HIS-STORY

it's worth living a life to tell a story...
unknown sage

interview:

loyal to the vinyl

Enrique Bettinello

Between the hypnotic grooves of the splatter vinyl, the smell of the covers, the music which is often unusual, let's try to orient ourself in the fantastic world of QBICO by interviewing Mr. QBICO himself !

All About Jazz: ok, let's start from the beginning: when and why did you decided to start a record label ?

Qbico: Since 1996 I've had a site in which I used to "trade" rare free jazz and improvised vinyl... then, little by little more people came on the web always presenting more competition since the boom of eBay which definitively ruined the used market. At that point I told myself: I'd try something new !Already having a good number of music fans, I immediatly thought of a small indipendent label on vinyl only, but i didn't know anything about the production, how you release a record, the cover or the label, how you do it, who to produce, how many copies you print, I didn't even know a single distributor. But I already had a few contacts with some musicians, having organized various concerts in the past (the most memorable I think it was "Fringes" @ the Tunnel, which i did together with LaMoja ).



The real turning point was in November of 2000 when me and my girlfriend at the time went to London for a few days to see some concerts which seemed interesting. One of these was Acid Mothers Temple. As soon as I arrived I immediatly noticed Makoto and a strange round box with 10 CD-Rs entitled "Early Works 1978-81". There were made in 100 numbered copies with cover. They intrigued me although the only bad thing I noticed was that they weren't so cheap. So I asked Makoto if he could give me a discount and we agreed. At the beginning of January, 2001 I listened to the first and second CD-R from the box, a pure joy and an enlightment ! i'd start from here if i wanna do a unique label, unimitable, with rockets (as Arthur Doyle called them) completly different from others: colored and psychedelic ! I immediatly wrote to Makoto and i proposed him to "re-issue" the Dark Revolution Collective CD-R on a picture disk with a mandala on one side and a Huichol yarn painting on the other. He said ok and that's how QBICO was born. I'll always be greatful to my dear friend Makoto! I think that one of the greatest fortunes of QBICO is dealing with really relaxed and easy musicians. Sincerely speaking, we are a big family!


AAJ: Why did you choose vinyl?

Qbico: I love it to death as an object and all the ritual behind it ! I have bought vinyl since I was 12 years with a certain "heat"... and I was lucky enough to frequent since I was a young boy, the coolest record shop in the world, The Bazaar ! I spent whole afternoons there, while the bazaar's selector was in the console spinning the latest releases of black and dance music for the best DJ of the time! We could easily say that wax has been in my blood since childhood, simply a magic attraction... At this point I'd like to mention a couple of people essential for my musical evolution: Steve, who worked at the Bazaar and who turned me on to black music in general, and Robert I, the "spiritual father" of QBICO, who one lovely day let me hear "Machine Gun" by Peter Brotzmann and "Alabama feeling" by Arthur Doyle. also my friend Andrew gave me some fine clues about more experimental music... and given that we have landed in the "thanks zone" I'd like to also mention my lady (now ex), the "artistic director" of QBICO and authoress of the best hand-made covers for QBICO limited edition and Giuseppi of Fringes who always help me (even if he copied the name of his label from a radio program of the same name i did for a couple of years on Radio Collision Waves).



AAJ: What about the artwork, the colored vinyl?

Qbico: If the musicians propose some ideas for the cover, that's fine, otherwise I come up with some concepts. For example it was my idea to suggest to Sabu to do a typical jap. vertical design with a fold-out cover for the latest QBICO released (22/23). Of the 21 records which have been published on QBICO since its beginning, 11 had been done by the musicians, while I did the remaining 10, so I'd say it's a good balance. Of course musicians have complete freedom regarding cover artwork, labels and which vinyl color/s they'd prefer. After four years of experience in the record business, I think that one of the key secrets of making a good record is the possibility to have a good relationship and dialogue with the musicians (new ideas are always born) and in particular choosing the right sequence of the pieces is fundamental to me. It has happened to suggest to some musicians to change the sequence of the pieces and after hearing the recording with the new sequence they agreed that I was right. Regarding colored vinyls, as I said before, the point is to give QBICO a different and unique aestethic compared to other labels. Of course I certainly didn't invent or discover colored vinyl, but before they had seldom been applied to these types of music.

I also really like the fact that QBICO records, the ones with the splatter effects, are all different one from another, unique bits, hand-made, made one by one... In complete antagonism against the actual "dematerialization" trend! These are records which attract you not only from the sound but also by the visuals! It'd be an experience alone to see them revolving on the turntable. Some QBICO records really look hypnotic to me! At the beginning of the production I also loved to try different color solutions for the vinyl, to see if they amalgamate well... I feel a bit like a small "alchemist." It might sound surreal to some but there have been some colors when mixed together that gave me troubles, that is, they didn't sound right with background noise: see for example the Coffee LP (QBICO 17)

Yellow with mixed red doesn't work, for the most part I had to do them on yellow vinyl, piss color (the title of the record is "Pissing contest") and as an act of magic, the background noises disappeared ! but the musicians asked me to do a record with some piss and some blood... I tried, but it seems that if you find traces of blood in your urine is not a good sign and as well in the vinyl too! In the end, every record has its own story to tell and when it's finished it's like a new baby is born... you saw it in it's infancy (CD-R) and then go away from home when it's sold out, in short from tadpole to frog !

AAJ: Tell everything about the philosophy behind QBICO.

Qbico: unique musical projects, which differentiate from the rest (from what it's easy you can guess), always trying to keep a high musical level for every releases (not an easy task !). Rockets which don't pass unnoticed, which anticipate trends. Let me make a couple of examples to better explain: two months after I did the Sunburned hand of the man LP, they had been the cover feature of the specialized English mag The Wire (to me the best musical mag in the world right now), as standard-bearer of the new American free folk genre. In the Dec. issue of the same mag, an article came out on the new exciting Finnish underground scene and QBICO had already noticed that new movement at the beginning of the year when invited the Tolvi brothers (duo with the name of Lauhkeat Lampaat) to play at the QBICO U-nite in Bruxelles !



These are records which look ahead/further and at the same time to the present, they should be current now and hopefully in 20 years! I find of key importance for QBICO the idea of a very versatile label: trying not to fossilize on a sole musical genre ! Of course this could be a double-edged sword: this eclecticism could disorient some distributors (it actually did), but at the same time opening views to various kind of music. It could and it must help you to enrich your list of custumers. I'd love to do sound poetry albums, funk records or better free funk ones (one of my myth is George Clinton, but unfortunatly he is difficult to reach), also strange ethnic things, a percussion record similar to the Art Blakey things for the Blue Note label (like "African Beat", if only !), ect... I'd like to mention a few record labels of the past which have been a source of inspiration for QBICO: ESP (mythical, revolutionary, they even wanted to adopt an universal language), Futura (their things for the Son series are just incredible), FMP (beautiful catalog, also more experimental or ethnic things, I think more complete then Incus), Blue Note (high musical level and extreme care of the product), and Saturn (visionary, indipendent and hand-made)!

AAJ: QBICO records are done in small ltd. editions but looking at the list on th web a lot are actually sold out. Who is your typical consumer?

Qbico: Probably white and probably male but hopefully multiethnic and female too; with a turntable, an amplifier and a couple of speakers ! We have some loyal customers especially for limited editions. There are total collectors next to people only interested in specific artists. For example, there are those who only buy things from Makoto or Conrad Schnitzler or those who only buy free jazz stuff. There are those who try to have the complete QBICO catalog (a thing that makes me real happy as they completly understand QBICO's philosophy).

AAJ: Browsing your catalog we find the name of Arthur Doyle who is really a little known musician. Tell us about your passion for his music and how you ended up working with him.



Qbico: Arthur is the essence of QBICO, its most brillinat diamond, pure poetry! He is a unique and unimitable artist, you love him totally or you totally dislike him, no half measure, becouse he never compromises, he choose to live a life on the margin, difficult, unstable, but he always carries on with extreme dignity. He had never been invited to big festival, never slept in a five star hotel, surrounded by journalists... Unfortunatly he was also accused of raping two young girls who later withdrew the charges, but not before Arthur spent five years in jail in a French penitentiary! Fortunatly, lots of people really adore him and for many he is a living legend, thanks to the record "Alabama Feeling" from the 70's, by many considered a cult free jazz record. The first time I met him was in 2000, when I invited him to open the Fringes Festival in duo with Sunny Murray. I remember when I called Sunny to ask him if he was interested in a gig over here and he told me he'd loved to play in duo with a certain Arthur Doyle. He asked if I knew him! You can bet I know him !

When leaving I gave Arthur a big hug which I'll never forget, but I'd have never thought that one day we'd have done some rockets together. It was Dave Cross (plays with Coffee and with the Arthur Doyle Electro-Acoustic Ensemble) who wrote me, saying these exact words "our fearless leader asked us to find a fearless label to issue some of our music... he'd like a cover with stars and planets..." but I really don't have a clue on how he had heard about QBICO!



AAJ: Thre is for example the duo with Hamid Drake.



Qbico: This record was a gamble on QBICO's part, letting these two "soul brothers" meet (and it was not easy at all, because you can only talk with Arthur when he is at his mother's house in Birmingham, Alabama and Hamid is always touring around the world) and see/hear what happened! After they met (it was the moment I was looking forward to, seeing how they would have greeted each other), they immediately recognized and hugged eachother and they spoke the same musical language right on the spot, playing some "negro spirituals." Until now this had been the only record actually born here, but there'd have been a couple more: the first one'd have been QBICO 02, together with the great Peter Kowald, something really far out, becouse Peter was supposed to improvise on bass over a tape he got of animal sounds ! we were ready, i had already booked the studio... but unfortunatly he began to feel sick... damn... for sure the biggest regret for QBICO until now, he also had already talked with Kiki Smith for the cover artwork (we'd have made an artist's cover) ! the other one should have been with the No Neck Blues Band: also in this case i had already booked the studio, they were playing the night before in the capital and their van was damaged by some vandals during their concert in an occupied Cinema, so unfortunatly the next day they were forced to spend the day fixing their bus...



AAJ: Another fine jazz musician which we'd find on QBICO is Daniel Carter, who is now having some exposure thanks to his collaborations with Matthew Shipp, William Parker and co, but he played for years also at underground stops, even if he is one of the most interesting and most talented improvisors of the NY scene.



Qbico: it's true, he used to play at underground stops and i really think that he lived without a proper place, on the fringes, like Arthur or Charles Gayle ! especially Andrew Barker talked to me about Daniel as a philosopher, a kind of guru and when i met him i understand why he said so. he is also a really sweet and very kind fella. he kindly accepted my invitation to play at the 1st QBICO U-nite i organized in NYC at Tonic last March 2004 and it was wonderful to see him re-unite and play with old pals like Arthur Doyle and Perry Robinson after nearly 30 years that they hadn't played together, since the good old loft days in the Big Apple in the mid 70's ! i'm particulary proud of the event i did in New York (it was not easy at all to organize/coordinate and rec. everything), as for the second U-nite i did in Burxelles few months later ! these'll be next QBICO records (beginning of 2005), two double LP with some unusual gatefold covers... and what can i say about the music: in NYC, besides the already mentioned musicians, there was the Electro-Acoustic Ensemble which played with Arthur, Andrew Barker/Charles Waters duo (young and promising musicians, members of William Parker Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra) and the legendary poet Steve Dalachinsky (in real 1960's style). for Bruxelles, these musicians accepted my invitation: Alan Silva (solo), the Tolvi brothers (Lauhkeat Lampaat), Vibracathedral Orchestra and Chris Corsano/Paul Flaherty. It was a memorable night at Cinema Nova (an old wonderful disused Cinema from the 20's) in front of more then 300 people !



AAJ: The release of the unissued concert by Evan Parker with Frank Perry also seems interesting to me.

Qbico: the seed of this record was planted thanks to the Fringes Festival: in fact i invited Frank Perry (we are still in the year 2000) for a concert of tibetan bells (musictherapy) along projected slides of a turn of the Century Russian painter who painted Tibet's sacred mountains, using heavy colors, without having ever seen them (cromotherapy). after that i kept in touch with Frank, so, after QBICO was born, i asked him if he had any unreleased tapes and with big surprise and luck he found that unissued duo (which originally was a trio with Derek Bailey added), rec. live in 1972 ! i think that this music in particular, represents something really unique in Evan Parker's vast discography, for me here he plays in a different way in comparison with all his other rec. from that period, raw and oblique... Frank did the design for the cover and he also succeed in finding the original flyer of that gig, which it has been included as an insert in the record's cover.



AAJ: how you "hunt" for recordings, tapes and so on ?

Qbico: i try to stay up to date about new releases and it happens that the musicians themselves send me some material by their own spontaneous initiative. sometimes i concentrate the new releases on a particular "scene", like next Spring 2005 i'd like to do three records with focus on the Scandinavian scene... these three records'll be by Gush (a trio by Mats Gustafsson / Sten Sendell / Raymond Strid) from Sweden with some amazing improvised electronic music, by the young Finnish fellas of the Rauhan Orkesteri (two reeds, bass and drums) for some exciting free folk and by Ignar Zach/Rhodri Davies (Ignar is from Norway), an incredible duo of harp and percussion, alien sounds !

AAJ: many vinyls are dedicated to Makoto Kawabata's works



Qbico: well, as i said to you before i have a particular relationship with my dear friend Makoto ! i should ask him to rec. something really special for QBICO's fifth year anniversary (in March 2006) ! mostly, he is known as the leader of Acid Mothers Temple, but it's just incredible if you think about his very first rec. with Dark Revolution Collective, done when he was only eleven years old and rec. in his school's chemistry room, using the various test-tube as percussion instruments and remixed with the addition of a distorted synth borrowed from a friend ! or the recordings with Baroque Bordello, really experimental and vey different from one another (i should release two more titles by them) ! in few words, he is a very creative and eclectic musician: he told me he got a recording of a piece of minimalist music (made after he heard the records of Terry Riley), with him playing a single piano key for 40 minutes, just a single note non-stop... din din din din !!! see also the pic disk for QBICO (11) of cosmic electro-acoustic music, where he invented a kind of "remote control sensor", which according to his body movement interacts in different ways with the internal parts of the synth. or the more folk oriented rec. (he is a true fand of Occitan music) made in duo with Atsugi as Zoffy or other even more extreme rec., as the ones he did, using as the sole sound source, the signals coming from his guitar effect pedals (from the box Early Works) !



AAJ: the catalog also includes cult bands such as Sunburned hand of the Man and Double Leopards



Qbico: i got in touch with Sunburned after i heard their CD-R release called Jaybird: 3 minutes into that music were enough for me to fall in love with that sound, a genre which i really enjoy, dense with stoned athmospheres... also live they are particulary wild (as Acid Mothers), i saw John Moloney handle in a threatening way a long knife on the stage of a London theatre ! i released their record when they were not so big: i think that Jaybird on QBICO came out just after a month from their 1st auto-produced LP. for a stoned evening full of strange vibes, i'd suggest you not miss their video "over the influence" (Qbico Video 03). i'm really happy about Double Leopards pic disk, for me it's something really hypnotic to hear and see ! another cornerstone of QBICO is certanly the legendary Conrad Schnitzler: he rec. with Tangerine Dream their 1st record "Electronic meditation" (1969), with Kluster (two historic LP) and in 1970 he formed the loose collective Eruption (unfortunatly no rec. is available of that group... but soon this weighty gap'll be filled by QBICO !) in few words he is simply one of the key figure of the krautrock scene (together with Faust, Can, Klaus Schulze, ct...) ! i had always been fascinated by th experimantal music scene from the UK, which i tried to document on QBICO with records by A Band (with Richard Youngs and Neil Campbell), Vitamin B12 and it'll continue to be documented with Vibracathedral Orchestra (founded by Neil Campbell after the adventure with the A Band).... also with the kind help of Sabu and trying to document another "current" which i don't-know-why always attract me: Japanese free jazz !

AAJ: the QBICO project is totally untrendy compared to the actual directions of the music market

Qbico: you are absolutly right, it's true and i'm happy about that ! i think that QBICO totally reflects QBICO's philosophy, which is to be against trends, against fashions, against zombies, aganist the flock !



AAJ: so if a boy wishes to know about Arthur Doyle's music, he would absolutly need to buy a turntable and conform to the way of listening of his older brothers or of his father, even if he was born when the msot common way of listiening was already the CD (not to speak about DVD, MP3, I-pod, ect...) and in which way would he recognize himself generationally speaking ?

Qbico: if a boy knows about Arthur Doyle, he is already on the right way... and it's not that he'd conform, again, but to go against trends ! instead of buy a i-pod, he'd buy a record player without too much exitation: be sure that wax'll never die ! you'd say the same of the latest "dematerializing" ways of listening ? and after all, with around 200 euro you'd get a nice turntable. for my point of view is not a matter of generation, but on how you grow (you dig ?)... he thinks with his own brain or others think for him ? he let current fashion/trends to influence him ? if yes, unfortunatly he'll never met Arthur Doyle along his way !

AAJ: when there'll be a new QBICO U-nite ?

Qbico: i'm trying to organize a mini euro-tour of the Arthur Doyle Electro-Acoustic Ensemble for next Spring... but it won't be an easy task... i already had in mind three dates in North Europe... in the future i'd love to organize a U-nite in Finland and in Japan... we'll see...

profile:

a small label is fighting against market's rules

Enrique Bettinello

The records from Qbico's catalog, strictly limited, disappear immediatly in the hands of record collectors. In a period of progressive and relentless "dematerialization" of sound supports- thing that inevitably bring to re-think about the relationships about music and object- a small label is totally against tendency: Qbico. CD it's already obsolete and Mp3 and I-Pod rules ? Qbico print only vinyls ! Files share and reject of the support ? Qbico vinyls double the post and are always different from each other, colored with always new "effects" that while revolving on the turntable create some hypnotic visual "experience". Fellas trade mastered CD in an anonimous envelope ? Qbico covers are the fruit of special artworks, sometimes chosen upon with the artist himself

But what kind of music you'd hear on the very colorful Qbico records ?

Qbico catalog is really varied and a common denominator it's dfficult to be found, but Mr. Qbico personal taste and the choice to document fringes and hard to pin down musical scenes. You'd easily find free jazz records and free folk, Japanese psychadelia, electronic improvisation and the wierdest sounds.



Let's take a look to some of the most recent productions and to some goodies among the titles that you'd still find (many titles are sold out)

Really interesting is the record of duets by Steve Beresford with John Butcher on reeds and Richard Sanderson on electronics (the vinyl, with on cover a rotorelief by Marcel Duchamp, is n° 18, titled "I Shall Become A Bat"). In the 1st duets with John Butcher we'd hear a marvellous interaction among the "pneumatic" saxophone of Butcher and the electronics of Beresford, curious, omnivorous, made of drips, frictions, mournful tears, a chirp of quotations, objects... they plays with the sounds and put them in a colored centrifuge, from where you'd suddenly fall in a gummy hole or in a cage of alien animals. Beresford and Sanderson duo, rec. live in Saint Michael and All Angels Church, move along at a slow and warped pace, made up of buzz and rumours, a kind of spaceship going adrift in the sound space, which seems attracted by the hypnotism of the rotorelief...



A musician - extraordinary - very well documented by Qbico is the unsung hero of American free jazz: the saxophonist Arthur Doyle . A wonderful duo is the one between him and drummer Hamid Drake (QBICO 15, "Your Spirit Is Calling"): the record show an incredible empathy among the two musicians, made of little details which remind you of the essence of folk music and spoke of the time when the spirits where invoked by the sound of a flute or a drum. The total percussive conception of Drake find Doyle ready to support the sound gesture with the voice of his soul: ritual and sincere, with a struggling tenor sax sound, a small flute, the same voice, piano... ancestral echoes... to listen to ! Rec. live with his Electro-Acoustic Ensemble (QBICO 07, "Conspiracy nation"), Doyle here offer us a shamanistic mix of past and future, a kind of Albert Ayler remixed in Sun Ra's spaceship bulk, with a piercing percussive force, hallucinatory. Not for everybody, but to check out ! Totally amazing is the documentation of a live concert rec. in Japan in 1997 (QBICO 9/10, "Live In Japan, 1997"): here Doyle is in trio with the mythical guitarist Takashi Mizutani and free jazz legendary drummer Sabu Toyozumi, for a music dense of tense aylerian explosions. The voice of the tenor sax sound like the standard-bearer of every unresolved conflicts of the black vindications (we'd mention that unfortunatly he had some troubles with the law in the past...), finding in the guitar of Mizutani the perfect match, while the drum of Toyozumi pump highly densed rhythms and powerful grooves !



Qbico has also in his catalog some of the key musicians of the underground NYC jazz scene, such as Daniel Carter, Andrew Barker and Charles Waters: QBICO 14 "Dialogues In Now!" in fact saw the drummer and reed player of William Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra in a real free form dialogue. Drum, percussion, clarinet, sax, flute, every kind of sounds emerge from these two musicians, with a text by poet Steve Dalachinsky and dedications to John Zorn, Ken Vandermark, Daniel Carter and to William Parker. Lover of this kind of music'd not miss this one.

But among the eclectic Qbico catalog we'd mention also Makoto Kawabata, the stoned free-folk of Sunburned Hand of Man, Conrad Schnitzler, an historic unissued duo concert by Evan Parker and Frank Perry, Double Leopards, the latest release of an unreleased duo concert by some of the mythical figures of Japanese free jazz such as Toyozumi and sax player Kaoru Abe, the ecstatic moods of ""Creek To Creation" by Matt Valentine... in short there is plenty for every taste !



Of course, the fact of choosing to limit oneself to such a particular product and to offer it only to a small number of connoisseurs and collectors could be a limit and a merit at the same time, especially once that you consider the low exposure/distribution that these kind of works'd have among new listeners. There is no doubt that we are coming to an age where the separation among young listeners and the object as the vinyl is in constant escalation: all began with the coming of the CD which already diminished -even in a strictly physical sense- the impact of the object, inclusive of it's cover, notes, sleeve, surface. The CD gave something like a sense of "omnipotence" to the listener, which saw year by year more and more reissues and he'd benefit of much more minutes of music inside an hardly perishable single support. He thought to have a better sound quality at disposal, but he finally discover that, especially at the beginning, sound quality was pretty bad (later things improved).

Today "dematerialization" it's always more tangible: in file sharing, in the possibility to download even legally music from the web, in the possibility to manipulate things that someone else produced/recorded, in the mass production of records which now everybody'd afford. This open up whole new settings and we'd not say for sure but there is no doubt that the intensity with which some adventures, the more varied, wish to strongly focus on their own personality, could be the sign that the future'll not be, by crook, black but colored !!!

QBICO's adventure teach.

(originally appeared on All About Jazz on January 2005)



articles/interviews:

Swing Journal (issue n° 6, June 2005): "Best jazz LP" by Takashi Yamamoto (page 94) with notes on Qbico and the "Senzei" DLP (prestigious Jap. jazz mag)
Foxy Digitalis, review of the Qbico U-nite VII in Buffalo, NY by Cory Card
new interview with Qbico by Adam Richards, still on Foxy
little review with photos of the Detroit U-nite by Bob Dennis, legendary sound technichian for Motown
meet the label on Leeds Guide, May 2007, by Tom Goodhand (article on qbico 58/59/60/61)
brief interview on Yellowish Radio

words:

"With releases by outsider heroes like Sunburned Hand of the Man, Makoto Kawabata and Arthur Doyle under its belt, vinyl-only label Qbico clearly has pretensions to becoming a 21st century successor to such legendary underground imprints as ESP, Shandar, Saturn or Futura...." Alan Cummings

"I'll buy every records that you'll make !" Thurston Moore (after hearing qbico 01)

".... or immersed in the not-so-chaotic chaos of the great Arthur Doyle. His best works since the early seventies are decidedly preserved by Qbico. There's everything in this man, from blues, gospel, bop, free, to sheer abandon, playing "outside out" and at the same time capable of a rendition of "Nature Boy" that puts you in tears. Of Mr. Doyle, one can only add that, as many musicians described as "legends", he is a legend only because his real skills, and the scope of his talents, remain unknown. Exposing him in so many contexts is a fair goal, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the new chapters. You're lucky to deal with this giant. One must acknowledge that QBICO has a quality that 99% labels lack: appeal. One can fantasize about your releases, like one used to do about Blue Note or ESP; they're, well, sexy. Also, no one else gives a chance to the kind of music displayed in it. There is much politically correct avant-garde/experimentalism these days, slowly building into a new establishment; QBICO stays wild, uncut." Julien Palomo

"qbico is definitely one BIG inspiration. I discovered yr label back in Cairo where I met sticky foster who's on the A-Band LP. he was working there..."
Hicham Chadly

"QBICO ruuuules !" Dieter Schnabel

"I humbly think that CD in the end finished to magnify even more vinyls, and qbico simply takes vinyls aesthetic to a new level, new dimension..." Joseph Tyler

"I'm a Qbico virgin no longer, thanks to you ! Fabulous stuff and that signature swirly chromatic vinyl of yours is Oh-so-trippy. Long may you spin !" Peter Kostakis

"... In regards to the free funk album: i never really thought of myself as a funk or soul man. not in the traditional sense anyway. but what an exquisite record. i am truly converted! jah freed the funk and light, blew me out of the water. the whole record rocks, but those tracks in particular made me forget myself in a moment in time. :)" Mark Finch (Australia)

"I spent over an hour checking out your web site. beautiful.......extremely colorful and inviting. i really think that it's
fantastic. i also read the intereview which i really enjoyed a lot as well. we're happy to be a part of your label." Mike Johnston

"You should be some sort of noble prize for humanity or better still given a ONU grant for help in the evolution of the species..." Nick C.

"In equal parts; the music, the art, the philosophy, the rockets. You are a great man!" Alan Williams

"The limited edition 70/71/72/73/delta is really outstanding, thanks !" Jimmy Johnson, Forced Exposure

"Qbico is like the defining moment of our time" Dave Nuss

"wow. you're amazing ! thank you so much for putting out this music and dedicating your life to the propagation of beauty. it is a rare and wonderful thing." Chris Davis

after the end of qbico...

wow, no more QBICO!? I thought you would go on forever... well, it's
sad news, but I understand that change is necessary...
the legend lives on !

Steve Bac

WOW!
i won't ask why...only your business to tell...
but, it'll be truly an end to a great era of music!
Thank you sooo much for all your work on all of the rockets! You have truly
been my greatest supporter in the music! You and I have both understood
that its not about the few $dollars to take, but the minds to expand along
the way! The fact that you go with your instincts, take chances, and
release music according to your gut -- says very much about you! Fuck the
market! This is sound! After it all burns, there will be no memory of
cash, only sound and image! There is absolutely NO doubt that the Q B I C O
has made a big impact in the worlds of music and design, and I for one
SALUTE YOU!

Sincerely,
Andrew Barker

how are you ?
i already heard from you that you would close Qbico.
i'm really glad to work with you.
and i'm really proud my early recording was the first Qbico release,
also you said my solo would be the last release too...!!
thanks a lot!
especially i'm very grateful you released my early stuffs at that time!!
at that time (late 70s and early 80s),
nobody were interested in my music...
also you are the first person to book my show in Italy!!
it meant you were the first person who understood my music!!
thanks a lot!

i hope we'll be work together in future too, if you're interested...
and hope to keep good friendship too.
hope to see you soon!

cheers
makoto





qbico's Greek alphabet series complete list:

alpha FARUQ (one-sided LP)
beta NEOKARMA JOOKLO trio (one-sided LP)
gamma NEOKARMA JOOKLO trio (LP)
delta THE RODNEY FOREST (LP)
epsilon MATS plays DUKE E (one-sided LP)
zeta GOLDEN JOOKLO AGE (LP)
eta NORTHWOODS IMPROVISERS (one-sided LP)
theta MAURIZIO (LP)
iota ASHTRAY NAVIGATIONS (one-sided LP)
kappa JOOKLO duo (10")
lamdba MATS plays ALBERT A (one-sided LP)
mu JOOKLO duo (one-sided LP)
nu DIRECT CURRENT (LP)
xi JAMES GURLEY/MURUGA (LP)

omicron KLUSTER (2LP)
pi STEVE/RAVI (one-sided LP)
rho CONRAD (LP)
sigma HELIOPOLAR (LP)
tau SABU/MOTOTERU (LP)
upsilon ARTHUR trio (one-sided LP)
phi STEVE/RAVI (7")
chi QBICO ORCHESTRA (2LP)
psi MU (LP)
omega DARK REVOLUTION (LP)

solo records:

makoto kawabata
conrad schnitzler
alan sondheim
astral social club
mick flower
mike cooper
bobby beausoleil
hartmut geerken
mats gustafsson
cotton museum
maurizio abate




ltd ed hand-made covers by:

michael ranta
james gurley
dave nuss
nuxakaan
sabu toyozumi
yoshi takahashi
maurizio abate
mads westrup & zven balslev
tropa macaca
chris pottinger
hartmut geerken
datashock
john olson
rahdunes
psychatrone rhonedakk
tom recchion
troglosound
jon
mick flower/adam davenport
neil campbell
phil todd/mel delaney
ju suk reet meate
alan sondheim
john schoen
the SB
ed wilcox
mike cooper
tiago miranda
mike johnston
muruga
basetta
paolo
family underground
rauhan orkesteri
matt velentine, erika elders, dredd foole and nemo
vitamin b12
bruna aprea and rob castelli
a band
brunella
qbico



cover artworks by:

joseph beuys
jeff spoons
chris pottinger
john olson
troglosound
juho hotanen
tiitus petajaniemi & simo laihonen
jon
robert thomas
mick flowers/adam davenport
neil campbell
phil todd
ju suk reet meate
alan sondheim
the SB
ed wilcox
tom backström
jaakko tolvi
shlkr
mike cooper
tiago
mark rudolph
muruga
cindy sherman
jose carrillo morales
sara czerny and emmy nielsen
sabu toyozumi
matt valentine
alasdair willis
marcel duchamp
dave cross
graham lambkin
fritz welch
louis wain
neil campbell
chad cooper
frank perry
jacques kaszemacher
gabriel bautista
carla sello
qbico



vinyl colors:

red with schizoid white (few with green too)
grey
crystal
yellow with black & gold
aquamarine
orange with gold
green with yellow & pink
blue with yellow & pink
olive
deep blue sea
clear orange
maroon with green
clear blue with white and light blue (few clear aqua)
clear with white & light blue
clear with schizoid black
clear with pink & red
red & white
green & red
yellow & violet
"smoke" (clear & black)
clear brown & violet, black
brick red
yellow & orange
pink & black
bordeaux
gold
rotten green
plum-colored
dark blue
dark green
clear red (few with black)
red with clear light blue (or yellow)
yellow with pink (or violet and red)
yellow
clear light blue with yellow
clear red with pink
purple (+white)
clear with white (+red)
pink (few salmon)
clear green with yellow
black with violet (+blue)
clear blue with yellow
black with red, white, blue (US flag)
dark & light blue with white, blue, light blue, light blue with red
white with orange
"algae" with white & blue, "algae" (few)
black
clear with yellow & violet
black with orange & red (few chocolate)
piss, piss & blood
clear orange, clear orange with green, clear yellow, clear yellow with green
clear green, clear green with green (few maroon)
white (+ blue)
yellow with black
clear blue with yellow, red & blue
black with red
black with orange
green with red & yellow
clear fuchsia with yellow
white with black
orange (+green)
clear with light blue & red
yellow with green, red, orange & black
red



Q-shirt:

front: photo of Arthur Doyle, eyes closed, while preaching on tenor sax... with beneath the words "I'm The King of my world !"
back: list of all QBICO recording musicians until QBICO 15.

Fruit of the Loom 100% cotton t-shirt, XL size only

25 copies on white, sold @ the QBICO U-nite in NYC & Bruxelles only

50 copies hand-made one by one with batik technique, available in the following psychedelic colors:
light green, yellow, orange, light blue, blue, red and violet




miscellaneous use of QBICO records: