So what was your connection with the Future Pilot guy?

Sushil Dade I've known for a while, he used to be in the Soup Dragons. And, you know, England is a small enough place that you would sort of bump into him. And he first contacted me three years ago and wanted to do a collaboration, and we did that. And that is, in fact, the track that ended up on the album, a three year old track! He just seemed to get more and more eccentric. It's funny, because he used to be in the Soup Dragons, they split up and now he is a professional driving instructor. And he teaches all the young Scottish musicians how to drive. So whether you are in Mogwai or some other band, it seems he's taught you to drive. I like him. He's a really nice bloke actually, he's really down to earth. And it looks like in the next twelve months we're actually going to do a tour together across the States, which will be nice.

So he had these various collaborations which you decided to stick together.

The original idea was an EP, this was like three years ago. And it just accelerated as he kept contacting people and contacting people. I actually thought it worked really well, the whole album. There is the band, National Park, who's work I really like. I was really pleased they did something together. And on each piece Sushil does something quite different. On some of them he's playing just bass, other times he doing drums, whatever, it is very different. It was all recorded on four track, which appealed to me as well.

I really liked the Two Lone Swordsmen track "The Gates To Film City."

Oh yeah, that's great. Really quite funky. Kind of filmic, melodramatic trip hop piece that works really well.

So what does Sushil normally play?

He normally plays bass or drums. He's one of those multi-instrumentalists who just seems to be able to pick up any instrument. Sickenly talented at times. But he's really nice, he's very funny, you know. And I always wanted to release a record by a driving instructor and here's my perfect opportunity.

And one who's into psychedelic music too.

Yeah, yeah absolutely.

How did he hook up with the legendary Kim Fowley for the "Night Flight To Memphis" track?

Well apparently Kim Fowley did a tour of Scotland and he was looking for people to back him. And Sushil played with him at a gig. Afterwards, Sushil, in his funny little way, said (in a high, Scottish voice) "oh, do you fancy doing a record with me?" And apparently Kim is a completely psychotic character, so it wasn't easy work. But they did it and it's all done and thankfully I wasn't part of that process, you know.

So the Future Pilot cd was a very brave record to start your label with. A double cd to begin with and one that has so many different focuses.

Yeah it's a difficult one in that sense. And at the same time I like it because it doesn't tell you anything about what the label might be. If I was to release my record as the first release that would be, to be honest, ego-centric. Nor do I want to release an electronica record in particular. For instance Terre Thaemlitz is doing a record for us. And if that came out as the first record I think people would be just perceiving it in the wrong way. I also think it's a bit good, especially for, the critics of the bigger magazines to get a bit confused. That's always helpful.

So did you have any connections with the people at Beggars that you made the deal with?

The woman in charge here, Lesley Bleakley, we met through a mutual friend, Robert Hampson from Main. And I've known Robert for like 18 years. So he's worked with Beggars for years and years, although not anymore. So it was just a natural connection in a sense. And they seemed interested in supporting it. And I've liked their history of working from a strong independent basis, which is still very important. It's not a major, major label. They have major distribution which is the important thing. And they have good people. It is a small enough network and they're really nice people. So bland as it may seem, it is important to work like that, as you can understand.

You've worked with a lot of small labels and you know the pitfalls, so how do you avoid some of the problems?

Ultimately I was getting frustrated because I never even got a copy of my own album with some labels. At least if I'm doing it myself the only person who is ripping me off is myself. The only person I can really complain about at the end of the day is myself, a lot of the time. So let's hope it will work out at the end of the day.

Tell me about the Michael Wells album.

Yeah I'm actually really pleased about that. It's under the name S.O.L.O.. We've known each other for years, and you've probably got an idea about all the Greater Than One stuff. And the Signs Ov Chaos work. This is something different. This is more in the line of the German scene in Cologne. Very stripped-down electronic music, but very listenable. Quite funky in its way, but never four-to-the-floor. Kind of suggestive rhythmic pieces. But a fantastic record, I'm really please with it.

And you've signed a Japanese group, Eureka!.

Oh yeah, Eureka! are basically the Japanese Combustible Edison sort of exotica band. But it's beautiful. Actually they are more like a pastiche of Astrid Gilberto and Stan Getz, it is far more in that kind of field. It's a sweet record, it's very innocent and naive in it's way. In fact I was introduced to them by Terre Thaemlitz. They heard I had produced the last Combustible Edison record and they said "oh we would love you to release our recordings." So it is going to be a six track release with two remixes on it by Terre Thaemlitz and one by myself. It is a fun record, really good natured. Very bright and very summery - it is pop music.

And you will be working with DJ Spooky?

Oh yeah, we've done this record that was originally an EP. I said to Paul let's do this EP - that was over two and a half years ago. Paul in his particular way, he's just crazy like this, decided to deliver a 75 minute album with the pieces I sent to him and his mixes and everything. Which is now being reduced to something like 60 minutes and I hope in the long run will end up at about 30 minutes or something. So what I'm going to do is actually, with a lot of the tracks, put them left and right - split them in strict stereo. So two tracks will be playing at the same time through most of the record. Kinda humorous.

What is the music like on that one?

Ah, there is going to be like maybe three or four really heavy breakbeat-y hip hop distorted beat pieces. And then just a whole sort of abstract textures, cut up. I'm actually really, really happy with it. It is much better than his Riddim Warfare record. Which is a record I can be honest about and say that I don't really like.

That was a pretty mainstream thing.

It was. He is just capable of so much more. I'm not sure how much it was the label speaking. I think that is partly the problem, you know.

Sure, that was a big focus release.

Yeah, so this is a much looser project. And Paul is a good mate, so let's hope it can all work out okay.

You are spelling Sulphur in a different way for the American market, was there already a label called that over here?

No, no, we've got the name legally under both spellings. We're actually just being playful. Unfortunately it is that English humour again. I thought it would be quite funny to spell it differently in America because people don't spell things correctly in America. Sort of a dig at their sloppy use of the English language and I quite like going along with that for the label. And also sometimes each release will be different for each country. I mean the packaging will be different in each country.