Rui Carvalheira: Let's start from the beginning. When did Old Europa Cafe appear?
Rodolfo Protti: OEC was starting in the early 80, I really can't remember the exact date, as a small tapes label.
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Rui Carvalheira: Looking through your catalogue, it is clear that you maintain a strong fidelity to the beginning of the label philosophy. From the oldest DE FABRIEK tape to the recent Henrik Nordvargr CD, the main line is very obvious. Can you give us an idea of yours basic guideline for the OEC editions?
Rodolfo Protti: Well, I only produce stuff I really like, I would rather say that there are 2 main directions in the OEC releases : 1) uncompromising industrial sounds 2) exoteric dark ambient.
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Rui Carvalheira: H. Nordvargr is one of your main providers of editions. What is your relation with him?
Rodolfo Protti: Henrik is a very enjoyable and funny guy ! we are always joking with each other and everything is going on in a very fear and friendly basis … I never had the chance to meet him but I hope sometime soon to be able to organize a show for him here in Italy , that evening we will have for sure a big consume of alcoholics ….
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Rui Carvalheira: Recently the AIN SOPH also takes a very good part of your catalogue. The re-editions of the old live issues, the edition of a brand new CD and the promise of re-edition of Aurora. Do you feel that Ain Soph is, now, one of the most profitable projects? How do you see the sudden interest in their sonorities?
Rodolfo Protti: I'm a sort of uncle of Ain Soph ! also with this group there is a great feeling which allows to work out everything on a very fear and friendly basis . In my opinion Ain Soph is one of the most important and out of all standards band in the industrial scene since ever ! They have in all their albums a special personal sound, you can't compare them to any other band … In this new album there is a mix of folk, 60es electric rock, exoteric sounds and Russian tradition which gives this special touching feeling ! In the past they was delivering this special and unique exoteric sound, and 10 years ago with "Aurora" they was delivering as pioneers what today is called neo-folk … They are simply unique and I'm surprised about the not so large success by this band , maybe the reason is because they are not playing live (tey really gave only a couple of concerts ….).
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Rui Carvalheira: One of my favorite projects for the moment is Spiritual Front, and you will release their next edition. Can you say something about that already?
Rodolfo Protti: Simone is also a great guy with great new innovative ideas ! The only thing I can say about his 2nd album on OEC is that the sounds should be a bit italic-jazzy-cabaret oriented and the lyrics should be in our home language but those was just some ideas we had when we talk about a new release ….
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Rui Carvalheira: One thing that I didn't realize until now was that OEC also releases VHS stuff. I never saw any on sale. Are those very limited editions or do you have them in stock? Do you have any project to release DVD?
Rodolfo Protti: Yes I was releasing some videos, the most interesting ones are a series of 3 compilations released at the beginning of the 90es with the best "industrial" bends in this period and I think this is probably the best visual documentation on this "sub-culture" at the end of the millennium! All videos released on OEC are available through OEC, many of them was also distributed by Tesco … I no longer purpose those items to the distributors but they are all available directly through OEC mail-order where they are also listed !
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Rui Carvalheira: How do you feel now about the old tape editions? Do you feel any kind of nostalgia and wish to re-issue some of those in CD?
Rodolfo Protti: I was already re-editing a couple of old tapes into CD : "Bad Sector / Contagious Orgasm - Vacuum Pulse" and "Con-Dom / Militia - Scorched Earth Policy" on both items there was added some unreleased material and was digitally re-mastered by the bands for a final very professional result. I think to re-edit some more old OEC tapes into the CD format and to do a special professional CDR line with some small issues of the less known tapes ….
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Rui Carvalheira: It is clear for those that pay attention to your label that you are very selective with the kind of sonorities and project that you release. Do you have any pleasure in hearing demos and release new projects? How does it work for a new group who believes that it will fit in the OEC philosophy?
Rodolfo Protti: I still hear to all demos I get even if sometimes I also doesn't answer because the time I have for the label is not that much and I do everything alone, I would need days of 48 ours …. The method is still the same : to be released on OEC I must like the stuff I hear ! I'm the one who decides but I don't have a special way to select the stuff it's just a feeling …. And I was releasing many debut albums by many different bands like : This Morn Omina, Exotoendo, Spititual Front, Anima Mundi, Tam Quam Tabula Rasa, Folkstorm (ok, this is a side project by MZ.412 but anyway the 1st cd was released on OEC !…), Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte (this is the very last debut album I was releasing and I like to recommend it to all fans of Italian industrial, this is the synthesis of italic-industrial with a big-band-jazz-bossa-snuff touch !) .
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Rui Carvalheira: In January 2003 there will be a big event in Florence supported by OEC with a CDR edition. What can you anticipate about the concert and the release?
Rodolfo Protti: This something more than a concert, I would rather say a small italic-industrial festival with: Atrax Morgue, Bad Sector, I Burn, Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte, Wertham !!! The CDR that OEC will produce for this special event will be limited to 100 copies containing some unreleased stuff of all 5 bands and will be available only that night in Florence …
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Rui Carvalheira: Besides your editions, which for sure please you, what records have you been hearing lately?
Rodolfo Protti: must say that in those days I'm mainly listening to October, the new Ain Soph album which is really killing me!!!
What I hear & like those days which is not OEC :the record i was enjoing the more in this last couple of months are :vinyl - Novy Svet & Foresta di Ferro - Bulli e pupe cd - Novy Svet - Polyoty Vo Sne I Najavu (B-sides compilation out in Russia ...)both discs have a very strange touch & feeling, out of all standards, beautiful music !
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Rui Carvalheira: Besides the future releases that are listed on your website, is there any secret that you might unveil for us?
Rodolfo Protti: Seems like I will have the pleasure to produce a double split/collaborative 12" album by Grey Wolves and their long time Australian comrade "STREICHER" the man behind Zero Cabal . Aspect the most terrific and uncompromising industrial!!!
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