Finally, after and endless back and forth and a big turn of events, here is our interview with Heinzel of Krimskramz. We talked about his new label, the end of Shivery Productions and why he left 52 Hertz.

Hello Heinzel. For those who don’t know you; could you please introduce yourself at first?

Heinzel:This is a tough question directly, as I feel quite uncomfortable saying “I'm doing this and that”, because it always sounds like you're preening yourself with something. But obviously here it makes sense to simply say what I’m doing...:

Right now I'm working as a bike-mailman [Note from the Editor: a super cute one with a super cute hat] here in Würzburg. Besides co-running Shivery Productions with my friends Daria and Pascal, I was playing in a band called 52 Hertz with my friends Gregor and Mike. At the end of last year I decided to additionally start krimskramz! :)

Currently is also another turning point in my life, because we're quitting Shivery and I'm moving to Barcelona at the beginning of October to live there for a year or even longer. This also made it unavoidable to quit playing in 52 Hertz...

That’s kinda sad, man. I hardly can imagine 52 Hertz without you.

Heinzel: You're too kind... It was a really, really tough decision and I will miss spending time, traveling and playing shows with Gregor and Mike. But most arguments speak for leaving this place and moving on.

Well, this is very pop punk of you. Anyway, we’re really excited for you and we wish you all the best for your time in Barcelona. On to the next question: You just mentioned your new label called Krimskramz. Was the fact that Shivery will be history soon a motive to do something new?

Heinzel:The feelings about the necessity of having to leave Würzburg (at least for a while) got stronger in the end of last year. We decided to quit Shivery since Daria and Pascal are also willing to leave the city. It was the logical conclusion to start something new.

This step is and will be quite hard and I will obviously miss them and everyone else, but sometimes changes are indispensable and will most likely be for the best anyway. Also in times where you can fly that cheap it will be bearable :)

Besides the ending of an old project, it's always easier to release stuff you completely stand behind if you do it by yourself, since there are no compromises necessary. Not that compromises are a bad thing, but it makes things easier...

That leads me to my next question. You already announced six releases on krimskramz. How did the first collaboration with Osoluna take place?

Heinzel:OsoLuna reached out to Shivery if we would like to release their debut LP. I was directly completely into it and wanted to release it, so this was a good occasion to start krimskramz, since the others weren't that much into them. I also can't wait to finally meet them in person later this year or early next year in Spain. :)

Regardless of your new label, you are also organizing shows, as well as running a distro. What’s your personal motivation for this dedication?

Heinzel:Actually we started booking shows and after a while the idea of starting the label came up. We also launched the distro by buying records from the bands who played here.

The motivation to put on shows was simply due to the fact that there was not enough going on here for my taste. Obviously there are great promoters located in Würzburg who put on shows too, but we felt like it is not enough and wanted to contribute to it. First of all we wanted to see some bands ourselves and after a while meeting new people from all over the world and building up friendships became an even bigger motivation to keep this up and to help out friends!

To be honest, the distro was also an attempt to make some money. Not in order to earn anything, but to re-finance the losses of the shows, since Würzburg is quite small and we often had to add money out of our own pockets for the band’s petrol and rental expenses.

With stocking up the distro and my personal collection I became more and more addicted to records. Which lead to a vicious cycle.

Will you continue those activities during your time in Spain or are you planning to do a hiatus or something?

Heinzel:You mean related to Krimskramz?

Yes.

Heinzel: Krimskramz will move to Barcelona with me and it will hopefully be possible to put on shows there, too. Then we will see what the future will bring. The Label and me will either stay there, come back or move somewhere else one day...

Ok, let’s bring this to an end, last question: Any bands, labels or other projects you’d like to recommend?

Heinzel:“Let's bring this to and end” sounds like you're sick of me. But I actually understand it, since so much time has passed since you first asked me about doing this inverview...[Note from the Editor: 7 Month]

Anyway after Shivery was over, Pascal started a new record label as well! It's called Tadzio Records and for now he has released records of Nevasca and Contwig. Obviously I'm recommending all the bands I’ve (co-)released records from. And I don't have to recommend a certain really cool blog called “Form und Leere” since you're already reading these lines.

Aww. Cute as always! Thanks for the interview, good luck and lots of fun in Barcelona! We will miss you!

Heinzel:But we will see each other anyway!

+ Krimskramz

+ Shivery

+ 52 Hertz

+ Tadzio Records