As I sit down to discuss Atrium Tapes with Michigan native, Theodore Schafer, I watch his eyes dart around, examining the materials his cassette label relies upon. This doesn't seem to be a matter of inventory, but a questioning of their worth. I immediately sense an eagerness, and when he turns his gaze towards me, I don't find him completely present. It becomes obvious through the duration of this particular interview that Atrium Tapes (at least to Theodore Schafer) is still on it's path to being.
While the label itself has only been around since March of 2014, there have been many noteworthy releases that have been quite successful. Cleveland's John Daniel (Forest Management) released "Freezeframe" on Atrium Tapes earlier this year, and supplies quickly sold out. Last month, Atrium put out Los Angeles-based Sleep Clinic's "Night City", and buzz about this Ann Arbor label reached the west coast.
With the swift attention Theodore Schafer has caught, I question the juxtaposition between this quick popularity and his obvious curiosity. "...(Atrium) is something that I'm still figuring out. I feel like I will change how I do things every once in a while...the times change, I'll go through phases," Theodore explains.
Although thoughts of the future stay very present throughout our conversation, there is no question that Atrium is being built on a sanguine foundation. "I like cassettes because they feel approachable and personal. It seems like something you would find in a museum and there isn't a guardrail around it, or something. It's just right there, within arms reach," he explains.
Theodore points out that although he is very much influenced by early 2000's labels, he feels there are a lot of noteworthy labels being run today, "I think the only thing a label could do "wrong" is compromise their image by putting tapes out as favors, or whatever...I'm doing this because I like tapes and I like my friends' music. The goal (of this) is to document that in some way."
Many people view cassettes as a thing of the past, as much of today's music is widely available in digital form. Some may view this as a reason not to start a label, but Theodore Schafer looks at it differently, "the Internet is great because it makes the world both huge and tiny. Digital is everything. Maybe everyone thinks that. Most of my friends and acquaintances come from the Internet. The majority of people that buy tapes from the label, I've never met. They just know about the label because of the web. It's hard to say if this makes things better or worse, but does that matter now? I think if someone was doing stuff outside of the Internet, they would be like Corwood Industries. And that's not bad...but even Jandek is using the web now," he seems to conclude in the moment.
While Theodore exudes affection for ambience and electronic music as we discuss the "pros" for maintaining Atrium Tapes, he admits that "community" is his favorite part of the process, "I have already met a few people that I didn’t even know existed in this area. Michael Lipsky is a great example. He seems to be a ghost or something, but he is here and he is going to do a tape and I love that that can just happen."
The conversation seems to take a turn here, as "the area" is something that I'm particularly interested in when meeting with artists and discussing their craft. "Being from this area could very well have some artistic influence on me, but I feel that is hard to say now because of the Internet. I would say that I definitely got into art more quickly and more heavily than other people I grew up around," Theodore considers his hometown of Pinckney, Michigan, "maybe this was some kind of rebellion or an attempt at getting away from my roots."
Theodore Schafer officially made the 22 mile move to Ann Arbor in 2013, and seems to feel that the music scene is an unknown one, "Ann Arbor seems to have a pretty tight clique at times. At other times, it doesn't seem that there is one. I've considered Ann Arbor's artistic presence a lot, and I don't know. There are always a lot of tapes in the "local" section at Encore Records, and that's cool. It doesn't feel like they are trying to be too different, though. There is a lot of noise and stuff, and it looks like it is patched together in a few minutes. Which isn't bad. I understand that vibe. It's just not mine."
Theodore appears to linger on these thoughts for a moment more, "It seems like all the people that used to push jamming, tapes and being an "underground musician" are all a bit older than me and maybe they're set in their ways. I don't really know them, and I could be wrong. Maybe I need to try to branch out more."
When asked if these ambivalent feelings towards the music scene in Ann Arbor affect Atrium Tapes, however, Theodore gives a nod of gratitude to the Internet once more, "maybe if I lived in a place where 100 shows happened every month and there was a limitless supply of record stores that liked Atrium's output--this might help the label, but no, I don't think that living here really has much impact (on Atrium)."
While Theodore admits he is still finding his footing in southeastern Michigan, he makes a point to explain that there are still many things he values about the area, "There are some really great people here who seem to be stoked about music and community. I support anyone who is trying to make things happen, regardless if I like their jams or not. I think I'll always be feeling out Ann Arbor."
As Atrium prepares to release Forest Management's "Essentials" on November 6th, Theodore shares his thoughts on the future of the label, "I kind of look into the future, and I don't know if Atrium will still be going in five years. That's a lot of time. I'm trying to not make this feel like some type of business. I want it to be fun. I don't want to have to depend upon it for anything, or have too much hope in it."
Because of the multifarious praises of the Internet, it is clear that Theodore finds very little barriers in running a tape label, "so if Young Thug wants to put out a tape, he can e-mail me."
FIND ATRIUM TAPES' LOCAL RECOMMENDATIONS HERE.
While the label itself has only been around since March of 2014, there have been many noteworthy releases that have been quite successful. Cleveland's John Daniel (Forest Management) released "Freezeframe" on Atrium Tapes earlier this year, and supplies quickly sold out. Last month, Atrium put out Los Angeles-based Sleep Clinic's "Night City", and buzz about this Ann Arbor label reached the west coast.
With the swift attention Theodore Schafer has caught, I question the juxtaposition between this quick popularity and his obvious curiosity. "...(Atrium) is something that I'm still figuring out. I feel like I will change how I do things every once in a while...the times change, I'll go through phases," Theodore explains.
Although thoughts of the future stay very present throughout our conversation, there is no question that Atrium is being built on a sanguine foundation. "I like cassettes because they feel approachable and personal. It seems like something you would find in a museum and there isn't a guardrail around it, or something. It's just right there, within arms reach," he explains.
Theodore points out that although he is very much influenced by early 2000's labels, he feels there are a lot of noteworthy labels being run today, "I think the only thing a label could do "wrong" is compromise their image by putting tapes out as favors, or whatever...I'm doing this because I like tapes and I like my friends' music. The goal (of this) is to document that in some way."
Many people view cassettes as a thing of the past, as much of today's music is widely available in digital form. Some may view this as a reason not to start a label, but Theodore Schafer looks at it differently, "the Internet is great because it makes the world both huge and tiny. Digital is everything. Maybe everyone thinks that. Most of my friends and acquaintances come from the Internet. The majority of people that buy tapes from the label, I've never met. They just know about the label because of the web. It's hard to say if this makes things better or worse, but does that matter now? I think if someone was doing stuff outside of the Internet, they would be like Corwood Industries. And that's not bad...but even Jandek is using the web now," he seems to conclude in the moment.
While Theodore exudes affection for ambience and electronic music as we discuss the "pros" for maintaining Atrium Tapes, he admits that "community" is his favorite part of the process, "I have already met a few people that I didn’t even know existed in this area. Michael Lipsky is a great example. He seems to be a ghost or something, but he is here and he is going to do a tape and I love that that can just happen."
The conversation seems to take a turn here, as "the area" is something that I'm particularly interested in when meeting with artists and discussing their craft. "Being from this area could very well have some artistic influence on me, but I feel that is hard to say now because of the Internet. I would say that I definitely got into art more quickly and more heavily than other people I grew up around," Theodore considers his hometown of Pinckney, Michigan, "maybe this was some kind of rebellion or an attempt at getting away from my roots."
Theodore Schafer officially made the 22 mile move to Ann Arbor in 2013, and seems to feel that the music scene is an unknown one, "Ann Arbor seems to have a pretty tight clique at times. At other times, it doesn't seem that there is one. I've considered Ann Arbor's artistic presence a lot, and I don't know. There are always a lot of tapes in the "local" section at Encore Records, and that's cool. It doesn't feel like they are trying to be too different, though. There is a lot of noise and stuff, and it looks like it is patched together in a few minutes. Which isn't bad. I understand that vibe. It's just not mine."
Theodore appears to linger on these thoughts for a moment more, "It seems like all the people that used to push jamming, tapes and being an "underground musician" are all a bit older than me and maybe they're set in their ways. I don't really know them, and I could be wrong. Maybe I need to try to branch out more."
When asked if these ambivalent feelings towards the music scene in Ann Arbor affect Atrium Tapes, however, Theodore gives a nod of gratitude to the Internet once more, "maybe if I lived in a place where 100 shows happened every month and there was a limitless supply of record stores that liked Atrium's output--this might help the label, but no, I don't think that living here really has much impact (on Atrium)."
While Theodore admits he is still finding his footing in southeastern Michigan, he makes a point to explain that there are still many things he values about the area, "There are some really great people here who seem to be stoked about music and community. I support anyone who is trying to make things happen, regardless if I like their jams or not. I think I'll always be feeling out Ann Arbor."
As Atrium prepares to release Forest Management's "Essentials" on November 6th, Theodore shares his thoughts on the future of the label, "I kind of look into the future, and I don't know if Atrium will still be going in five years. That's a lot of time. I'm trying to not make this feel like some type of business. I want it to be fun. I don't want to have to depend upon it for anything, or have too much hope in it."
Because of the multifarious praises of the Internet, it is clear that Theodore finds very little barriers in running a tape label, "so if Young Thug wants to put out a tape, he can e-mail me."
FIND ATRIUM TAPES' LOCAL RECOMMENDATIONS HERE.
TO HEAR AND PURCHASE MUSIC FROM ATRIUM, PLEASE VISIT ATRIUMTAPES.BANDCAMP.COM
MORE INFORMATION ON ATRIUM ARTISTS (AS WELL AS ARTIST Q&A + MIXES) CAN BE FOUND AT ATRIUMTAPES.BLOGSPOT.COM
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