We continue our series on netlabels with one we’ve followed for a while. trastienda.org was founded in Salamanca (Spain) during the summer of 2005, an odd frog type of netlabel and among the very few putting out material other than electronic music. The world and its wonders (or whatever made its founders move around) made it international. They write “Nowadays our headquarters are split between Taipei (Taiwan), Madrid and Barcelona (Spain).” Still, the multi-genre label is going strong with a continuous stream of releases – between one and two EP’s per month and fostering that ever-so-idyllic spirit of artistic collaboration.

The Dog – Ballena

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How and when did you start as a record label?

We started on June 2005, just like a personal project. My brother and I wanted to have a site to centralize all the different projects we were working on. Then some friends joined us and today we are a great family with bands from all around the world.

What musical genre or style do you particularly/more often work with?

Mainly rock, but recently we are releasing really good folk stuff and electronica.

What are your goals as an independent record label?

Give these amazing bands we find around the net a place to promote their works, connect them to each other and spread the sound.

Curasán – Dichotomy

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What sets you apart from other independent record labels?

The early years 99% of the netlabels used to release almost exclusively electronic music. Today this has changed somehow, but still we are one of the few that gives priority to rock, pop and folk over electronic stuff.

What is a defining aspect of the artists you represent?

Actually they are all really different from each other! Maybe that’s the point…

If you could steal any artist/band from another record label, who would it be and why?

Instead of stealing artists from other record labels I would prefer Waiting Room and Notes to Myself to work together again and record new stuff…

Experimental Little Monkey- Lluvias Sobre Xilo

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What are some upcoming releases and projects to watch out for?

We are about to release the new albums of Experimental Little Monkey, Decurs and Jenna And The Jamesons. And I hope we can celebrate our 5th anniversary somehow…

What do you see as the current role of record labels in today’s music industry?

Since artists no longer need them to release their albums, thanks to new technologies and the developing of Internet, many record labels are moving to the management and promotion business. Far fewer people buy music these days, so live performances are the thing if you want to make some cash, right?

What are your methods for discovering new bands or artists?

Sometimes bands that already are in trastienda.org recommend us other bands they find interesting. The most of the times we choose from all the samples we receive by e-mail every week.

Medelia – Nose Dive

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What kind of things do you look for in bands or artists you’re interested in working with?

The truth is we are getting more and more tetchy over time, but the most important thing is that we really like the songs of a certain band or artist. It is hard to promote something you don’t even like or believe in. The second important factor is whether the proposal fits or not in trastienda.org. It’s not so much a matter of genre or style, but something rather intangible… Then, the quality of the recording is something we have in mind too.

If we weren’t answering this interview, right now we’d be… releasing the next big thing!

A phrase we use far too often is… “¡mu’ rico!” (tasty!)

As a record label, we wish people would take more notice of… the hard work bands do.

The best age to be is… 20