BlueSanct Records is Michael Anderson and Michael Anderson is Drekka, the moniker that he uses for writing songs. BlueSanct is based in Bloomington, Indiana - a good place to write songs, this way it seems, and is distributed by Secretly Canadian. There are a lot of good reasons for listening to BlueSanct's catalog of records ( Elephant Micah, Vollmar, Timesbold and many others ), but especially because Michael is a very nice gentleman.

: :: Pat Marchini reporting for sctas :: :

+ How, when and why did you start BlueSanct ?

In the mid-90s I was still living in Boston and I began working within an art collective called the Day2 Alliance, formed around my friends Chris Gregory and K.Joy. I was doing music then under the name 4K, but soon changed to the name Drekka, which I have used since 1996. Day2 had it's own cassette label, but I started BlueSanct as part of this collective. At first I released small editions of cassettes and books of poetry, as well as a couple video cassettes. The label was, and still is, meant as a way to share artists within the Day2 Alliance. Not all the bands on the label are part of it, but most are. Most have some connection to Drekka, as well. November 2004 is the 10th Anniversary of BlueSanct!

+ How did you get the name BlueSanct ?

It's a contraction of Blue Sanctuary. I love to sit in my office studio, surrounded by blue light. It's very calming, it creates a sanctuary for me, a place to recharge my emotions.

+ Is Bloomington a good place for a record label or for a musical project ?

It is an amazing place. I moved to Bloomington in 2000, to work with Secretly Canadian, who distribute BlueSanct's releases all over the world. I had moved to Chicago from Boston in 1996, to work and live. In 2000, I felt I had to get out of the city and move to a smaller place with trees and space. Bloomington is where SC is, so it made sense to move here. I've met some amazing bands, played in many great projects, and am currently singing in a death disco post-punk band called Turn Pale, along with two members of Panoply Academy (an SC band) and our friend Chris. Secretly Canadian definitely helps the independent music scene here, by helping other small labels learn and work. But, there is lots going on here besides SC. Plan-It-X, a great DIY punk label is here, as is Family Vineyard and Friends & Relatives. And there are tons of amazing bands, such as Mt. Gigantic, Puppy vs. Dyslexia, Los Gatos Negros, Odawas and many more. I could wax poetically in defense and support of Bloomington endlessly.

 

 

+ What is the philosophy of your label ?

My main goal with the label is to share music by bands I love. In the past, I have tried to turn BlueSanct into a larger label, but realized that I am only one person trying to do both a label and many musical projects. For me, Drekka and my other projects come first, then the label. But, that is not to say the label is not extremely important to me. Day2 Alliance have a motto, 'making homemade stuff and slowly becoming your friends'. This is also the motto of BlueSanct. I will only work with artists that I love like family. This is more important than record sales and money. I simply want to share the music and art of the people I love. I half-jokingly say that I won't work with an artist whom I wouldn't trust to sleep next to me.

+ BlueSanct is distributed by Secretly Canadian - how does this relationship work ?

Secretly Canadian is a label, but they also run a quickly growing distribution company called Secretly Canadian Distribution. They distribute about 15 labels all over the world. When I release something, they distribute it for me to stores and other distros. This allows me to have my releases available all over without doing all the calls myself. I am able to focus on the music and design. They are incredible and if not for them, I would not be able to continue running the label. Chris Swanson has continually gone way beyond the call of duty to help me these past few years. He's my guardian angel.

+ What's the best records you've heard in the past year?

The records I've been listening to the most this year so far are the new split EP by Rivulets and Marc Gartman, the new Silver Mt. Zion EP, Radio Berlin, Black Eyes, Measles Mumps Rubella... most recently a demo from a group out of Bloomington called Odawas. I also really enjoy some more mainstream stuff like Air, Belle & Sebastian and Magnetic Fields and the new record by The Cure.

+ You're also a songwriter, do you prefer to write songs or manage the label?

I prefer to be doing my music, whether solo as Drekka or with my group Turn Pale. The label is very important to me, for sharing music I love, but it is most important that I share my own music. This comes first, and most of the bands on the label understand that there are times when my own projects must come first.

+ What's the hardest thing about running an independant label these days?

Many 'independent' labels now are simply trying to act and be like majors. The only difference being the amount of money they have. For many people it's all about money. Truly independent labels have less and less access to media outlets to spread the word, as many magazines won't review your releases unless you pay for ads in their mags. I totally ignore these sorts of mags, since they are shit and don't deserve any attention. Many magazines should remember that without the music, they don't exist. I tend to stay away from even bothering with major media, and stick with the music journalism equivalent to the Day2 spirit. Zines and online mags run by people who love music.

 

 

+ If BlueSanct could release a new record by any band, what would it be?

The next Mark Hollis record or something by The Blow.

+ How was the internet changed the way you run the label?

The internet, and especially the availability of online payment options such as PayPal, have made it possible for me to run the label and sell my releases worldwide with complete ease. It has also allowed me to bypass much of the media garbage and spread the word on our music to people who care. I started the label before email was even commonly used. It still amazes me that on a daily basis I can talk to people all over the world, send songs and photos... have a website where I can share anything I want with the whole world... it's beautiful. There is a lot of crap on the internet, but there is a lot of crap everywhere.

+ What do you have planned for the future?

In October and November 2004, Drekka will be touring Europe with rivulets and Jessica Bailiff. We will be in Italy the last week on Oct into Nov. This will be amazing, of course. I will be supporting my new CD, entitled 'Extractioning', out on BlueSanct in October.
BlueSanct has a few releases coming up. We just had the new record by Black Forest/Black Sea come out, which is Jeffery and Miriam who used to be The Iditarod (also on BlueSanct). In September we have the new CD by Vollmar, and in October is the new Drekka. After that is a new Static Films, Elephant Micah, and the first release by a new Day2 artist named Annelies Monseré (from Belgium). I am also planning a big 10th Anniversary release. Turn Pale is currently recording a new 12"EP, and has a new 7" out on Ruffian Records. We will be recording a new full-length this fall. So, you can imagine with all this stuff I am very busy!

+ What do you say when people ask you what kind of music BlueSanct puts out?

" BlueSanct releases experimental folk and disjointed pop records by people I love!"

+ Any closing advice?

If anyone is curious about our stuff, there are MANY mp3s on our site. Our releases are distributed worldwide, so if your local record store says they can't get something, they're lying. In any case, the best way to by anything from any independent label is directly from the label. I guarantee that I will sell you any of our records cheaper than you will find anywhere. Go to BlueSanct.com and poke around... it's fun!