8ctopus Records
by Ryan Powers [ryan@slugmag.com]
Issue 239 / November 2008 More from this Issue
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Owner/Founder: Eli Morrison
Year Established: 2006
Current artists: The Wolfs, Vile Blue Shades,Red Bennies, Blackhole, Pink Lightnin’, Eyesand Ears, Mystifiied, Ketamine Kurtainz
Number of releases to date: 20
National Distribution: None, other than ownwebsite.
Is Roster Available on itunes? The Wolfs andBlackhole only
Number of albums sold to date: Around 2,000
Website: 8ctopusrecords.com
Photo by Ruby Johnson
Slinging some of the more legitimate "out there" shit since 2006,8ctopus Records tends to keep the focus local. Their roster featuresartists such as Vile Blue Shades and owner/operator Eli Morrison’sown project, The Wolfs. The label also co-released SLUG’s Deathby Salt III local comp on vinyl last December. The label serves as anonline distributor for local labels like Red Light, Pseudo and Feroz,but also for international releases in the experimental field fromExtreme Music. Recently, 8ctopus geographically expanded theirown catalog by releasing Howl at the Moon/Slave Wage, a 7" fromDenver’s Eyes and Ears.
SLUG: What led you to start 8ctopus?
Eli Morrison: I had all this cool stuff sitting on my desk that was,for one reason or another, un-releasable on a legitimate label. So Ithought, ‘Fuck it––I’ll just put this stuff out, and I’ll just plan on eatingthe cost.’ Luckily, I have a couple of day jobs that allow me to do this.
SLUG: What is the point? Why put out such esoteric and undergroundrecords?
EM: Good question. I wonder what the fuck I’m doing all the time!I guess I just want people to be able to hear some cool stuff thatotherwise wouldn’t come out.
SLUG: Does 8ctopus have a distinct sound or genre?
EM: I don’t fit any specific marketing niche or genre of music, and Idon’t really care.
We carry stuff relative to the punk/underground scene, as well as stuffin the experimental/noise/ambient field. If it’s different, I’ll probablylike it.
SLUG: What makes a group an 8ctopus Records type of group?
EM: It’s gotta be NON-commercially motivated, underground, artsytypeshit. Go ahead. Surprise me.
SLUG: What are the plans for 8ctopus in the future?
EM: The label continues to define itself out of necessity. I am stilltaking things one record at a time, and I hope we can pull throughand do justice to each release. Right now, we have no impendingreleases, because there’s nothing hot on my desk.
SLUG: How do your own musical endeavors work with the label?
EM: If nobody else wants to, or is able to release a recording, and it’sgood, I’ll put it out myself. I still work with a number of other labels toissue my own material, when possible.
SLUG: How does 8ctopus support local music?
EM: I issue records that would otherwise go unheard. I also distributeall the coolest local shit online at 8ctopusrecords.com. This yearwe’ve had orders from Russia, Poland, Japan, you name it. Had onelast week from Greece!
SLUG: With the current status of the music industry and the economyin general, do you think smaller labels will make a comeback?
EM: I would certainly hope so. I think ‘gain ground’ is even moreappropriate than ‘comeback.’ The underground has always beenthere, and we’re largely unaffected by the comings and goings in ‘TheIndustry,’ as it were. Every time I see something that makes me wannapuke, I just take a deep breath, and remind myself that it has nothingto do with me.
Year Established: 2006
Current artists: The Wolfs, Vile Blue Shades,Red Bennies, Blackhole, Pink Lightnin’, Eyesand Ears, Mystifiied, Ketamine Kurtainz
Number of releases to date: 20
National Distribution: None, other than ownwebsite.
Is Roster Available on itunes? The Wolfs andBlackhole only
Number of albums sold to date: Around 2,000
Website: 8ctopusrecords.com
Photo by Ruby Johnson
Slinging some of the more legitimate "out there" shit since 2006,8ctopus Records tends to keep the focus local. Their roster featuresartists such as Vile Blue Shades and owner/operator Eli Morrison’sown project, The Wolfs. The label also co-released SLUG’s Deathby Salt III local comp on vinyl last December. The label serves as anonline distributor for local labels like Red Light, Pseudo and Feroz,but also for international releases in the experimental field fromExtreme Music. Recently, 8ctopus geographically expanded theirown catalog by releasing Howl at the Moon/Slave Wage, a 7" fromDenver’s Eyes and Ears.
SLUG: What led you to start 8ctopus?
Eli Morrison: I had all this cool stuff sitting on my desk that was,for one reason or another, un-releasable on a legitimate label. So Ithought, ‘Fuck it––I’ll just put this stuff out, and I’ll just plan on eatingthe cost.’ Luckily, I have a couple of day jobs that allow me to do this.
SLUG: What is the point? Why put out such esoteric and undergroundrecords?
EM: Good question. I wonder what the fuck I’m doing all the time!I guess I just want people to be able to hear some cool stuff thatotherwise wouldn’t come out.
SLUG: Does 8ctopus have a distinct sound or genre?
EM: I don’t fit any specific marketing niche or genre of music, and Idon’t really care.
We carry stuff relative to the punk/underground scene, as well as stuffin the experimental/noise/ambient field. If it’s different, I’ll probablylike it.
SLUG: What makes a group an 8ctopus Records type of group?
EM: It’s gotta be NON-commercially motivated, underground, artsytypeshit. Go ahead. Surprise me.
SLUG: What are the plans for 8ctopus in the future?
EM: The label continues to define itself out of necessity. I am stilltaking things one record at a time, and I hope we can pull throughand do justice to each release. Right now, we have no impendingreleases, because there’s nothing hot on my desk.
SLUG: How do your own musical endeavors work with the label?
EM: If nobody else wants to, or is able to release a recording, and it’sgood, I’ll put it out myself. I still work with a number of other labels toissue my own material, when possible.
SLUG: How does 8ctopus support local music?
EM: I issue records that would otherwise go unheard. I also distributeall the coolest local shit online at 8ctopusrecords.com. This yearwe’ve had orders from Russia, Poland, Japan, you name it. Had onelast week from Greece!
SLUG: With the current status of the music industry and the economyin general, do you think smaller labels will make a comeback?
EM: I would certainly hope so. I think ‘gain ground’ is even moreappropriate than ‘comeback.’ The underground has always beenthere, and we’re largely unaffected by the comings and goings in ‘TheIndustry,’ as it were. Every time I see something that makes me wannapuke, I just take a deep breath, and remind myself that it has nothingto do with me.
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