We never born with that « yeah…let’s go…do a record company… » idea. But little by little we just had the feeling that great bands and musicians shared the same kind of smooth attitude as we do. And in a way – at our level – that’s maybe one of the best protection we can find. The only one ? The trigger was certainly that long caravan full of artists who trusted us for we don’t know which kind of reason but definitely not that funny mix of ego and money.
The Electric Circus was in town. More than 30 people on the road. Four vans sometimes. We lost musicians at some gaz stations. They missed the right bus. Every night was the same ridiculous staging : create a fake circus in a rock club, only with crazy music, costumes and if time was on our side…special effects (thanx Steve W.). Most of ourselves were in their most experimental period of their lifes means extra-musically. It was obvious that all of us needed some gaz and excitement. The circus network was the idea.
BIRTH
Touring with Reverend Beatman leave us also the strong impression that some energies needed to put together. In fall 2001, in some messy La Chaux-de-Fonds’s kitchen, we decided – we just don’t remember how – to start Little Records as a subdivision of Voodoo Rhythm Records. It was just the right time.
We got that crazy and really funny record from Bebe & Serge, straight from Tucson, Arizona. After a few talks, it was obvious that we were leaving on the same martians planet. "Supernovasuperstar" was released first on their own label Bloat Records which is – as we learned later – the same kind of family mafia affair for confidential but brave audiences. By the way, that was not the "main point". Music is great, music is fun and Bebe & Serge’s cover is just killer.
Second record was naturally Guitar Fucker. Martin was so great in the Electric Circus that this F… needed some more electric shock.
Sunday Ada is Little Records Home. But not only. Sunday Ada is La Chaux-de-Fonds. Little Records spirit is coming from there. 1'000 meters above the sea. The watchmakers city lost in the moutains. Out of nowhere where the people just don’t care about hype, attitude, fashions… Everybody’s dancing there on Friday and Saturday nights… on every kind of music if music is good.
That’s where Bikini Test is located. Another home. The one where we used to stay, to dance, to drink, to laugh for more than six years. Bikini Test was the Test and we loved it. Too many great bands played there: Morphine, Gun Club, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, 22 Pistepirkko, Swell, Soul Coughing, Vic Chesnutt, Lisa Germano, Cat Power, Townes Van Zandt, Jon Spencer & The Blues Explosion, RL Burnside… and so on. Sunday Ada is Little Records HomeBand. One of the Little Records’ brother Stephane Ballmer is the Home-Studio’s man and under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man. Jerome Ballmer (Sunday Ada and Little Records) is our President. I used to be their efficient manager when they first band Jivaros Quartet lost a few illusions playin’ at the Tramps, New York, one night in July 1993. Sunday Ada is the real secret pearl of Little Records
Dead Brothers is another familly mafia thing. Geneva gypsy band. Circus Freaks. Born for playin’ funerals music… That’s a challenge. But death in a burlesque way sounds really up-to-date. Dead Brothers started at the first Electric Circus. There were two at the beginning as the reincarnation of these old blues charlatans selling bad alcohol. There were Dead Alain and Dead Pierre and some other Dead start to follow the orchestra. Now they are 5, sometimes 6. We don’t know exactly how many they are…dead.
Ramblin’ Bombers story is another La Chaux-de-Fonds love story. These guys used to play for years trying to find their own musical way and it seems now that psychedelic music is their own thing. Ramblin’ are fans of Iggy and The Stooges. That’s not a bad taste.
Whitman McGowan is our favourite professionnal golf player since the day we met that huge wardrobe full of poetry, humor, distance and friendship. Little Records respect people who used to read poems for 1 dollar each in some Pasadena Pizzeria.