixes. We are talking about form here! Looking at the content, Maison Records is an electronic music gold mine, with a sensible preference from Thomas and P-A for house music. “We are really into garage, there’s a lot of UK sounds. Here, you will only find danceable music, that is mixable, and a synonym of party. According to us, this remains very subjective. The idea was to really do something that resembled us”, Thomas explains. To compose their collections, the two music lovers listen to the enthusiasts. “To select the disks, we base ourselves on requests, on what we’ve already sold and on our own taste”, P-A explains.

Beyond the second hand, some local gems are also to be discovered, like the productions of Hoot label and The Void Project. The duo is inclined to suggest new sounds and calls for the support of Belgian artists. “Initially, one of our rare conditions to promote new sounds is the proposition of Belgian labels’ productions. It hasn’t been long since we moved to Brussels, so if we can promote the Belgian scenery, then you’re all invited!”, they explain.

During their opening, Maison Records would get 400 discs per week, but since then, the bins are full and the selection has become more picky with the merchandise that comes into the store. “We have become more selective, we only allow discs to come into the store if we like them and if it is salable”, P-A emphasizes.

Maison Records: projects to come?

Initially the duo wanted to get started in the creation of a label, and then in the creation of a record store, but with the sanitary measures, this project was unachievable in this particular order. Now that Maison Records has come to life, Thomas and P-A are getting ready to reach the mark of the founding of a label: Mezzanine Records. Furthermore, starting from april 2021, Maison Records is “moving out”, or more like it’s expanding with an extra space, dedicated to electronic music, always at Supermarket.

Maison Records, the feedback

Maison Records and The Void Project met due to their passion and their common desire to promote the local scene. Futurgrooves’ team is pleased to have reached out to the duo that aligns so well quality and humility in their propositions. A mezzanine comparable to a gold mine for music lovers, Maison Records is slowly becoming an unmissable record store in the Brussels electronic scene. Only one word on behalf of our team: stay tuned.

Masked in electronic music

on March 31, 2021April 6, 2021 By futurgrooves 1 Comment

At a times where we are all living behind masks, the Futurgrooves team wanted to address the question of wearing the mask… in electronic music. The mask is at the origin of the culture of anonymity serving the music. From the Underground Resistance collective in Detroit to Daft Punk, why do some electronic music artists prefer wearing masks?

70’s & 80’s : The birth of a culture

Let’s jump a little into the past, at a time when the exploitation of the image of rock superstars such as Queen or Kiss is at its peak. Back in the 70s and 80s: a time when the frenzy of the star-system borders on indecency, where exuberant script is king. Far away, a music with cold, jerky and repetitive rhythms is heard… it’s electronic music!

This new musical genre emerges in response to the abuse of star-system machinery: it is the birth of a new culture that puts music at the centre of attention. In opposition to the «super-scripting» of the bands of Rock’n Roll, the electronic music puts the artist at the same level as the public, the DJ’s and the dancefloor are one: it is the beginning of a new era of musical performance, whose mask will soon be a symbol.

End of the 80’s : The mask at the service of music

In a decade, electronic culture stands out because it focuses on music, not on the artist. It was the collective and label Underground Resistance (UR), founded in the late 1980s, that introduced the culture of anonymity into electronic music. The DJ’s of the collective offer incognito performances, dressed in black, faces hidden by hoods and scarves. The members of UR, originally from the ghettos of Detroit, prefer music to the artist’s ego: they perform masked and refuse to be photographed. With its innovative and challenging ideas, UR embodies and builds a culture of anonymity that will grow in

90’s: advance masked… in illegality!

Therefore, electronic music embodies values and ideals. The 90’s are the peak of this underground culture that carries protest and marginal values. It is with the birth of rave parties that the culture of mask and anonymity spreads. These parties celebrate music and dancefloor… illegally. It is therefore not surprising that many DJ’s preserved and hid their identities with hoods or masks. They did not hesitate to play hidden; nobody knew who they were, only the sound system was visible. Despite their anonymity, DJ’s were at the heart of a growing culture.

90’s: Anonymity, the key to success?

In parallel to this illegal context, masked artists make their appearance and democratize this practice to the general public. How not to evoke Daft Punk: French duo pioneer of wearing the mask during their live performances. It is after the success of their first album Homework (1997) that Daft Punk puts on the helmet for the very first time. The two robotic and avant-garde characters maintain the mystery and create a universe that will make them famous worldwide. Result: 20 years of career, an international success, an iconic and unique universe thanks to their robotic alter-ego.

At the same moment, the mask was not the only way to put music at the centre of attention. The example of Bob Sinclar is revealing: the same alias for a multitude of DJs and producers. In 1998, the humorous alias «Bob Sinclar» brought together many anonymous DJs around the same project, erasing the identity of each to the benefit of music.

Anonymity and the wearing of the mask have seduced music lovers of all genres: from then on it is a scenographic and/or marketing asset.

Today: Why are DJ’s masked?

The appearance of masked DJs is strangely contradictory. On the one hand, DJs take hold of them to support dissident values. On the other hand, DJs are making it their trademark and are starting a new trend. However, a question arises: do these artists who are opposed in everything pursue the same goal?

There are many reasons why DJs wear masks. Bearer of mystery and imagination, the mask is for some an artistic, aesthetic or marketing choice. For others, masked performers represent the natural heritage of the underground culture of the 90s and allow them to preserve anonymity. Sometimes even, some DJ’s wear a mask during their performances to fight their shyness in front of the audience.

Despite all these reasons, which ultimately remain the choice of each artist, all these DJ’s have at least 2 important things in common: they focus on music and do their shopping in peace.