Profound Lore needs no introduction. The label has grown from hobby to full-time job to dominant label in the metal world. Never making a misstep is the one and only Chris Bruni, the humanity behind the label. He’s the one tirelessly searching out bands and providing a foundation on which bands such as Evoken, Altar of Plagues, Pallbearer, Agalloch, Bosse-De-Nage, Lord Mantis, Yakuza, Prurient, Chthe’ilist and so many more have built their careers. So, today, for one of the more exciting and revealing profiles in our profile series we speak with Chris Bruni about his foundations in the music industry and his plans for the future.
How did you first get into being so involved in the music industry and have you achieved all your wildest dreams that you set out to achieve? How meteoric was your rise to the top?
Way back in the day I used to write for several zines and magazines in which after years of doing it I ended up getting really bored of it, was actually not that inspired to do it anymore at least three years before I actually quit doing it. But through that I got to make a decent amount of connections in the scene (bands and labels) and I (along with my former label partner) used this as a platform to start the label. I dunno though if I have yet achieved my wildest dreams (not even close in this aspect when it comes to non-label related stuff) but I have achieved many goals and gotten the label to a place where I think I’m comfortable at, to the point where I’m not forcing myself too much to try and take the label to take its next step and just letting whatever come naturally take the course of where the label will head. But ultimately there are other goals that would be cool to achieve with the label that I think about. Like breaking into Europe a bit more I guess is what usually comes to mind on occasion and get that territory to care more. How realistic they are I dunno, that remains to be seen I guess. As for my rise to the top, I wouldn’t say it was meteoric but more like me pushing a monolithic boulder with my hands, somewhat uphill (but not too steep of a hill). Sometimes I use my back to push this boulder too. I guess that’s why it’s always sore.
What’s the most you have ever debased yourself to get a site to review or interview a band on your label that you really cared about? If you feel that you have never debased yourself, I imagine there was a time when Profound Lore was a part time gig and you were struggling to get places to review your stuff. Now you’re in the reverse position where people are banging down your doors for promos and interviews. How has adjusting to that change been?
You should see what I would go through just to get a Best New Music on Pitchfork. But of course in the beginning when I started to actually do new releases for bands and when I had to pimp them out I was more proactive to get media outlets to notice and it was a trial to do so. Especially for example when I released Cobalt’s “Eater Of Birds” album in 2007, I did my all to make sure reviewers (this at a time when there weren’t that many blogs as we have now) heard this album and were aware of this band (since their previous label who released their “War Metal” debut didn’t do much for them, but then again “Eater Of Birds” was an enormous step up for Cobalt from their debut). Even when I released Portal’s debut album “Seepia” (which was technically a re-issue since the original pressing was done via an Australian label in a very limited run) way back in the day, I went all out to make sure people were aware of this really strange and unique death metal band. It was a bit of a struggle because it was a lot of work (more than I anticipated admittedly) to get people to actually give a shit about Portal or even just take notice.
So yeah, it’s easier with the more established and hyped bands but with the lesser known lesser hyped bands, it’s still hard honestly to get reviewers or whoever to care and just be aware of whoever. I don’t think this will ever change, no matter the reputation the label has nowadays, with these kinds of lesser-known releases. Which is too bad sometimes because these are the releases that become the real underrated gems.
You have a pretty stellar reputation for putting out a carefully and intentionally limited selection of phenomenal music. What’s your selection process for discovering and signing bands?
I just gotta resonate with it honestly, and that in itself has several factors and layers that have to connect with me; a culmination of things to connect with that aesthetic. It is selective of course, I do want to become more discriminative every year as well too more and more. But at the same time, I’m lucky to know and be friends with a decent amount of really talented musicians and sometimes working with friends (who are or have been kinda established in a way) on a new projects of theirs is fun too. So there’s that aspect as well as wanting to work with musicians I currently admire today as well too that I haven’t yet.
How important are issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you and do you in any way insert those issues into your work? How do you feel about the semi-recent turn in the metal scene towards a larger and more pronounced social consciousness? Do you feel any of that turn has affected who or what you’re willing to sign and put out there?
Of course I have some personal views on stuff like this that I usually tend to keep to myself but I try to avoid releasing bands and albums that have social awareness lyrics or socially conscious or political themes or messages in their work (of course Dälek being an exception). For example there is definitely no room for this in death metal because if a so-called death metal band has society or socially conscious lyrics or whatever that band shouldn’t be considered death metal at all! That goes for black metal as well too of course. But at the same time there are some releases I’ve put out that use these kind of social-awareness themes as an undercurrent in their lyrics, as a metaphor which is OK of course to a certain extent and as long as it remains provoking and done in a classy aesthetically pleasing way where it still becomes a kind of escape.
But again, it all depends on the release and band. As mentioned above I’m going to be working with Dälek and releasing their new album “Asphalt For Eden” this spring and a lot of their lyrics and themes have always been very socially conscious/aware and I expect that with them since they play a really artistic style of urban experimental hip hop. So that’s what I would want and expect from them because that’s what they’ve always portrayed with their lyrics and themes and I can relate with it via the label’s aesthetic.
What, or who, got you into metal and how old were you?
It was a pretty young age, like around eight years old or around there. I was usually around older people into music, more notably older cousins who were into stuff like Rush, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Scorpions etc. So I would get exposed to stuff like this (and even cool pop music like Duran Duran, Michael Jackson etc.) and we had the music video channel where I would always watch the metal program as a kid where I would get exposed to videos like “Bark At The Moon”, “Number Of The Beast”, “Too Young To Fall In Love”, “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, “Love Machine” etc. Those videos made a huge impression on me and would be my gateway into discovering metal.
What’s the stickiest you have ever been?
The last time I got a Brazilian wax.
What advice do you have for aspiring music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a label owner?
I guess it would be best to try and create your own voice, character, and identity. Think outside of the box and don’t reiterate what’s written on a one-sheet or press release and don’t lazily re-hash what other music critics write. Be original, provoking, and entertaining. And you can see when an aspiring music critic is actually enthusiastic and genuine about something when you come across their work and that they have a really decent general knowledge of pretty much the history of music. That they don’t hold a certain bias too much, that they tackle things objectively, don’t come across as too pretentious, keep their ego in check, and most importantly make sure that facts and statements can be backed up with whatever gets spewed out on paper, or more or less on a computer screen.
I know that you actually left your day job to run Profound Lore full time? Any hobbies you’d like to share with us? Being Canadian maybe you like Hockey and have a certain favorite team you want to rant about? (We at Nine Circles certainly do.)
Yeah, the label is the only thing I do work-wise and if I worked another job or a side-job or whatever aside from the label, I’d be lucky if I lasted a week. At this stage I don’t think I would even know how to build a proper resumé or even know the process on how to apply for an actual job! As for stuff like hobby’s I play tennis and do tennis training pretty regularly. That’s my sport when it comes to actually playing any kind of sports. I also try to go skiing a couple times a year when I can. But I’m not as much into hockey these days admittedly (I watch basketball more) but I try to keep up and see what The Oilers are up to and wonder when they will actually make the playoffs again.
(Editorial Note: Although we here at Nine Cirlces hope that Chris will be able to see the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs we don’t expect it any time soon.)
Finally, what are some of your favorite albums of 2015 (feel free to include non-metal)?
Here are my top albums of 2015. No Profound Lore releases allowed. Only four metal albums on it!
- HELM – Olympic Mess
- OBSEQUIAE – Aria Of Vernal Tombs
- HOLLY HERNDON – Platform
- AKITSA – Grands Tyrans
- MACABRE OMEN – Gods Of War, At War
- KENDRICK LAMAR – To Pimp A Butterfly
- FUTURE – DS2
- JULIA HOLTER – Have You In My Wilderness
- ARCA – Mutant
- BLOOD INCANTATION – Interdimensional Extinction
- LOW – Ones and Sixes
- ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER – Garden Of Delete
- BLANCK MASS – Dumb Flesh
—
Thanks so much to Chris Bruni for his time and Long Live Profound Lore!
Nine Circles 