Film on Vinyl: Spotlight on Spacelab 9

Welcome to another installment of Film on Vinyl, Joe Donohue’s column that celebrates the blending of his love for film and music by reviewing and dissecting movie soundtracks pressed on the oh-so-sweet vinyl record. This week Joe is throwing Clinton Shorter’s score to “Distict 9” on the turntable and chatting with Dave Amcher, the label manager of Spacelab 9.

There is nothing like listening to iconic soundtracks on vinyl. These wax beauties have a sound quality that no CD could ever match. That’s why it is such a blessing for labels like Spacelab 9. These masters of their craft have taken their years of experience to create a true labor of love. Spacelab 9 specializes in bringing film and television soundtracks to vinyl, and in the process they create pieces that are high caliber, and one-of-a-kind.

This year alone the label has created vinyl printings of “The Walking Dead,” “Breaking Bad,” “My Little Pony,” “The Raid 2,” “Doctor Who,” and my favorite, “District 9.” I was lucky enough to talk with the film’s composer, Clinton Shorter, earlier in the year, and now I’ve not only gotten my hands on a copy of the “District 9” release, but label manager Dave Amcher has been gracious enough to answer some questions and give me an in-depth look into Spacelab 9.

Before I get into my interview with Dave, I’d like to spotlight the “District 9” release. This fantastic vinyl release looks just as beautiful as it sounds. The gatefold showcases the film’s poster with an even better still from the film in the center. Beyond the gatefold is a breathtaking insert, with multiple scene stills and filmmaker notes, a lobby card and, of course, the bread and butter — two stellar vinyl records available in a variety of colors.

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This release is a favorite in my collection and should have a spot on every audiophile’s shelf. Now it’s time to delve deeper into the mind of the man behind the vinyl, Dave Amcher.

FoV: Dave, it’s obvious that you are a fan of vinyl. What is the prize piece in your collection?

Dave: Ooh, that’s a tough one. Some of my favorite albums are worth $5 while others valued around $1,000 sit in my collection forgotten. I’ve been a consistent vinyl consumer since the mid-1980s and my interests have become pretty eclectic over the years, so the answer to that question might change from time to time depending on what genre I’m listening to a lot of at the moment. The best way to answer that question may be to join us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/spacelab9, where we regularly post photos of random favorites and oddities from our personal collections.

FoV: What is it about vinyl that makes it so appealing over CDs?

Dave: After having grown up on vinyl, by the time CDs came around I wasn’t impressed. Portability, which was just about all that CDs had to offer, was never all that important to me, so I never had much use for them. My formative vinyl experiences as a kid were with KISS records, which set the bar really high. Their early releases often had full-color inserts, copious photos of the band and extras like tattoos, booklets, paper crafts, interlocking posters and award plaques to hang on your wall. Their merch order forms alone were a visual feast. I learned at an early age that for me, the packaging and the overall album aesthetic were just as important as the music itself. As my first vinyl experiences, KISS album packaging raised the bar so high that as I expanded my musical horizons to other artists, such as Ted Nugent, Black Sabbath, Rush and others, there was definitely some disappointment with their comparatively tame layouts. It would be nearly another 20 years before I had the opportunity to begin designing and releasing records, but the packaging on those early KISS albums have remained in the back of my mind as the gold standard for which I've always strived.

FoV: While Spacelab 9 may be new, I know from the power of Google that you and your team have been around for a long time doing different labels — such as punk and metal. Why the switch to soundtracks? Where did the idea for Spacelab 9 come from?

Dave: Right, many of us have been working together going on 20 years, running some very successful genre labels since 1995. By 2012, following 17 years in the artist-development side of the music biz, we were burnt out and ready for a change. We were fortunate enough to find a buyer for our primary label imprint, so in late 2012 we sold the label to a larger competitor and decided to move on. We had various concepts in mind, but we weren’t exactly sure what our next adventure would be at that point. What we did know was that we wanted to create something completely different than anything we had done before. As you mentioned, our previous labels were very genre-specific. Although in many ways that proved to be beneficial, after several years we found ourselves feeling as though we had been painted into a corner, regurgitating what felt like redundant, formulaic monotony, one album at a time. As longtime collectors and fans with eclectic interests, this time around we decided that we would not limit our opportunities by branding ourselves as one type of label or another. Hell, at this point we don’t even want to limit ourselves by categorizing ourselves as a record label. We love to create and we also have quite a bit of experience with merchandising over years, so we would love to continue to expand and push into other areas — clothing, comic books, toys, action figures, other various merchandise. The only one commitment to continuity that we keep is the same that we have always had, and that is a commitment to producing quality output, whatever the medium may be.

FoV: Spacelab 9’s first releases were “The Walking Dead” and “Breaking Bad,” two phenomenal shows with amazing scores. How did you guys decide on those two titles?

Dave: They just happened to be two of our favorite shows and were scored by two of our favorite young up-and-coming composers. Although original programming on basic cable networks has taken huge strides in quality and popularity over the past decade, we felt that it has been categorically under-represented on vinyl so it seemed like a perfect launching point for us. We reached out to the studios during mid-2013, and as it turned out, both titles were available, so we knew at that point that we had a very strong platform for the new label launch.

FoV: With the popularity for those two shows being as monumental as it is, did you feel pressure to get these vinyl releases just right?

Dave: Honestly, the bar that we’ve set for ourselves from the beginning — whether it was a new, unknown artist, a large international act or a popular film or TV title has always been the same: Do our very best or don’t do it at all. As fans of both series, we were really more excited to get started and make some really cool packaging that we, as fans, would like to own.

FoV: Let me tell you, I’d love to get my hands on the “District 9” release. Everything about it looks amazing: Double LP, an additional eight bonus tracks of previously unreleased original score on top of the original 11 tracks, a double-sided insert, and the list goes on. What is your favorite element of the vinyl release?

Dave: The "District 9" double LP was a lot of fun to work on. We had a lot of content to work with, both in terms of visuals and nearly a half-hour of previously unreleased score material by composer Clinton Shorter, which for us is the best of both worlds. We rarely know in advance what kind of content we’ll have to work with for each project, so when we get to dig in and find out what’s available, we’re like kids on Christmas morning. Personally, my favorite component of the "District 9" layout was probably the reprint of the original theatrical lobby card, which was included as a bonus item. As big, nerdy fans, we love that kind of behind-the-scenes stuff — promotional items, etc.

FoV: You guys definitely like to keep your fans on their toes with your releases. You’ve tackled “The Walking Dead,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Raid 2,” “My Little Pony,” and, most recently, “District 9.” How do you guys decide what soundtracks you want to release?

Dave: It really ties into what I was saying earlier about not categorizing ourselves or allowing ourselves to fall into a predictable pattern. In our earlier incarnations, we opted to create very formulaic, genre-specific labels. We would carve out our niche in a genre, perfect a formula and then resort to a stamp-repeat-stamp-repeat pattern; it made for great sales but became terribly boring over time. This time around, we wanted to strive to keep things fresh, exciting and challenging for ourselves. Going from titles like "Breaking Bad" to "The Walking Dead" to "The Raid 2" to "My Little Pony" is tremendously challenging. Each has its own fan base, its own aesthetic and its own psychology. From the design concepts to the marketing, it’s a real challenge to change hats so drastically from release to release.

FoV: What has been your favorite release so far? Why does that one stand out to you?

Dave: That’s almost as tough to answer as the question regarding favorites from my personal collection. Taking each project from the initial concept stage to the finished product is uniquely rewarding in different ways.

FoV: Do you think some soundtracks lend themselves more to vinyl than others?

Dave: Definitely, especially when it comes to scores. In general, the more dramatic the film or series, the more deeply woven and dramatic the underlying score music. It makes for a much more intense listening experience. For instance, how many comedy films have you seen on vinyl? Although I’m a huge fan, it’s hard to picture sitting through something like the soundtrack to “The Jerk” on vinyl. Although, the more I think about it, “Picking Out a Thermos for You” would make a killer single.

FoV: What is your dream project? What movie score would you love to give a vinyl release?

Dave: Very good question. The 1990s, having been a decidedly vinyl-unfriendly decade, have created a unique opportunity. Although in my personal opinion, the '90s was a largely forgettable era in terms of entertainment and pop culture, it did inevitably bear some fruit like any other decade. However, unlike most other decades before or since, very few of the soundtracks to the more memorable films of the era were released on vinyl at the time. Some highlights such as "Clerks," “Jurassic Park” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” have recently been made available on vinyl for the first time. However there is one iconic film, "The Shawshank Redemption," arguably the most iconic film of the 1990s, that we have the great honor of offering on vinyl for the first time ever. Thomas Newman’s score for "The Shawshank Redemption" is, in my opinion, one of the most hauntingly beautiful score albums ever composed. As fans, we’re extremely honored to be involved with such a modern classic and to have a hand in bringing its iconic score to vinyl for the very first time. Look for the formal announcement and more details around mid-2015. Another timeless classic that we would love to get our hands on, though it would be a reissue — a format which we have generally avoided to date — would be the score album from "The Shining."

FoV: What other projects do you have in the works? I don’t know if you are open to suggestions, but I would love to see “The Monster Squad” soundtrack get the vinyl treatment. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the movie, but if you release, I promise I’ll just sign my paycheck over to you.

Dave: We’re always open to suggestions! Good call on "The Monster Squad"; that could definitely be a fun project. As far as new and upcoming, we’ve just announced the release of a 14-track "Doctor Who" picture-disc compilation LP featuring tracks from 1995-2013 that we’re very excited about. It’s a Hot Topic exclusive and should be available both online and in HT stores in early January. We’ll be following up in February with our first video-game soundtrack, which I can’t get into specifics about just yet, followed by the release of the double-LP soundtrack/score to "The LEGO Movie" by Mark Mothersbaugh. As huge, longtime fans of both Devo and of the Lego culture, we’re having a blast with this release. Some really cool packaging coming with that one, with more details coming soon! I don’t want to spill too many of the beans just yet, but I will say that our 2015 release schedule is already booked up through August so look for lots of new announcements to come!

FoV: Closing comments?

Dave: Big thanks to you, Joe, as well as The Film Yap for your interest in SL9. We would like to give a true thank you to everyone who has supported us and shown interest in Spacelab 9 during our first year. We’re working hard to continue to step up our game and offer more cool stuff for the fans, so if you liked us in 2014, wait until you see what we have in store for the future. If you’d like to be kept up to date on new release news and spacelab9.com web store exclusive editions, be sure to join our mailing list at spacelab9.com.

Until next time, make sure you’re using the appropriate cartridge. Remember to always spin responsibly.