Frequentlyasked questions
Q: That's a really longname for a record label. What does it all mean?
A: "Belsona" is Esperanto for beautifulsound, I flipped to it at random while looking at some dictionariesin a Japanese bookstore. "Strategic" is pretty straightforward- theseare records with a specific purpose to them beyond entertainment. "Schallplatten",German for records. Some people might criticize this last word as beinga little archaic, but think about it...do YOU ever say "I'm going to theCD shop?" Even music retailers which have long since stopped carryingvinyl refer to themselves as 'record stores', so this is par for thecourse I think.
Q: Okay, I get it. Whois responsible for this label?
A: Just one person, Thomas Bey WilliamBailey going by a number of aliases: Thom Kurotenshi, Thom Transparentor Taurus Alias for starters.
Q: If it's only one personwhy are there all these references to "we" littered on the website?
A: Because, while this is an independentoperation and all stages of creative control are overseen by Thom (me),there are countless people assisting in some small way, whether it becooking me lunch or translating something into English.
Q: Who are 'The DomesticFront', and what kind of music do they play?
A: The Domestic Front is solelyThom's project, although other musicians have been involved from timeto time. Recent contributions have been made by Oakland sound artistNorm Long and Osaka magus Jet Vel. The Domestic Front specializes inelectronic music of a consciousness-altering, disorienting nature. Youmay notice the use and abuse of granular synthesis, found sound, streetrecordings, piercing electronic tones, unorthodox rhythms etc. in themix.
Q: I'd like to know aboutthe meaning of THAT name, too. It sounds fascist or something...
A: Guess again. The band is probablymore interested in snail mucus than in politics. In short, this wordcombination has to do with the ideas of security and paranoia...one musthave a domestic space, which they grow increasingly defensive of, makingit into a more combative 'front'. But in the internet age, domesticityor, more specifically, privacy is called into question as a rebelliousact. I'm interested in this being highly private as an act of rebellion,since seemingly all the external forms of rebellion (see body modification,fetish fashion etc.) have been made into commodities somehow.
This moniker is also a little ironic,in that I've lived in some 22 homes in 26 years! I'm much more of a'nomadic' person than a 'domestic' one; I can't stand xenophobia andmyopia.
Q: Having said that, doesthe Domestic Front have any special agenda?
A: No more or less than any otherexperimental band you could care to name. If there are any recurringthemes in the Domestic Front repertoire, they are: frustration with(and alternatives to) verbal communication, post-human technology, dreamsand sleep disturbance, new ways to body-mind separation...and...merely havingfun with the sum total absurdity of our surroundings. There will besome select writings on these subjects available on the website soon.
Q: Do you endorse any products?
A: Any product (or service) beingsold by someone on the links page might do you some good.
Hmmm...wha... else...My ...eet have beenadorned by "Whoop-De-Do" shoes over the last couple years, and "Bravo"multivitamin drinks have held me back from the brink of death once.Other than that I will buy pretty much any product that translates intoEnglish badly, like the "Weirdo" deodorant which I found in Vienna.
Q: How long have the DomesticFront been performing and recording?
A: on and off, since about 2000,although material on CD only began appearing in 2002. Performances beganin Osaka, 2001.
Q: What about the pre-historyof the Domestic Front?
A: I've been involved with undergroundmusic in some capacity since 1993, when I began working as a sort offield representative for Chicago's Invisible Records. I spent a lotof time in high school detention rooms composing record reviews, lettersto bands and things of that nature. Upon moving to Chicago in 1996,I began working with some people within the 'no wave' scene, namelya surrealist cabaret noise act by the name of Zeek Sheck (hi Rose!).I performed as a synth player and these shows always met with a varietyof unexpected reactions.
The Domestic Front was foundedin earnest when I moved to Japan in October 2000, initially not havingany connections in that country but still desiring to make music. Howeverthe constraint of working by myself has turned out to give me more freedomthan I ever imagined- I've recorded over 4 cds worth of m'terial injust a short time, considering there have also been multiple day jobsto tend to.
Q: Day jobs, huh? Thisshould be good...com... on, tell me all the embarrassing stuff......
A: Pretty mundane actually. Haveworked as a record store clerk, receptionist at the Chicago Museum ofContemporary Art, English teacher, translator of technical documents....co...ldbe worse.
At least most of these jobs provideyou with a free source of photocopying, computers and other things whichcan be re-routed toward the uses of a record label!
I have also written for TheWire magazine and a few others on theside. Some examples of music journalism and cultural criticism willbe up on this site in a separate 'writings' section soon.
': I can't wait. So you're involved 'in other c'eative enterprises besides music?
A: Whenever possible. I try notto be a 'specialist' in any one area, and I encourage'all people totake up the banner of 'art' to try EVERYTHING. Continue to b'ur thedefinitions of art; keep in mind that the old Sanskrit word 'art' simplymeans "to'make". In other words, MAKE things and do not be completelypassive if you can help it.
My first love as a child was comics,and these days I'm especially interested in the al'ernative comics sceneswithin Europe and Japan (it's a goal of mine to eventually be'publishedin one of these Japanese comics weeklies.) I find it to be a prettyvalid and soulful form of expression, and one which is continuing togrow.
I also write fiction- I am workingon a full-length novel and possibly translating one other into Japanesebefore the year is out.
Q: Sounds like you haveyour hands full. By the way, who are some of your influences?
A: Check the links page. It's noteven close to a 'omplete list, and is skewed in favor of musicians,but it is a good starting point. My influences generally have the commontraits of being unpretentious, following instinct rather than fashion,being able to make me laugh and shiver simultaneously...you...know the type.
Q: What about people whoAREN'T your influences?
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A: That's easy enough. People who' have mastered a form but have no ideas of their own to add to it. peoplewho get involved with underground culture for the sole purpose of 'droppingnames' at parties. People who are exces'ively paranoid or have an unfoundedhigh opinion of themselves.
Q: Why did you decide tomove to Japan?
A: I graduated from college in summerof 2000, after which I decided to not take my chances with a bad jobmarket in the U.S. Plus, I had been fascinated with Japan since my earlychildhood- even the negative aspects were entertaining to me for thefirst few months of my stay. I still find it a place of incredible psychologicalcomplexity and some definite flashes of brilliance. I look forward tomore collaborations with Japanese artists in the future.
Q: Collaborations? Whydidn't you mention that earlier? Who d'd you work with?
A: I was sort of a noisemaker-for-hirewithin the Osaka independent scene, I have performed one-off shows withbands like Helicoid 0.222MB, Empty Orchestra, Subtoxin 7- a varietyof different genres from urban freakout jazz to lazy psychedelia. Theremay be some live recordings out there on which I'm credited but don'th've a clue about! S' if you see one, please contact me...
Q: Sure, I'll do that.What about'leaving Japan? I mean, if you liked it so much, why did you......
A: There are a lot of factors atwork here. Despite great successes in the areas of making friends andmusic, I was having severe problems with sleeping, appetite loss andgeneral stress- I returned home to the U.S. while on vacation last yearand made the painful decision to move on from Japan, at least for ayear or so, to see if my health would improve. It did, and I am nowlocated in Prague.
Q: I hear that's a nicecity.
A: Especially when it's not touristseason. 'here should be some interesting changes made within the musicscene here in the next couple of years- the monopoly of tobacco company-sponsoreddance events is slowly loosening and giving way to other things.