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Check out the interview with Burning Heart’s Peter “Babs” Ahlqvist in Big Cheese (UK) December-04!
[Thursday, December 16th, 2004]
HEART ‘N’ SOUL
On the eve of Burning Heart Records tenth anniversary and the release of their decade spanning ‘Heart Attack’ compilation, Big Cheese meets the owner Peter Ahlqvist to lift back the curtain on the legacy of the label…
Nearly two hundred titles have exploded out of the Burning Heart stables since the label’s inception in 1994, a statistic made all the more impressive by the fact that the label has done everything off its own back, retaining its do-it-yourself ethic throughout and launching some of today’s best-loved and seminal bands along the way.
Launching The Hives’ career into the stratosphere with the release of ‘Veni Vidi Vicious’, introducing the world to Millencolin with the likes of ‘Life On A Plate’, ‘Pennybridge Pioneers’ and ‘Home From Home’, putting out one of the most influential hardcore albums of all time with Refused’s ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come’ and kickstarting the sleaze rock revolution with Turbonegro’s ‘Scandinavian Leather’, Burning Heart has been at the forefront since the start.
With the impressive legacy of Burning Heart in mind, I caught up with Peter to discuss The Hives, the Scandinavian music scene and more…
BC; I’ve heard you used to swap records with Steve Beatty (owner of Plastichead distribution) many years ago.
Peter; “Yeah, we did. I think he sent me more crappy records than I sent him. But maybe it was pretty even in both quantity and quality the end, when we both finished in order to build our empires. This was the way all small punk labels did it back then. We both ran small labels and distribution set-ups and the way you did business then was to trade with tons of folks across the globe and then sell the records you received through mail order. It all basically came from fanatically following Maximum Rock ‘N’ Roll and their scene reports and you traded with people in the US, in Italy, Holland, Germany, Brazil…wherever. Small labels that were in the same boat. It certainly was an international-thing going on. Now I reckon none of us soaps the stamps anymore, but back in the days we both did.”
BC; Is this how Burning Heart started? What kind of music were you into?
Peter; “Burning Heart was started later. During 1983-1987 I ran Uproar Records, which was a label (I released maybe ten releases) and a mail order. Then I had a break for a bunch of years working for a local musical organization running a venue, putting on tours and promoting a festival, until I started Burning Heart. Burning Heart was a name I used for everything I did. I put out a magazine called The Burning Heart and I ran Burning Heart Promotions (managing bands and promoting shows). Then in 1994 I started Burning Heart Records for real and decided to go for that. Musically, back when Steve and I traded records (that was like 83 or 84) I guess my record collection and interest for punk peaked. What I was into then was mainly US hardcore, but of course a lot of UK punk too. I got really into punk on a more serious level through the Oi! stuff in 1980 (and started my own fanzine Ayatollah fanzine). Bands like Sham 69, Cockney Rejects and Angelic Upstarts. Then came Blitz and Partisans, 4-Skins, The Business and all these bands. These bands and hordes of US hardcore bands like Minor Threat, Jerry’s Kids, Negative Approach, Dead Kennedys, early Suicidal Tendencies, SSD, Black Flag, Gang Green, Bad Brains, Poison Idea, DRI, Circle Jerks got my turntable spinning. Before this world of freaking good punk and hardcore came to me I was into more ‘common’ punk, Swedish punk bands, The Clash, Pistols, Ramones and The Damned but I never really got actively involved in the first wave. Just a listener desperate to find out more…”
BC; Exactly when did it start and what were your first releases?
Peter; “Well, it got serious in 1994 when I released Burning Heart’s first album releases: No Fun At All’s first album in the spring and then the first Millencolin album during the autumn of the same year. That’s the year we are referring to when we celebrate. The name Burning Heart (named after a burning heart logo on a Uniform Choice album) came up earlier. In 1990 I think. I then used it for all the stuff I did. Shows, a magazine… And then I released a single with a local crossover/thrash metal band called Kazjurol that I was managing. That came out on Burning Heart as Heartcore 001. At that time though there were no plans for a real record label. In 1993 I wanted to do something new and decided to start a label that was a mix between No Future UK (in the way it was devoted to finding new up and coming talented hardcore/punk bands across the country) and Sub Pop singles club (the plan was to release ltd editions CD-single/EP’s of 1000 copies). However, when the first releases came out in May 1993 (No Fun At All and Refused’s debut EPs) they both sold like hotcakes and re-press after re-press had to be made. Less than a year later I decided to go for it - taking the label serious and realizing I am going to go for this, in the mean time having picked up Millencolin, Mindjive and 59 Times The Pain.
BC; Why do you think Swedish, and Scandinavian music in general has taken off so much?
Peter; “I reckon you are referring to bands as HIM and the Rasmus too when you say Scandinavian bands? Can’t really say much about them! Not my bag of chips. I don’t know. I just think there are good conditions and possibilities for kids to play up here. Support from the government with pretty advantageous possibilities to find rehearsal-space (with state subsidy). Then I think Swedish bands in general have to look outside Sweden because the country and its home market is so small, and this makes them focused. We’ve got a pretty good grip of what’s going on in both UK and USA, and then there’s the language thing, where kids up here have got a pretty good skill. Plus that bands inspire and push each other to be a bit more innovative than many American bands who I reckon play the game a bit too safe not too upset their fans. The level of technology and studios is also pretty high I would say.”
BC; What has been the most rewarding release on Burning Heart for you?
Peter; “I must say Refused and their fantastic ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come’. It is a total classic. Refused is to modern hardcore/new noise bands what Minor Threat is to hardcore. A very influential band that are fated for centuries of legend. It feels great to have released such a classic. Fuck, Big Cheese has it as the number two punk rock album, before ‘London Calling’. Working with Millencolin has also been great. They have been with Burning Heart for ten years, and sold tons of records worldwide (about 300, 000 of each album). There’s a special place in my heart when it comes to them. Of course The Hives have been cool too. For a while they were the shit…though it all ended sad. Getting to work with The Business was great, as I grew up with them, and I signed them at a time they had done a fantastic ‘comeback’ with the great ‘The Truth, The Whole Truth’ album. That felt special. But it is really hard to pick favourite records and favourite bands. There are several others that mean a lot to me. Like Raised Fist and Breach that I totally love, and that I think deserve much more recognition. Breach are no longer around of course, but Raised Fist are and they kill...”
BC; Was the Hives situation disappointing?
Peter; “Of course. It was very devastating. I was in a big black hole that summer as I broke up with my girlfriend and then one week later The Hives signed with Universal. Crash, boom, bang...Took us all hard and, yeah, it took its toll. It was really tough because they were friends, had one more record with us and assured me things were going to work our way. Then I reckon the money got too big and they never looked back as they signed what is probably one of the best deals for a new band in many years. As the saying goes “It is not about the money! It is about the money…”. Despite all the negative aspects of all of this and the way things turned out, it seems now that we finally will settle with them, and the impending court case (with lawyers involved left and right burning big holes in our wallet) can be written off.”
BC; Do you still take an active day - to - day part in running the label?
Peter; “Yeah, certainly. I am at the office daily, working office hours and still sign all the bands, are active in meeting distributors, bands etcetera. There’s nowadays seven others working in the trenches at Burning Heart, so I am not involved in the daily stuff when it comes to marketing and promotion but I am in there trying to lead things forward, have a vision and push the activities forward. I am there as Captain Punk, sailing the ship and delivering the red tape in what we do.”
BC; I see that you seem to put together the street punk and rock ‘n’ roll compilations. Is that sort of music still your main passion?
Peter; “I don’t know if any certain type of music is my main passion. I listen to a lot of different stuff. But I would probably say that my musical base from which I shake, blend and deliver is a mix of old UK punk and early 80’s Oi! stuff, so yeah, that type of music is still up my alley. Old early 80´s American hardcore punk, ska (Specials/Madness and old Jamaican ska/rocksteady and reggae). I like a lot of Northern soul too and a lot of Brazilian music. I am not really a rock ’n’ roll person. Social Distortion punk/rock ’n’ roll and stuff like Brian Setzer/Stray Cats is great, but I am not much of a garage punk guy at all, though I definitely like certain bands. The Smiths, Ride, Slayer (‘Reign In Blood’ being one of my all time favourites) are some other bands I really like.”
BC; Burning Heart has changed direction a little lately to take in hip hop and metal type stuff. Why the change?
Peter; “It is a bit of a change. Some people tend to brand us as a melodic punk/skatepunk label. I even read fun-punk label. Oh well…Since day one I tried to do various sorts of punk/alternative stuff. BHR 004 was a release by a band called Merryland who were more Soul Asylum/Husker Du/college-rock oriented, then Mindjive who also came out early was more Beastie Boys, Digable Planets meets Fugazi oriented. Breach was more of a Neurosis/angst ridden noise-monger band. So as I see it there’s always been a variation and extreme stuff released. It is probably even more varied now, and we are more known. Nowadays people know we have a very varied roster, not just the big ‘skatepunk’ bands that people associated us with (Millencolin, No Fun At All, Satanic Surfers) way back. And yeah, we do some hip hop (Promoe and Looptroop), Moneybrother (a gold selling artist here in Sweden who people describe as a mix between Joe Strummer, Curtis Mayfield, with lots of soul and a touch of The Jam, Dexys Midnight Runners. An artist that is really doing great for us right now!) and even Nasum who are grind/metalcore. But all these bands/persons somehow are born and raised in the punk scene, working with DIY ethics since they started out. Moneybrother, for instance, was the singer in Monster – a great ska/soul punk band who were a mix between Sham 69, ska, Redskins and Dexys Midnight Runners. Check out their albums. I really recommend them…) and the Looptroop rockers and their David vs. Goliath label always released very underground punky stuff. Their first tape was even called “Punx not dead…”. Political aware hip-hop stuff that I feel no problem at all to release on BHR. I think BHR always going to release various stuff, from bands that are punk in attitude, heart and mind.
BC; What’s next for Burning Heart?
Peter; “Just to keep banging the drum for another ten years I reckon. I want to be able to manage to release such a fantastic double CD as Dischord did for their 20th anniversary. At the moment I am more than happy with the way the ‘Heart Attack’ compilation turned out. The bonus CD was nice to finally get together. It seems like we will release a lot of great records this spring. A new Turbonegro, a new Moneybrother and a new Looptroop. Hopefully also a new Millencolin album! Some really big releases for us! Plus that there are some new bands waiting in the wings. It feels good again after a few pretty negative years with all The Hives problems finally leaving it all behind turning the negative stuff into something good. So right now it really feels good again…and if we just can get that Refused DVD released, then things would be fantastic. I really think that one will be something special.”
‘Heart Attack’ is out now on Burning Heart
El Prez
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Copyright © 1993-2007 Burning Heart Records. All rights reserved.
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