WEWANTSOUNDS – Sounds for hungry ears

Paris, May 29, 2024. For my birthday, I decide to treat myself to the Faye Webster concert at Le Trabendo, but I'm greeted instead by a torrential downpour. I take shelter in the Bar Italy record store, which owes its name not only to the Pulp song, but also to the passport of its owner, the Italian Massimiliano Diliberto Paulsen. I rummage through the shelves, and my digging gravitates toward the SWANA section, my favorite when it comes to handling vinyl. Among Analog Africa, Habibi Funk and other celebrated labels, my eye falls on a reissue of "Maarifti Feek" by the Lebanese chanteuse Fairuz. The label is new to me, but the name alone is enough to win me over: WEWANTSOUNDS. Their headquarters is right here in Paris, and their mission doesn't go unnoticed: reissuing albums with no particular geographic or stylistic focus, as long as they're rare and beautiful. And beautiful they truly are, so I start reviewing every one of their releases, until the staff takes a liking to me and a pen-pal relationship begins between me and Matt Robin, one of the people behind this glorious venture, with whom I had this great chat.

It's spelled WWS, pronounced WWF: WEWANTSOUNDS is basically an organization for safeguarding musical wildlife, aiming to protect endangered record species…
Ha ha! Yes, it's an important mission. We want to preserve a part of the musical landscape that we believe deserves wider recognition, especially when it comes to music that's forty or fifty years old. We don't focus exclusively on rare, expensive records made by little-known artists who became sought-after through word of mouth, although that certainly is part of our selection. Take Akiko Yano, for example: in Japan she's a star, she was an unofficial member of YMO, and she had a huge impact on the scene when she emerged in 1976, barely in her twenties. The point is that her success stayed confined to Japan, even though she had all the makings of someone who could be appreciated internationally. Part of the fun for us is helping to introduce artists like her to a wider audience, without necessarily having to dig up some obscure find from the back of a drawer.

WWS's radar isn't tuned to any one particular genre or scene: the catalogue features wildly different artists like Manu Dibango, Brigitte Fontaine or Ennio Morricone. How do you find your way through such a vast ocean?
We're a small group of like-minded people, each with our own tastes, and we're all pretty eclectic. You could say there's a common thread, a kind of "groove" running through a lot of our releases, but it's a pretty vague concept. Ultimately, it's the result of years — decades, really — of listening to music, of ever-deeper research and of expanding our musical horizons. For instance, the person who curates the Arabic section, Mario Choueiry, is Lebanese and spent many years working within the music industry (he now works at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris). He's extremely knowledgeable and has been essential in bringing some incredible albums back into circulation: it's thanks to him that we managed to reissue the extraordinary work of musician and producer Ziad Rahbani. We're also huge film buffs, which explains our interest in soundtracks. That passion led us to release the music from cult films like "The Friends of Eddie Coyle", directed by Peter Yates, famous for directing "Bullitt". The catalogue grows organically, and one release naturally leads to the next.

In your roster, two main types of releases stand out: reissues of previously released albums, and compilations of assorted material. How does your approach change depending on which format you're working with?
Actually, they're part of the same overall process, but sometimes a compilation makes more sense. Not every album is strong enough on its own to justify a faithful reissue of the original. Compilations can be a great way to introduce a genre, an artist, or the music of a particular country to a new audience. They can also serve as an excellent entry point into a label's catalogue. I'm thinking of our compilations dedicated to Mainstream Records: their vast archives are full of hidden gems, so those compilations complement our reissues of the original albums very well.

The liner notes are always extremely thorough, often entrusted to top-tier experts like Cheb Gero or Disco Arabesquo. How important is it to provide listeners with historical context?
It's essential. We always try to work with the right curators, people who are best placed to present a genre, a scene or an era. They're often far more knowledgeable than we are in their specific field. Not only do they bring their expertise to the table, but many of them also have their own audience, often being DJs who tour internationally: that's an added bonus. But above all, they're able to pick up on certain nuances in the music that give listeners valuable keys to understanding it.

No unnecessary filler or extra-large deluxe editions: WWS sidesteps analog fetishism and goes straight to the point, which speaks to a respectful approach to the material. How do you handle relationships with the artists you work with (I'm talking about having the final say on tracklisting or cover art, profit sharing and so on)?
When we work directly with an artist, it's usually a collaborative discussion, especially when they own their own masters or when the rights situation allows us to deal with them directly. For example, right now we're releasing some Brigitte Fontaine recordings taken from French radio archives, and we had to strike a deal directly with the artist. In general, the process is pretty straightforward: we offer fair terms, we approach things respectfully, and we make sure everyone is comfortable with the project. We're usually all on the same wavelength, so things tend to go smoothly. Some artists like to be involved in the creative process, while others prefer to leave the lead to us. Every release is different. Recently we worked with pianist Todd Cochran on one of the first albums he played on (a gorgeous 1971 spiritual jazz LP by saxophonist Hadley Caliman), and it was fantastic to be able to work with him — he wrote some wonderfully in-depth liner notes about how the record came together.

There are also plenty of retrospectives dedicated to individual artists. One of the most comprehensive is the one dedicated to the divine Fairuz…
Fairuz is a legend, so we're very proud to have been able to reissue some of her albums, particularly the ones produced by her son Ziad Rahbani. She's an icon across the entire Arab world, but there was also a need to introduce her work to new vinyl enthusiasts around the globe. We were lucky enough to have Mario Choueiry on board, who had worked on her catalogue years ago during his time at EMI Arabia. His expertise was invaluable in putting these projects together.

Another recurring obsession is Japan…
Yes, we have special ties with Japan, which certainly helps, but it's also a natural choice given the country's incredibly rich musical heritage. The possibilities are endless, and it's always exciting to select artists and albums that we feel deserve greater international recognition. We've reissued classics by artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Akiko Yano, as well as the superb album "Saravah" by Yukihiro Takahashi, which was in fact a tribute to the French producer Pierre Barouh and his label Saravah, with whom we collaborate. You see, somehow everything is connected, and we like joining these dots.

Not just artists outside the Western sphere: I found your research into such an important figure as Brion Gysin really fascinating.
Brion Gysin was an artist with an almost mythical aura, who influenced countless creative figures across different disciplines. That project grew out of our work with Ramuntcho Matta, who produced a remarkable Don Cherry album from the mid-80s, "Home Boy Sister Out". Thanks to that collaboration, we started digging through Matta's archives, and the recordings he'd made with Gysin, of whom he was a close friend, turned up: everything developed from there.

Every so often there's also room for new music, as in the case of Al-Qasar.
Yes, we've released albums by emerging artists like Al-Qasar and Biensûre. These were projects that came to us naturally and that we felt suited the label. When it makes sense, we're happy to put out contemporary music, but it's not a direction we're actively pursuing. New projects demand a much bigger investment of time and resources, particularly since we often end up involved in touring and promoting the artists. That can be demanding. Still, when the right opportunities come along, we're always open to exciting new projects.

So what's cooking right now in WEWANTSOUNDS' ever-simmering pot?
We've got a lot of interesting releases lined up, including more Don Cherry titles. We're also hoping to finalize a new collaboration with a Japanese label… if it happens, you'll be among the first to know! We'll also be continuing our series of Brigitte Fontaine reissues: one of the next will be her landmark 1970 album, "Comme à la Radio", recorded in Paris with her longtime collaborator Areski Belkacem and the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. We managed to track down the original multitrack tapes, which means we'll be able to include an incredible amount of bonus material…

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