2 + 2 = 5 Records Interview 01. Well before we start, could you please tell us your name, age and your position/job in 2+2=5 records and if there is some other people behind this record label? Hey, Joselito! First of all, thanks a lot for your interest on 2+2=5 Records. My name is Douglas, I am 26 years old and I am the only one behind the label. That means that I do literally EVERYTHING here, and that�s a lot of work! 02. How 2+2=5 started and who inspired you to start running this label. What I knew is 2+2=4 or maybe 2+3=5? (He!) Well, tell us how become 2 add by 2 equals to 5 named started? Back in 1993/1994 I had a zine called LIFE? With that zine I started to be in touch with a lot of bands, zines and labels within the extreme music underground. Back than the Brazilian scene suffered from a lack of serious labels, despite the reasonable number of good bands we had. I was always receiving demo-tapes. Some of them were pretty good and I wanted to do something to help those bands. So I started a distro/label called LA BLUA PAPILIO with Julio, a good friend of mine on those years. It was mostly a tape distro/label as we had absolutely no money and it wasn�t meant to be something too serious or professional. So I started to become more and more interested on this label thing, and also I was really impressed by the job that labels such as Relapse, Per Koro and Ebullition were doing, with some very original bands and first-class artwork. LA BLUA PAPILIO somehow died in 1997/1998. So in 2000 I was in a better job and had conditions to save some money to start my own label, with a more professional vision. As for the name, I�ve got it from Fiodor Dostoievski�s classic �Notes From the Underground�. Right at the beginning of the book the main character says that we, as human beings, are afraid of total happiness (2+2=4), as it would mean the stagnation from our race, and so we choose to live in constant chaos and absurdity (2+2=5). 03. I�ve noticed that most of the releases you have done are into grindcore or if not totally pure grindcore but line on this kind of music. Is this your first interest in this kind of music or do you plan also to release some hardcore bands in the near future? Grindcore has been a great passion of mine for several years, but I am also strongly into a lot of other forms of music (hardcore, crust, doom, death metal, black metal, sludge, noise, ambient, neofolk, avantgarde, etc, etc, etc). The fact that so far the majority of my releases were from grindcore bands is simple because I have a lot of contacts with people involved in it. Also, there are some labels in Brazil that already work with hardcore bands or death/black metal bands, but almost nobody working seriously with grindcore bands. But 2+2=5 Records is NOT a �grindcore label�, it�s an extreme/unconventional music label, and I do pretend to release some non-grindcore stuff in the future. 04. Your first released were PARENTAL ADVISORY/RELTIH Split LP. Right? Well, how this project starts and what is the reason for putting together these two bands in one full length LP? PARENTAL ADVISORY was my band. In 2000 a friend of mine, Leonardo, was also thinking about starting a label. He had lived in Portugal for some months, and there he met the guys from RELTIH. When he came back to Brazil he asked if we (PARENTAL ADVISORY) were interested on doing a split LP with RELTIH, and we agreed. I thought it could be also the opportunity that I was waiting to start 2+2=5. But neither him nor me had enough money to do the record, so by the end it was a cooperative effort between 6 really small Brazilian �labels�. Anyway, with those records I started doing my first trades and spreading the word about the label. 05. What about ROT, ROT is well known in grindcore scene in Brazil and if you say ROT first thing will enter in your mind is Brazil. How do they start having records in 2+2=5 and they got already 2 full length released in CD and LP format. I am good friend of those old dirty grindcores since I started doing the LIFE? zine. I always gave them full support in my zine, and we also played several gigs together (first with PARENTAL ADVISORY and now with my �new� band LIFE IS A LIE). So it was almost natural to release some of their stuff, as we know and trust each other. ROT is a band that had a huge impact in me, both musically and lyrically, and I am really proud to release their stuff. 06. Is there will be a future / upcoming release of ROT for future releases 2+2=5 records? I love this band and as far as I know they�re happy with my work, so I think that we�ll work together again sooner or later. 07. Your latest released now are HUTT "Sess�o Descarrego" CD, could you tell us how this full-length cd happened and it would be appreciated if you can tell us some short info of the band. The guys on HUTT are friends of the people on ARE YOU GOD? (another band that was released through 2+2=5). One day the AYG? guys showed me the first HUTT demo and I was instantly impressed with it, and later I met them personally. We talked a bit and I told them if they would be interested on doing their debut full length in 2+2=5, and they agreed. Since that day we became good friends and I saw this band grow in every aspects. For those who don�t know, HUTT is an awesome grindcore act in the vein of Nasum, Lock Up, Pig Destroyer and Assuck. Very fast and tight with a metallic edge. Their drummer is hand down one of the best extreme drummers on nowadays-Brazilian scene. 08. Are you only the one who choose what band you have to release or there is some other people give some suggestion or idea on what band you have release? As I am the only one on 2+2=5 Records, surely the final word is mine. But sometimes I invite some friend to listen to a band with me before I ask them to do a release in my label. 09. Do you have any basis on how to choose what band are you gonna release records or do you accept some offer from other band to release their own demo on your label? Both situations have already happened. For the DEPRESSION / MESRINE split CD, for example, I�ve got an e-mail from Kai (Depression) asking me if I would be interested on releasing this record � and sure I was! 10. What about handling people asking to release their demo for your label? Do you regret them directly or give them some advised to choose some other label to release their stuff? If I think it�s a good band but for some reason I don�t have money to release it, or I think that the band doesn�t fit on the 2+2=5 concept, I try to give them all support I would be able to, like giving some other label contact for example. But honestly, the sad fact is that most of the bands nowadays are just second rate clones from some well-known act, and most of the times is really boring and frustrating hearing the demos that I get, and I really don�t feel like I have to write back to each and every band telling that they suck. 11. Mostly full length and split releases type of projects you always done. Why you didn�t make any comp projects? Do you have any plan? (If yes or no, why?) Or maybe a compilation of some great grindcore bands out there in Brazil? When I started the label I thought about doing a compilation, but now I would just do it if it has some kind of concept and all bands were really, really good. I mean, there�s just a very few compilations that I really enjoy listening� Most of the time the quality from the bands is too irregular. Some very good bands followed by some crappy shit, and then some good stuff again� That�s not a pleasant listening usually. Recently I got the �An Old Fashioned Grindcore Assault� compilation (Spain) and I thought it was great, but I can�t remember of many other comps that I listened to more than twice. 12. What about designing and lay outing of some of the cover sleeve of your releases? Do you have a regular artist or do you hire someone? I did some of the artwork by myself (like the ROT releases, the UNHOLY GRAVE / ANARCHUS split CD, some 7� Eps, etc), but it�s really something that I leave up to the bands to give the final word. So far I have never hired anyone to do the artwork, it was either my job or the bands job. 13. Most of your old releases were SOLD OUT already (of course), but there is two releases that I noticed was TEMPORARILY SOLD OUT. What do you mean about this? Did you hold the distributing of this? Why? That means that the first pressing was all sold, but as soon as I have enough money for it I will repress. 14. Why did you limit your DISTRO TITLES to Portuguese buyer/customer only and not available to other people from other places? Do you have any serious reason about of this? Basically it�s because the postage costs for foreign countries is too expensive in Brazil. Also because I would just be able to receive payments through cash sent by letter (or International Money Order), as I don�t work with credit cards or pay pal... 15 I�ve read from your news section that LYMPHATIC PHLEGM will be release a full-length debut. How come this project happened and what do we expect new for this new record/project for 2+2=5 records. When is the tentative date of releasing? In fact, they already recorded it and the CD version was released through Black Hole Productions. As I am good friend of them and we have already worked together for the LYMPHATIC PHLEGM / JAN AG split 7�EP, they just contacted me asking if I could be interested on doing the vinyl version for their full length. Hell, how I could say no??? Anyway, this release suffered A LOT of delays (mostly my fault, I must say) but it�s finally going to the pressing plant and must be out on November. 16. Maybe could you tell us any future projects to come or any few bands that you feel to release records from your label? Man, there�s a lot of stuff to come! Take a look: - CONSTRITO / DESECRATION split CD (both bands are from Brazil. Constrito manages to combine metal, hardcore and experimental stuff in a very cool and unique way. Definitely not the average �metalcore� shit. Desecration plays pure old school death metal with anarchist lyrics) - INTIFADA / THE KOLONY split CD> (Intifada is from Brazil and play incredible heavy and dark crustcore with doom/death metal touches. The Kolony hails from Sweden and has it own interpretation of thrash metal� Really hard to explain their sound, but it sure has a lot of fun and brutality) - ARE YOU GOD? �Neon� CD (fiirst full length album from this avantgarde deathgrind band. Awesome musicians, awesome production� Just wait and you�ll see) - THE JACK OF ALL TRADES �Aufgraun� CD (TJOAT is a sadly defunct german band that released some tapes plus an absolutely AWESOME LP in the late 90�s, and this will be the CD version for their LP with some unreleased bonus tracks. They played slow, chaotic, depressive and heavy as fuck music years before it became a trend.) - LIFE IS A LIE / OLHO DE GATO splitt CD (LIAL is my band! We play a mix of grindcore with old school black metal stuff� some guys calls us �brutal blackcore�, if that makes any sense. ODG is from Holland and play raw and brutal fastcore in the vein of Dropdead and Crossed Out) There are some other stuff planned, but still not 100% confirmed, so I won�t talk about it now. 17. By the way, how did you start become involved in the scene? When I was 5 years old I used to visit a cousin of mine that happened to be a heavy metal fanatic. He was always listening Kiss, Iron Maiden, Rainbow, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Motorhead and all that old stuff. I was fascinated by all those skulls and monsters on the covers of his records, and I also enjoyed the music. So when I was 6 my mother gave me the KISS album �Creatures Of The Night�. Some years later I was in love with comic books and somehow I discovered the underground stuff like Robert Crumb, Gilbert Shelton and Brazilian artists like Marcatti (who, besides being and incredible comic-artist, did the artwork for some Ratos de Porao records like �Brazil� and �Anarkophobia�). Reading all those ug comicbooks I discovered that there were also an underground movement in music, and so I started to look for some bands. When Napalm Death�s �From Enslavement To Obliteration� was released in Brazil I�ve got a copy and it really fucked my mind� It was a turning point in my life, seriously. I just wanted to know more and more about such extreme stuff, and so I started to tape-trade, to be in touch with zine-editors, etc� The next logical step was starting my own zines and my own bands� That�s it. 18. Besides of your records label what other things keep you busy? Do you have a band also or 2+2=5 records is your permanent/full time job? I play guitar in LIFE IS A LIE and I am also working on the project of a new extreme music magazine that will be called FILTHGRINDER. 19. Well, I think before we end one more questions I have to ask. If you noticed most of the interview I�ve done. I always ask them about our country, Philippines. So, if you don�t mind what do you know about our country? Yeah, I was really afraid that you would ask this question for me! It�s a shame but I really don�t know anything about the underground stuff on Philippines besides your amazing webzine� It�s strange because I know a lot of stuff from other Asiatic countries, but never had the choice of put my hands on any stuff from your country. I suppose that the scene over there is more or less new, right? Sorry for being so ignorant about it... 20. Ok Douglas, I think that�s for all now. I hope you like our interview. If you have anything you would like to add, go ahead! Thanks! Yeah, it was great to answer these questions. Thanks a lot for your interest and support! Anyone interested to get in touch with me, please DO IT! My contacts: e-mail: [email protected] website: www.2plus2equal5.com address: c/o Douglas Alves Junior Caixa Postal 1669 Sao Paulo / SP CEP:01059-970 Brazil
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