Clone Records is heading out on a European tour to mark its 25th anniversary.
Started in 1992, Clone is a Rotterdam institution encompassing a record shop with a distribution wing and a web of record labels and sub-labels. The Return Of The Future tour starts with a hometown gig on February 24th at BAR in Rotterdam, before finishing up on April 22nd at Oval Space in London, with stops along the way including Sub Club, Panorama Bar, Le Sucre, FUSE and Shelter.
Clone founder Serge Verschuur will be play all of the 18 gigs, and he'll be joined by a rotating cast of Clone affiliates including Legowelt, Alden Tyrell, Space Dimension Controller and Gerd.
We caught up with Verschuur via email to discuss Clone's anniversary year.What's it like running a shop, label and distribution entity in 2017?
I'm the biggest customer. I'm not really running it, the guys handle it for me mainly. My focus is on the label and some work behind the scenes.
How important is the physical Clone shop to your operation now?
As important as it ever was. So not much difference between now and before.
What are you most excited about this year, musically?
We're starting the year with a 20-year anniversary release by Detroit's Le Car, followed by Aleksi Perala's Colundi Sequence Vol. 2 album and a new album by Conforce's Versalife project. There is a new release coming on the Clone Aqualung series which is very exciting. Alden Tyrell will release a special project of four 12-inches on the Clone Basement Series. Joe Lewis and Jovonn will have new releases on Clone Classic Cuts, Legowelt will be back on Clone Jack For Daze. Of course there are new releases on Clone Royal Oak and the Clone Basement Series, all scheduled for the first half of the year. We will do some classic Clone reissues spread over the year of old titles from the catalogue that have been out of print for years, and in the second quarter of the year we will start a super exciting project which we will inform you about ASAP!