Anna Logue Records: A Flavour Of The Label Mix

What began with Camera Obscura’s debut vinyl LP (through three problematic pressing rounds) has blossomed into a catalogue that honours both the artists of yesteryear and into the contemporary that are keeping the analogue flame alive. The label’s ethos is refreshingly purist – this is music made before the digital age smoothed off all those beautifully rough edges and that bleakness when electronics were raw and honest.

Anna Logue Records isn’t part of the ‘music industry’ – it exists in deliberate opposition to it.  Non-exclusive agreements respecting artists’ autonomy, every release is treated as art or memorabilia rather than product, lovingly designed with original band materials, lyrics, photos, and the meticulous attention of someone who still remembers receiving multiple parcels a day in pursuit of the perfect sound.

Sister label Nadanna (a playful portmanteau of founders “Mr. Nader” and “Mr. Anna”) extends the mission into contemporary territory, releasing danceable works that blur the lines between minimal synth, Italo disco, and Electropop. Together, they form a small but vital operation – self-financing, fiercely independent, and still run by that same collector was too busy discovering bottomless pits of forgotten electronic to pay too much attention at college.

The mix you’re about to hear traces the label’s journey in reverse, alternating between Anna Logue and Nadanna releases, from timeless classics like League of Nations’ “Fade” to previews of what’s next. It includes what the label’s founder calls “the perfect electronic pop song” (Blipblop’s “Ögat som ser”), features a performance from Rational Youth’s Tracy Howe on Techniques Berlin’s “Cold War”, and closes with the achingly beautiful “Zara In The Stars” – written by Quieter Than Spiders’ Leon Zhang in memory of a beloved dog at a sanctuary, a reminder that these endeavours carry real meaning beyond the music.

Twenty years in, with projects like Delayscape’s double album and new Twins Natalia material still in the pipeline, Anna Logue Records continues doing what it’s always done; unveiling music that should be heard, released with passion by people who genuinely love it, for those who understand that sometimes, the best technology is the one that came before everything got polished to death.

Best get that mix on and have a chat hey…

How did the label come into existence? What is the ethos behind the label and what are its guiding forces?

Growing up in the 80s, I always loved Synthpop, New Wave, Neue Deutsche Welle which was so present in the charts back then. Thanks to my brother I then got into Electronic Body Music, darker Electro, Indie/Wave, too, then via the clubs also Industrial Music, Dark Wave, Gothic, Neofolk, etc. In the mid-90s though I went back to early 80s synth, and got invloved with the global minimal synth / minimal electronics collectors’ scene which was very vividly exchanging tapes, then CD-Rs, then mp3s, trade and want lists, etc. I mostly loved melancholic yet melodic stuff, and there was so much to discover: so many bands that only had a (often privately) pressed 7“, or a cassette – it is still today a bottomless pit! Instead of studying at the university, I was using the rather new internet to connect and buy stuff like crazy off ebay, online record shops, etc. It was like multiple parcels in my post box a day! I always loved contacting the bands directly, asking for any kind of material. It led me to gathering quite a lot of unreleased stuff, but I didn’t know what to do with it, not daring to think of starting a record label myself. Rhona and Rainer from German label Genetic Music were then kind enough to work on a compilation with me, resulting in the 3 LP box set „Reminiscent“ in 2004. Anyway, not even a year later, I had Anna Logue Records set up and released the first vinyl LP with early 80s UK synth band Camera Obscura. That was fortunately not too difficult as Peter Oldroyd from the band was so kindly and generously helping me with many of the label’s obligations providing audio masters and graphic design. Yet, we were off to a difficult start with the LP going through three pressing rounds due to very shitty pressings (since then I think I have encountered every possible error in the process of making a physical record, haha!). That pressing plant had shut down two years later. But, it was just fantastic, me releasing a vinyl record, can you imagine?!

My aim was to find and make available previously unreleased material from those minimal synth / electronics / electropop bands from the early 80s, the “anna/logue“ years, and presenting them in an interesting way, from the point of view of a fan (with lyrics, photos, background infos, posters, cards, numbering, etc.). With a lot of new bands coming up at the time with a similar ethos of using lots of analogue electronics gear, I also started very early to release also contemporary material, e.g. from Sleep Museum, The Silicon Scientist or my own project Twins Natalia. The main focus with Anna Logue Records is still original 80s music, while a new label, Nadanna, was founded in 2014 in co-operation with Nader Moumneh from Electro Aggression Records, to release a wider spectrum of genres from contemporary artists like Tobias Bernstrup, 23rd Underpass, or Techniques Berlin.

Further reading: My emphasis on analogue is based on how I perceive sound, and my subjective assessment of quality of sound thinking that the sound from analogue gear outperforms later digital gear, and also taking into account the zeitgeist and aims of artists. In others words, I believe that most electronic musicians around 1978 to approx. 1983/84 were recording art straight from the shoulder, and they were lucky that the machines just had that great and massive sound. It was raw, honest (maybe except from those using the gear because they didn’t have a bassist player or drummer to record a demo). With the digital age coming along, to me, it all changed and all of a sudden became a sort of commercial thing (to my ears). I do like to explain this with an analogy from the movie industry: Take “Conan The Barbarian“ (1981), “First Blood“ (1982), and “The Terminator“ (1984) and compare them to their sequels “Conan The Destroyer“ (1984), “Rambo: First Blood Part II“ (1985), and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day“ (1991). The first ones are dark, brutal, bleak, and tell raw stories of revenge, scornfulness, techno angst, for me meaningful and making you think, while the sequels are just commercial crap or even manipualitive propaganda. Can I just say, I do prefer the first ones, and it’s quite the same with music, even though there were still bands like The Klinik and Skinny Puppy in the mid-80s who retained that ethos.

So, the guiding force is probably my love for all these fantastic sounds from those majorly unknown artists using those wonderful synthesisers, drum machines and all that other gear which makes me feel that more people should (be able to) listen to.

How have things developed since you started?

Hmm, basically, I think it is the very same fun and very same struggles as back then. Times have changed over 20 years, of course. The digital platforms, file sharing, and also there are so incredibly many new bands and labels around who also do a great and relevant job. But in the end, it has always been just me, my small team and the artists making a record that we are eventually happy with and hoping that others will find interest in and happiness with it too.

Who or what was your biggest inspiration for taking things into your own hands?

I cannot recall having been inspired to do that. It was a natural progression, possible with the help from kind people supporting the idea. So maybe also their enthusiasm was a subtle inspiration while it was actually happening. Also there were already labels doing similar things before me like Genetic Music, Kernkrach and Vinyl-On-Demand, so it didn’t seem to be an impossible task to do.

How and where do you find most of the music for the label?

Everything was only possible thanks to the internet, via e-mail, and the sudden possibility to find and get in contact directly with the artists. I think it was only two or three times even that I spoke to someone on the phone which I find to be weird myself, but I am not a phone person at all. So that technical development was a very fortunate one for me right from the beginning. On some occasions, I had Jochen Lange do the dirty job for me as he felt pleasure in doing the painstaking detective work. Without him, I would probably, for example, never have found Transparent Illusion. Here, the communication was actually via snail mail only!

Who or what influenced you to get into the music industry? What have been the most influential factors on your career so far?

Actually, I do not consider myself to be a part of the music industry at all. The “music industry“, if a part of the definition is “where the money is made“, has never shown any interest or support in what we do. As a “musician“ myself, I am not registered with any rights society. With the label, the agreements are non-exclusive, so I also do not do any sub-licensing. I always tell the bands “I only wanna do this record, no more and no less, it is your art!“ I normally do not have barcodes on my releases, majorly as I think they totally spoil the aesthetic and artistic standard I set for myself (and as anyway it’s been too hard to get distributed). I try to avoid the term product for my releases, they are rather art, or memorabilia. I made my peace with being totally independent, even though it has a lot of disadvantages too – of course, I would love to see more copies getting out there, feeling like “owing it to the artists“, but it is what it is. But then, I can always do whatever I want, and my hope is that people who have interest in these releases, will find them.

What are your most and least favourite things about running your own label?

Basically, the detective work of finding people, then the interaction with the artists and all the creative parts of making a record are the fun side. I most love putting the graphic design together with Steve Lippert. Also working on the flow of an album: If the audio material allows, I like to think of it as a live concert, with an intro, then a strong hit catapulting you into the album, then every song has its place, e.g. on vinyl you have many specific tracks, like the last one on side A that has this special sensation that wants you to get up and play side B, etc. I love the freedom to be able to release whatever I want, and even releasing my own music with Twins Natalia, where I am working with Dave Hewson (electronic music pioneer since 1979, and of Poeme Electronique fame). This has been the most joyful and rewarding experience for me for which I feel blessed and for what I am forever grateful!

I am happy to leave the mastering jobs to those who have a passion for it, and then let Record Industry, the pressing plant, do their magic. Receiving the records and holding them in your very own hands, and playing them on the turntable, havving created something, and experiencing the enthusiasm of the artists and the customers, these are special moments.

Everything else then from doing promotion, invoicing, packing parcels, doing taxes, trying to find distribution, etc. is honestly a … pain. Shipping / packing parcels these days has become the worst of all. Ever increasing prices, stupid dimensions or weights, especially for 12“ vinyl and small goods now in Germany, parcels treated liek footballs, no compensation when damaged, customers being pedantic, … it makes you wanna pull the plug (or trigger) and say “All that hard work and passion you’ve put into this and then… Fuck you all!“ But as you see, we go on, so the positive elements must obviously outweigh the negative ones.

How did you go about choosing the logo and artwork for the label?

Anna Logue Records is derived from analogue electronic devices, e.g. synthesisers and drum machines. I do love plays on words, so that’s how Mademoiselle Anna Logue came into being as an entity, and becoming the label’s logo. Anna is kind of a cyborg, half human half machine, having all those electronic music devices implanted in her body. So, she is quite fortunate, she can play herself! Érick Moncollin (of ADN’ Ckrystall fame) was so kind to put the idea onto paper then.
Nadanna is a play on the label owners’ names “Mr. Nader“ and “Mr. Anna“, thus, on the logo, the initials are depicted next to a dancing couple, standing for the contemporary danceable side of music blurring the lines between minimal synth, italo disco, and electropop. This logo was created by Tcheleskov Ivanovitch.

Artwork in general: I try to collect as much original material as possible and then try to get an idea of how all the artwork parts could be put together. I want the artwork to be authentic, sitting right with the actual music. For me, it’s an absolute no-go to have early 80’s synth music and then a 90s or 00s artwork design. It feels just wrong. So, most of the releases have original band material on them. Sometimes external artist have provided some artwork, like Paul Takahashi or Jen Clark. Also the kind of cardboard and finish is very important. I wanna explicitely thank Steve Lippert for spending, really and truly, hundreds of hours with me going through endless trial and errors, and revisions, without ever complaining once. You are a star!

If you could sign one artist from throughout recorded musical history to the label, who would it be and why?

Actually, I am already overwhelmed with what we have achieved over the years. We have released so many utterly fantastic artists, so much fantastic music. But if I had to choose one, then I think I would like to see Kraftwerk’s 1981 material, which they played live on their world tour, being released officially with a perfect sound quality/mastering (and of course rehearsals, demo, studio recordings) be released. So if they com eknocking on my door and ask me, I’ll so do it, haha!

If you could release any record from musical history, what would it be? Is there anything that you’d like done differently with the record?

Oh there are so many incredible records, from so many different genres! Maybe better leave them with us as they are, as we cherish and dearly love them. I think I would rather lock away Front 242 with only their 1981 equipment for a month and force them to record “Geography II“, but this may be the wine talking, haha!

What do you think about the current state of independent records? Do you believe that there are enough opportunities available for people to be successful?

I am not much informed and involved in this matter. While I am not walking in their shoes, but from my experience, I am probably only disappointed in distributors who make it very hard for small labels. It’s hard to get a chance at all, and if then they will not take any risk at all which makes it rather uneconomic for the label. On a positive note, I wanna give a loud shout out to Bordello A Parigi who have worked were openly and fair with me for a couple of years now, but it’s seems to be rather unique. Also thanks to POPoNAUT who have been the only ones providing a base for selling CDs still over the years. And recently Young & Cold Records who have impressed me a lot with their commitment and expertise.

How do you think you stand out from the crowd given the current wealth of independent labels operating?

I am trying not to think about this, I am just trying to do my thing. I can acknowledge that also other labels do fantastic jobs. From those who care, I get wonderful feedback, and as long as it is fun, I will continue to do release the music I love.

What has been the label’s happiest accident?

Meeting all those wonderful supportive and passionate people, especially Steve Lippert and Dave Hewson via Jochen Lange, and Stefan Bornhorst. Also Martin Bowes (of Attrition fame) who is always there when I need him.

What’s the best thing you’ve heard this year?

The best thing was at the Vinyl-On-Demand festival. It was an overall unique experience. Musically, Esplendor Geométrico, :Zoviet*France:, Laibach and Zero Kama were just incredible to attend and to listen to, being actually there! And I’ve seen Clock DVA twice this year, their (electronic) musicianship is beyond words.
Otherwise, I’ve just heard Desolation Colony’s “The Impossibilty Of Haunting A Barren World“ and it blew me away. I do hope for a vinyl release on aufnahme + wiedergabe.

How do you fund your label?

Ha! On the financial side of things, in the very beginning, I was a poor student, I got a loan of 1.000€ from a riend! Since then, fortunately, the label was self-financing. And then, all you have to do is pouring your heart into it.

If money was no object to the label what would you do with it or are you happy with the trajectory thus far?

Money has never been the issue, fortunately, but time and energy now is! It’s always been a hobby, fortunately, but with age and other interests and obligations, it is getting harder.

What’s coming up?

I have some projects to still finish, e.g. Delayscape’s wonderful double album “Have A Safe Journey Home“. There are current projects in progress: a new Twins Natalia 12“EP featuring Kriistal Ann, then mostly early 80s based, like a 12“ re-issue of Persons Unknown “Addiction“ (UK, 1981), some re-issues like Poeme Electronique “The Echoes Fade“, and some bigger names envisioned and already being discussed. I can say that we will be active still in 2026, and then see what the overall situation will be.

Personally, I am also setting up my recording studio again and hope to record new demos soon, also for some collaborations.

Tell us about the mix you’ve put together for us and the way you’ve sequenced it?

Making the mix was actually quite fun, and interesting! I have left out the first years of Anna Logue Records on purpose as there is a double CD documentating those years. I then went kinda chronologically backwards, with two tracks from Anna Logue Records alternating with two tracks from Nadanna. I felt quite overwhelmed listening to all those fantastic tracks, and loved the challenge of trying to cross-fade them nicely (which is not so easy if it ain’t Techno or Ambient, haha!). We have released some great music over all those years, and I think the mix showcases this quite nicely. For me, it includes the perfect electronic pop song (Blipblop – Ögat som ser, ANNA 062), the song that I must listened to the most times ever (We The North – Graven, NADA 14), timeless classics (like League Of Nations – Fade, ANNA 040), and a performance from no one less than Tracy Howe (Rational Youth “Cold War Night Life“, 1982 – best electronic pop album ever) on Techniques Berlin’s “Cold War“. Also I have added two previews incl. a new track from Twins Natalia featuring Kriistal Ann called “I Died On Mars“, and the mix ends on a high note with “Zara In The Stars“. It is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve eve known. It was written by Leon Zhang from Quieter Than Spiders while in the process of putting together the “The Signs Of Life“ album (ANNA 057) when one of my dogs at the dog sanctuary, where I was living at the time, the lovely Zara, has just passed away. He wrote it for her and we included it on the album with a photo of Zara. I played the song just last week standing at the grave of another just deceased dog, who was the longest staying residents of the sanctuary. These are the precious moments, making some of the endeavours very meaningful.

Anything else we should have discussed?

Hmm, on a more personal level, I would only like to add that I believe in the saying “Good things happen to good people.“ I have been lucky to not have really made any enemies throughout my personal life and the 20 years of the label’s existence. On the contrary, I have established a lot of friendships. With my old school attitude of direct interaction with each customer, I can say that with many I have established a relationship where I can say, I do know someone in on this continent, in this country, in this town, who will be happy to meet me, offer me a place to sleep and show me around. That is another precious thing which is only thanks to running the record labels.

And, thank you for the interview!

Describe the label in:

Five words…
Passion – For – Analogue – Electronic – Music

annaloguerecords.bandcamp.com