LES ACTEURS DE L’OMBRE PRODUCTIONS have been strengthening the French underground in Black Metal since 2009. But the label is also exciting for other reasons: It is based on an association and lives from voluntary work. In part 12 of our label special, label founder Gerald Milani explains the advantages of a democratic vote on band commitments and the dangers of the Corona crisis for this structure.
Hi and thanks a lot for taking time for this interview! How are you doing?
Not so bad! Solitude takes its toll. Fortunately, I’m lucky enough to be with my daughter and share her custody for 10 days, so I’m home-schooling with her! Meanwhile, I have to deal with my job and I work for the Label.
We’re in the middle of a giant crisis, which affects us all in one way or another. What is the direct impact of Corona on LADLO?
We are impacted the same way as everybody is in the music and entertainment industry. Everything is at a standstill as if the world fell asleep. In addition to that, physical distribution almost stopped because stores are closed and people are ordering less on the internet.
Since the bands are cancelling tours, festivals will be cancelled too and we won’t be able to hold any booth as scheduled. As a result, a huge loss of income will jeopardize future releases after the summertime. We must find a solution to create enough cash flow in order not to postpone them.
You had a discount promotion in your online shop. Was it a success?
Yes indeed, it did work very well, more than we expected to be honest. A lot of people took the opportunity to express their support by writing a word while ordering. No doubt, special offers are successful.
Let’s hope the best and talk about the history of LADLO: The label now been in existence for more than 10 years. What was your motivation to find your own label?
Further to a professional transfer in 2008, I had to leave the management of LES ACTEURS DE L’OMBRE association that had been created in 2001, and I grabbed the opportunity to launch the label for the association, independently. I have been a black metal passionate since 94 and I’ve been keeping on getting personally involved in the scene, throughout bands, a fanzine, webzine and a concerts and festivals organization ever since. In 2011, the event-organizing branch and the label split into 2 distinct, self-managed entities.
What was the idea behind the label-name, LES ACTEURS DE L’OMBRE PRODUCTIONS?
I created Les Acteurs de l’Ombre in 2001 with 3 friends of mine. I suggested the name on the day of our first meeting. The idea was to find a name reminding of performers of the underground scene as well as “actors” promoting in the shadows. A name uniting us in our passion and our activism to support it and keep it living.
How did you come to the first bands you signed and how did you convince them of LADLO?
Vaerohn, webzine editor and member of the team in charge of organizing concerts, was actually looking for a label for his project PENSEES NOCTURNES („Nocturnal Thoughts“). It was totally fitting to the image I wanted to give to the label at that time. It was his first music project and did not require a significant investment. Therefore, the first album „VACUUM“ was released in early 2009, mashing depressive Black metal with Baroque music influences.
Most of your bands are still from France. Is this part of your concept, or just because LADLO is a French label, so your reputation is best in the French BM-scene?
Though French bands have always played second fiddle to Black metal music till nowadays, they’ve been acknowledged as quality bands with a personality, being hailed as a critical success. They are not known because many of them lack rigour and have always been ignored by influential labels. Nevertheless, most of them unveil a real personality because of their attachment to our culture, as well as its multiple influences.
In the Black Metal scene, some are real music UFOs or even launched musical movements. It made sense to us to prioritize the French scene, and yet we must admit that proximity and speaking the same native language make collaborations easier. We have to meet up regularly at various events. We can tighten cooperation and get to know each other better.
What was the first international release of your label – and how did the deal come about?
So far, we have worked with 10 foreign bands, apart from the various split-off, and two additional albums will be released before summer. The very first foreign collaboration occurred in 2011, with the reissuing of the self-titled opus of the band from the Basque country, NUMEN, initially released in 2007. I merely contacted them when friends urged me to listen to their album. I had just released the first two albums from PENSEES NOCTURNES in 2009 and 2010, and the three 2011-releases happened to be foreign bands albums: NUMEN, CULT OF ERINYES (Belgium) and EBONYLAKE (UK). The three albums differ considerably; at the time I had not defined any artistic path yet, I had just been driven by my personal tastes. If we actually think about it, the label has been keeping the same credo: offering ourselves a great deal of satisfaction while releasing what we love on a large range of Extreme metal music with a huge bunch of influences.
What was the most important album for the success of LADLO so far?
There have been several steps which allowed LADLO to gradually expand. The very first album that enabled LADLO to get credibility in no time, was the second opus by PENSEES NOCTURNES in 2011, called “Grotesque”, unanimously praised by the press reports. The 2000 copies were sold out in the following year. Then in 2012, THE GREAT OLD ONES‘ debut album “Al Azif” sold well but less than REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER’s first eponymous one, the year after. Both bands gently competed throughout many releases, each being more tremendous than the others. It enabled the label to build up and establish its status as a talent-scout.
More recently, the Lithuanian band AU DESSUS‘ opus entitled “End of Chapter” definitely contributed to making the label known abroad.
Was there a concrete highlight for LADLO that you always like to remember?
We have so many memories, whether it be gigs and festivals that we organize for our roster or encounters while exhibiting our booths in festivals, shots of adrenaline triggered when releasing an opus… We do experience memorable moments. We regularly talk with Romain, our artistic director, who arrived in 2013 and is presently the senior member of the label, about our euphoria at the Hellfest’s 2013 edition when we first displayed our booth and above all during which two of our bands were performing: REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER and THE GREAT OLD ONES. That weekend was a highlight and we enjoy recalling that, at this very moment in time, we were thinking: “We are living the best time of the label, we will never make it better”. Ever since, at any edition or every time we experience something important, we remember this moment. We used to think we would never live this emotional bliss and satisfaction feeling again, but in truth, we do experience it every year, and it actually became even stronger.
This year again should have been a special year likely to have big thrills.
Besides our yearly booth, three LADLO bands and two other ex-LADLO bands (which makes the difference on the booth) were announced: we were the 6th most represented label in the Hellfest line-up.
We had also planned to release 10,000 sampler CDs, not as single CDs but double CDs.
And we were supposed to act as consulting partners with the Hellfest springboard winner, which was scheduled to play on the TEMPLE STAGE, in addition to the side activities we use to arrange: drinks, signing sessions, commercial promotion… Everything shall be postponed to 2021 but still, the upcoming LADLO sampler CD will be out this summer.
Were there also lows, moments when you doubted the future of LADLO?
We are going through moments of doubts as well. LADLO is like a music band getting on a ride in a roller coaster. We’re all in the same boat. The rise seems overwhelming, the fall is dizzy and abyssal. We raise voices at the same time but not for the same reasons, sometimes voices are stuck in our throats, other times we don’t hear ourselves screaming for help. But we remain supportive, one must be reassured when scared, one must hold the bag of those throwing up, and a shrink is awaiting us when we get off to ease the minds and put things right in our heads.
We’re under pressure, we commit ourselves at different levels, our partners are professional in the matter and we must get on the same line. We wish to do our best and improve continuously.
It means also a lot of weariness since we run the label in addition to our private and professional lives, based on availabilities.
We are currently facing a time of doubt. We are working on a just-in-time basis because we commit to release albums more than one year in advance, but how can we be sure that the previous ones will be sold as well as expected, or that we will have the sufficient funds to keep our commitment? So far we always did, but today, the future looks uncertain. Two summer festivals have been cancelled, so no booth for us, online sales in our shop are slow, worldwide physical distribution of sound media are more or less at a standstill.
The practical question is “Where are we gonna find the money to fill the gap in the budget?” Based on the assumption that it won’t improve before September, I have estimated the losses up to 1/3 of our yearly budget.
How many employees work for LADLO today?
We do not have any employees, as we are all working as volunteers. It results in difficulties
but this is also an advantage because we’re piloting the associative label only out of pleasure and passion. As I explained previously, besides the fact we need to organize ourselves according to everyone’s availabilities, there is a small turn-over of staff as you cannot give so much over the years. At a certain point, some cannot take it anymore. We are 20 volunteers and the label has a singular framework. Indeed, significant decisions, like signing bands, are voted. Anyone can express their view and we never sign any band which has been vetoed or if a majority of members has not voted in favour of it.
Due to the high number of volunteers and the wide range of tasks we have to deal with, the working approach is complex. However, we remain relatively free when it comes to suggesting projects and everyone is free to get involved as much as they wish to. LADLO is everyone’s label, it is what we are, our strength is in numbers, solidarity is our bond, the passion is our driving force and moments of joy are our boosts.
How do you select your bands, what makes a bands application interesting for you?
Numerous criteria need to be taken into account, obviously the artistic and musical skills of a band are the most decisive factor but we need to have a global sight, as what often made the difference was the reliability of the band combined with its motivation. Also, a good feeling in our communication is quite meaningful. When a band comes to us and shows a strong will to join us while approaching a possible collaboration professionally, it enables us to give credit to any application. I mean a band who comes up with a concept and an accomplished graphic universe, a mid & long-term vision of its career, who is determined to play live with a real scene art and who has been able to surround themselves with qualified persons to develop its art. Also, they must agree to support us and remain available.
Even so, we sometimes release bands who need to be managed, therefore we put them in touch with graphic designers, photographers, recording studios, booking agents and we go along with them at different stages.
In general it is getting harder and harder to sell CDs. Does that lead to big problems for a small label like you?
The label was created after the recording industry crisis, thus, since the beginning we had to find a balance in this insecure environment. Today the sales of sound supports (CD, LP, tape) represent 40% of our turnover whether it be direct sales via our online shop or our booth, or through the distributors. An equal part is coming from the merchandising sales, and finally, the remaining20 % is provided by the digital distribution and occasional gigs for our bands.
You release the bands albums as vinyl record, CD or tape. How important are vinyl records and tapes for your success – do people prefer those release-types to the CD?
We also offer regularly box sets because the object is of utmost importance for us. It is the shrine and the first physical representation of the soul and emotion within. Tape and vinyl are inseparable from the genre: the vinyl for being a noble item and the tape for the important role that it played in spreading this music style. The tape characterizes an entire era. Still, both of them sell less than CDs. The tape is treasured by a minority of metalheads, specifically by those who have a profound attachment to that era. The vinyl, being twice as expensive as the CD is often bought by fans of some group, so we cannot afford to offer it upon any release, and we have to set aside for the promising upcoming albums. However, we’re exploring the possibility to propose limited editions soon to try and satisfy as many people as possible.
Do you have a personal favourite from all your LADLO-bands? Which of your LADLO-releases do you listen to most in your free time at the moment?
I don’t have any favourites, I’m proud of every single album release. I enjoy listening to every LPs regularly depending on my emotional state of mind. It can be with an old-time album as well as an upcoming one. In general, I listen to lots of albums shortly before they come out. So at this moment, I’m getting a bit stuck on GRAVE CIRCLES “Tome II”.
GRAVE CIRCLES is one of our bands that are the closest to the original genre, without restricting itself to it. The band might not be revolutionary, but it has managed to find its own identity through a variety of influences and created a Black Metal as tortured as the topics depicted in its lyrics. “Tome II” is an intense and varied album, with offers complex structures and brutal but nagging and melodic riffs, aerial and occult atmospheres. It is a subterranean, crawling and dissonant beast, cadenced by unerring drums and almost ritual incantations.
Could you maybe give us a short overview about your recent releases and most interesting bands from your point of view? What should our readers never miss?
In my point of view, we’re offering a wide range of what can be found in the extreme metal with black metal inclinations, and all of our albums releases equally deserve attention. There is nearly something that suits everyone’s taste. It seems to me that the label roster is of high quality and truly diversified. This is the feedback provided by the people who follow us, who buy our records in total confidence. I never have any regrets for our choices, even the former ones because it fairly reflects our label’s activities.
Therefore, I would encourage everybody to cast an eye upon our four latest releases:
-PENITENCE ONIRIQUE’s second LP “Vestige”, released on Dec. 6th, 2019 (Post Black Metal)
-MONOLITHE’s eighth full-length album “Okta Khora”, released on Jan. 31st, 2020 (Progressive Doom Metal)
-SONS OF WANTED MAN’s first album “Kenoma”, released on Feb. 7th, 2020 (Blackened Post Metal)
-BORGNE’s ninth album “Y”, released on March 6th, 2020 (Industrial Black Metal)
Let’s dream: Which band would you like to have in the LADLO list?
I do not aim at any specific bands. I only wish to continue our activity for as long as possible with the same enthusiasm. I keep on dreaming about an ever-growing number of enriching collaborations and memorable times.
What are your future plans with LADLO – what do you focus on?
Given the current situation, our priority is to find a way to maintain the albums releases scheduled after the summertime. We are presently thinking about alternatives and while being on lockdown, we are getting back to projects which have been lying dormant for years now. We must keep faith and hopefully, we’ll manage to fill the gap, at least partially.
And where do you see LADLO in ten years?
As I told you earlier, I keep my feet on the ground. We know that we will never make a living from the label and we prefer to enjoy the daily moments without questioning any further or making long-term plans.
The label has always been run simply and for our pleasure, so if I knew the label should still be existing for the 10 coming years, I would be just happy to know I’m not likely to stop having a blast!
Let’s finish this with a short brainstorming:
Black Metal: In my blood
Best French metal band: DEATHSPELL OMEGA
Tapes: In my toilets and my kitchen
Vinyl: In my living room
CD: In my Car
Streaming: In my bed
Once again thanks for your time. The last words are yours – is there anything left you want to tell our readers?
Thanks to you and METAL1 for your support. I would merely encourage the readers to check out our roster: https://ladlo.bandcamp.com/
I think that our bands are not yet fully well- known and still they are worth it.
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