Slowscan is Jan Van Toorn’s music label imprint, which was started in 1983 and is still active today. Over the years, Slowscan has released 61 music titles. Its catalog has managed to release some of the most significant audioworks from artists such as Henri Chopin, David Rosenboom, Robert Filliou, Joe Jones etc. Today Slowscan constitutes one of the most important archives, documenting a significant part of the flux anthology, Soundpoetry and Electronic Music of the mid 70s onwards. I had the opportunity to have a small talk with Jan Van Toorn and talk about his label’s story and his very important record collection.
Marios Moras: Back in 2010, I was preparing Philip Corner’s “Rocks Can Fall At Any Time” LP, on Moremars. It was at that time that I first discovered Slow Scan imprint, and of course, Philip Corner’s “Piano Work” LP was the first record that I listened from your label. Then I had the opportunity to dive into the most of the Slow Scan’s releases. You are running Slow Scan from 1983 to the present day. Going back in time, how did your involvement with the label begin, what was the main idea behind it.
Jan Van Toorn: The idea behind starting a music label in 1983, was to start something new, mainly with experimental / sound poetry and later with electronic music releases, with artists like Gordon Mumma and David Rosenboom. I initially wanted to create vinyl records, but I didn’t have so much money. Therefore, I did my first audiocassettes. The name of the record label came about as follows: “Slowscan” is a camera which can treat images and sound. I read this in a video art magazine and then Ι decided to call the label like this! At that time, I didn’t know any other labels, except S-Press in Germany. There was no internet connection at that time, so I couldn’t find any other similar labels, until I met Ulises Carrion who had an artist bookstore in Amsterdam. I bought many stuff from there, books and records.
After the release of Fluxus Anthology 30th Anniversary 1962-1992 Sound Events in 1993, there was a few years of silence. In 2000 I re-started the label, producing vinyl records. Philip Corner’s “Piano Work” LP, was the first one.
MM: In the first years of Slow Scan, you released a series of compilations (Slowscan Vol. 1 to Vol. 5 & “Mouthworks”), most of them was dealing with sound poetry & Sound Art. Why you had this preference on sound poetry? How were you able to get in touch with all these artists and collect all this sound material?
JVT: In 1978, I visited the International Soundpoetry festival in Amsterdam, where I met many artists in person for the first time. Therefore, I started building my network. Ken Friedman send me a big book with mostly all artists in the world, their addresses, phone numbers and faxes. All communications went through snail mail and if I wanted to have audio material from an artist, I simply wrote a letter and invited him to send me an audio tape or cassette.
MM: After a 6-year break, Slow Scan returned in 1993 with one of the most comprehensive Fluxus documents, the “Fluxus Anthology 30th Anniversary 1962-1992 Sound Events”. How did you manage to gather all this sound material?
JVT: The Fluxus anthology from 1993 was a difficult task and there was a lot of work to be done. For this project I invited artists from all around the world, so It took me a while to gather all the material. The sound material arrived from different countries, like Japan, USA etc., all by mail. The wooden boxes that I used for this release where made by a cigar factory, by the way. With this release Soundpoetry / Electronics / Music are all-in one actually…
MM: What was Fluxus for you and what is Fluxus for you today?
JVT: I didn’t know Fluxus at first. My main goal was to release mostly Electronic music (Rosenboom, Mumma Collins) on tape format and later music by Henri Chopin and others. Later I met many Fluxus artists on festivals and concerts and I started building my network. Until late 80s I had found various artists, that was involved with Fluxus. Fluxus now is a group of friends, which I have met in the past and will be also in future … the core of Fluxus people have already died.
MM: In my opinion, two of the most important full album that you released through Slow Scan are Henri Chopin’s “OH audiopoems” and Henning Christiansen’s “Symphony Natura”. Looking back, what is your favourite or some of the most important Slow Scan’s releases until now and why?
JVT: I’m happy with all the publications that I have made so far. I am a bit more proud that I was able to persuade Les levine and Dennis Oppenheim to make a record with me. I think it’s more important to publish audioworks by artists who has not been published before, like John Perreault and Liam O’Gallagher, rather than bringing out re-issues, like the LP Vol. 53. I’m very happy with the selection of artists, that are included to Slowsan’s catalog, like Allan Kaprow, Dennis Oppenheim, Herman De Vries etc
MM: It’s already in your hands a very important archive of Sound Art music publications, brochures and other documents, which are not only very rare and hard to find, but also have an important historical value, documenting a large part of the sound art history from the 70s onwards. What is for you “Collecting music” or what is a “music collection” for you. Do you continue to collect music publications by new artists? There are any thoughts on how you might make use of this collection?
JVT: I builded a music archive from deceased people. It was important for me to have all material complete, with letters, scores etc. Today, I’m not collecting music by new artists, of-course only the most vital/important ones. I ‘m collecting only historical material now, like scores, tapes and “ephemera” like invitations. The re-press culture that exists today it is not interesting me at all. It’s better to make new records with historic material like I did with the Richard Maxfield records.
Yesterday, my new project “Poesia Sonora dagli archivi di Arrigo Lora – Totino” (Vol.61), a 2LP compilation with sound artists like, Arrigo Lora – Totino, Jackson Man Low, Eugenio Miccini etc., came out these days. Only 57 copies were pressed, out of 200, before the record pressing plan corporation went bankrupt … I lost a lot of money, and I doubt there will be new record out by me..
As I am approaching death, becoming 72 in a few months. I’d rather sell my collection to a museum or to a collector.