Getting to know the Robustfellow label: 5 significant releases
Today we’re telling in detail about Robustfellow, the Kyiv label, that is strongly associated with the heavy psychedelic scene and thought-out design of tapes, vinyl records, and CDs.
Family Guy, architect, UCF expert, art agent, Robustfellow mastermind
What is Robustfellow
The Robustfellow label was created during the 2nd Robustfellow festival in 2012. Our team has succeeded to film the material on a few cameras and record the sound from a sound board. This material served as a basis for the DVD, presented in 2013 at the next Robustfellow festival. It was dropped under the RBF 001 catalog name. A few tapes from festivals in 2011, 2012, and 2013 have formed a limited box set "Robust Sessions 2011–2013" (RBF 002), This set included shows of the heaviest bands on the Ukrainian scene: Bomg, Slow Ride Home, Mozergush, Johny B Gut, Keepleer18 and Methadene Skies from Romania
The first album we issued was the debut album of Somali Yacht Club "The Sun" (RBF 004), released on September 11, 2014. The last releases at this moment are Greenmachine D.A.M.N. on vinyl and CDs (June 2020) within the Robust Relics Series and Pyraweed 420 on tapes and limited Lotus discs. Also, we’ve dropped the traditional "Robustfellow Sampler", in December, where you can listen to a lot of interesting and exclusive tracks created by Ukrainian bands and bands from around the world.
Our aim is to get rid of snobbery, show pure and honest energy of underground and underrated bands both on records and at live shows, blur mental limits, reissue long-forgotten and powerful releases (Robust Relics Series), and widen the spectrum for music gourmets with the Ukrainian heavy scene as the main secret ingredient.
And if to talk seriously, our main concept is to let astrosloths inhabit the universe and leave a great mark under the volcano dust of history.
Format
Robustfellow supports extraordinary, heavy, and high-quality music. We tend to choose the following genres: psychedelic, sludge, hard rock, stoner, noise rock, krautrock, industrial. However, in label collections, you can hear artists working in different genres from indie to grindcore and drone (check out the examples here).
Digital releases let us understand if we should issue analog albums. Each format has its fans and collectors. Albums will be available on CDs, tapes or vinyl records in a particular order depending on the current priority.
Artworks
The cover should include the following features:
- Rezonate with the release’s core message.
- If possible, to be stylistically connected with previous band’s releases; it’s great if the band works with one iconic artist on 3-5 albums – these artworks can interest collectors.
- Catch the attention on the record store window.
- If a release belongs to any specific series, it should meet design requirements set for that series
Sometimes, bands already know what result they want to get, and they bring albums with the ready-made design. Sometimes, the label finds the artist for a specific release. Rarely, we take the already existing drawing from archives that can suit the release.
Finally, we work on artwork details along with a designer and band.
Pros and cons of releasing foreign artists
Pros: communication, making friends, and finding useful connections from around the world. The immense experience and practice.
Cons: lack of well-functioning PayPal in Ukraine, imperfect legislation, and the local game rules affect the speed of the lazy virus spreading. Some you win, some you lose. ©
Discography
All artists who work with Robustfellow Prods. have their personal signatures. They make their own stories. At this moment, the most interesting and extensive release is the limited edition collection "Electric Funeral Café" Trilogy Box 2015–2017.
Fil distinguishes the following releases in the label’s discography:
Somali Yacht Club — "The Sun" (2014)
This one stood the test of time, it was reissued about 10 times in different formats, and it remains a bestseller.
Soom — "Ніч на Полонині" (2015) (Soom — Night on the Meadow)
Created with trembita, eclectic bandersludge from Slobozhanshchyna has already become iconic. One of the most notable limited records created by Robustfellow. It’s patiently waiting to be released on vinyl.
Был замечен… — "стало ещё только хуже" (2016) (Was Seen... - it got even worse)
It’s the strange energy closed inside a triangle wooden box created together with the band’s frontman. I still hope to see the band’s live show again.
Electric Funeral Café — "Trilogy Box 2015–2017" (2017)
The landmark of the label. As written in The Obelisk, the USA online magazine, this album is the "immense document of Ukrainian heavy".
Contra — "Deny Everything" (2017)
This the full-fledged international release where the Ukrainian artist has created the album cover for the USA band. The band was waiting for the release almost for a year until everything was properly done. It was the first experience we worked on the international PR campaign. At the moment, the limited 8-bit cartridge edition can be found only in private collections.
Plans
We’re working hard on the following albums: Bomg, Guevnna [JP], Shiva the Destructor, Greenmachine [JP]… I hope we manage to release them all this year. However, something will be postponed to the next season.
You can support Robustfellow during the quarantine by listening to digital releases on any convenient streaming platforms and buying albums and merch at Robust Shop. "Peace. Love & stay safe"
Robustfellow in social media:
https://robustfellow.bandcamp.com
https://discogs.com/label/617905-Robustfellow
https://youtube.com/user/TheRobustfellow
https://facebook.com/RobustfellowProds/
https://twitter.com/robust_fellow
https://instagram.com/robustfellow_prods
https://t.me/robustfellow
Read more articles about labels here — https://www.neformat.com.ua/en/rubrika/znayomstvo-z-leyblom
