Profil Brian Holm Nielsen, KEK Society
Født: 24. februar, 1974. KEK Societys ’Benjamin’ (hvis man ser bort fra
Mime, Chris’ dalmatiner).
Fødested: Silkeborg
Da jeg i marts 2001
flyttede fra min elskede hjemby Silkeborg, til den danske hovedstad, var
det med henblik på at fortsætte mit virke i den danske musikbranche. Jeg
havde allerede lagt to jyske pladeselskaber ned, rent økonomisk, så jeg
ville se hvad København havde at byde på.
Jeg ankom som sagt
i marts måned, men først i slutningen af juni var der gevinst. Til min
første samtale på Storyville, mødte jeg for første gang mine nye
kollegaer, de nærmest legendariske ’Storyvillians’ Mona, Niels og Chris.
Chefen himself, Karl Emil Knudsen, var på forretningsrejse, som det lød
sig.
Ved mit andet møde
hos Storyville mødte jeg for første gang Knudsen. En noget forvirret
mand med pjusket hvidt hår og stort hvidt skæg kom ned af trappen (dette
var KEK), efterfulgt af endnu en mand med, om muligt, endnu mere pjusket
og større skæg, langt hår – alt sammen i hvidt (dette var Erik Witchen).
Jeg måtte jo til
mødet erkende at jeg ikke havde det mindste begreb om jazz. Men af en
eller anden grund fik jeg tildelt jobbet, og således befandt jeg mig
allerede dagen efter på mit nye kontor. Mine opgaver var at stå for
produktionen af vores CDer – dvs. alt fra at (være med til at) vælge
liner notes skribent, til at sende færdig master til fabrikken. Udover
det, skulle jeg også stå for promotion. Jeg præsterede endda at få lavet
den første Storyville Records hjemmeside overhovedet. Og det til trods
for at mine IT kundskaber, rakte sig til at sende mails, og surfe efter
alt hvad der havde med Formel 1 resultater, piger, øl og opskrifter på
grill bøffer at gøre.
Tiden gik, og jeg
gik med. I de første 3 måneder var jeg noget i tvivl om, om Storyville
var et sted for mig. Men lidt efter lidt kom jeg jo til at holde af
lokalerne på Dortheavej. Ikke specielt på grund af bygningerne, men
fordi indholdet af dem emmede af historie, nostalgi, hygge, og sin egen
form for forunderlig charme. Og så var der jo kollegaerne, som i
særdeleshed var værd at nævne. Mona – hård men retfærdig. Ligeså ivrig
som hun var for at sørge for at vi bestemt ikke manglede arbejde, ligeså
ivrig var hun til at hive en flaske vin på bordet og indkalde til hygge.
Chris – altid med søvndyssende new age musik kørende på sin computer
(jeg foretrækker Bach, Chris). Chris er en dygtig grafiker, og han var
den som altid åbnede vinflaske nr. 2 til vores hygge sessions. Niels,
den ’hårdtarbejdende’ lagerchef. Aldrig har jeg hørt så mange
røverhistorier på så kort tid. Men når det virkeligt gjaldt, kunne han
godt tage fra, både på lageret og til vinsmagningen.
Sidst men ikke
mindst, skal jeg ikke glemme Knudsen selv. Jeg tror ikke jeg opnåede den
tæthed som andre har haft til ham. Men jeg tror at jeg vandt hans tillid
ganske hurtigt. Vi havde drabelige diskussioner, men det var altid glemt
5 minutter efter. Én gang har jeg følt mig forpligtet til at give ham en
undskyldning, hvilket jeg også gjorde. Han sagde blot at vi havde været
uenige om en ting, og at diskussionen var endt et sted hvor den ikke
skulle. Det var også min fejl, sluttede han. For ham var hans passion
hans arbejde, og omvendt. Han kunne også være en hård chef til tider,
men jeg har også oplevet ham både give og modtage små sjove jokes – alt
sammen med et smil. Og så var det også en glæde at se og høre ham snakke
passioneret og med glød i øjet, om de ting han interesserede sig for og
som optog ham. Knudsen var også en hjælpsom person, når han kunne se at
folk havde brug for hjælp. Således blev jeg, i en boligløs situation,
tilbudt et værelse hos Knudsen privat, indtil jeg fandt andet at bo i.
Selvom jeg mener at
Storyville Records er et selskab som burde være placeret i en stor
herskabsvilla med bonede gulve, så ville min tid hos Storyville ikke
have været den samme hvis det var på de præmisser. Jeg kan af og til
godt savne de støvede lokaler med de små gange på Dortheavej, som gemte
på masser af overraskelser og guld for samlere og kendere. Storyville
Records er et af de mest velrespekterede og kendteste jazz
pladeselskaber i verden, og jeg er glad for og stolt over at have
arbejdet der, og arbejdet sammen med dets grundlægger, Karl Emil
Knudsen.
English version:
Born:24th of February, 1974. KEK Society’s ’Benjamin’ (if
you don’t count in Mime, Chris’ dog).
Place of birth: Silkeborg.
When I
in March 2001 left my native city of Silkeborg and moved to Copenhagen,
it was my intention to continue to work in the music industry. I had
been working at two different companies in Jutland (main part of
Denmark), and now I wanted to see what our beautiful capital had to
offer.
I
arrived in March, as said, but it wasn’t untill the end of June before I
had any luck. At my first interview at Storyville, I met my future
collegues for the first time. The almost legendary ’Storyvillians’,
Mona, Niels and Chris. The boss himself, Karl Emil Knudsen, was on a
business trip, I was told.
At my
second interview at Storyville I met Knudsen for the first time. A
slightly confused man with white hair and a big white beard came down
the stairs (this was Knudsen), followed by a man with, if possible, even
more white hair and bigger white beard (this was Erik Witchen).
At the interview, I had to
confess that I didn’t knew anything about jazz at all. But for some odd
reason, the job was mine, and already the day after, I found myself
sitting in my new office at Storyville. My job was to take care of the
productions of our CDs.
Everything from finding liner note writers, to ship master and
everything to the press plant.
I should furthermore do
promotion on our releases as well. I even managed to set up the first
Storyville Records web site ever. Pretty good for a guy whos only
knowledge about internet is to send e-mails, and surf for anything with
Formula 1 results, girls, beer and a recipe for how to barbecue steaks
the proper way.
Time
went on, and I went along. In the first 3 months of my time at
Storyville, I struggled to find out if Storyville was the right thing
for me. But after a while I really became fond of the premises at
Dortheavej in northern part of Copenhagen. Not because of the buildings
themselves, but because they contained an enchanting mixture of history,
nostalgia, cosiness, and its own strange form of charm. And then there
was the collegues which of course must be mentioned. Mona – always
tough, but fair. As much as she would like to make sure that we never
stood still, and that we had plenty to do, she was as much eager to take
out a bottle of wine and gather us together for a little cosy break.
Chris – always with some soporific new age music running on his computer
(I prefer Bach, Chris). Chris is a competent graphic designer, and he
was the one who always opened the second bottle of wine. Niels, the
’hard working’ stock chief. Never have I heard so many imaginative
stories at so short time. But when there was things to do, he could
really take his part – both on the stock, and in the kitchen at our wine
sessions.
Last
but not least, I must not forget Knudsen. I don’t think I obtained the
same close contact to him, as many others had. But I think I gained his
trust very quickly. We have had dramatic discussions, but it was always
forgotten after 5 minutes. I have one time felt obliged to give him my
apologies, which I also did. He just said that we didn’t agree in a
certain matter, and that the discussion had ended somewhere where it
shouldn’t. It was also my fault, he said. For him, his passion was his
work and vice versa. He could be a tough boss to work for, but I have
seen him give and take small jokes, always with a smile. And it was a
pleasure watching and hearing him talk passionately about the things
that had his interest. Knudsen was furthermore a very helpful person
when he could see that people needed help. For instance he offered me a
room in his private home, when I was in a homeless situation.
Eventhough I think that Storyville Records should have been placed in a
great old villa with polished floors, my time at Storyville wouldn’t
have been the same on those premises. From time to time I miss the dusty
offices and the tiny corridors on Dortheavej, full of surprises,
memories and gold for collectors. Storyville Records is one of the most
respected and well known jazz record labels in the world, and I am happy
and proud to have worked there, and together with its founder Karl Emil
Knudsen.
