Out There

Cat Power’s

Dear Sir

Terry Reid’s

River

Cluster & Eno

Judee Sill

Ruthann Friedman’s

Constant Companion

Lucio Battisti’s

Amore E Non Amore

Everybody likes to jaw on and on about indie rock and indie labels and indie magazines and indie rap (that’s the worst indie), but what about indie distros? There are tons of them and they never get anybody saying, “Hey, I really like you guys. You guys are OK.” So, for the Russian Issue of

Vice

, we talked to an indie distro. I had some whole rationale worked up about a good distro being like a communist ideal but then I realized that was hugely wrong.

Anyway, this is one I particularly like. It’s called Runt and it serves up lots of amazing weird stuff.

Runt is headed by an Italian guy named Filippo.

Vice: Why did you want to start a distro?

Filippo:

Actually I just wanted to run a label; find and sign new bands and stuff. That was the plan when I came to the States. I discovered pretty quickly that finding great bands like Drag City or Matador do is not easy, so I found myself doing distribution for some European labels. It’s much easier, really.

What sort of music fan does your distro serve?

I love places like Other Music in NY or the Amoeba stores in California, so in a way I like to think we have titles that interest the people who shop in those places.

Nerds, you mean. That’s cool. Why is your distro called Runt?

I’m a fan of early Todd Rundgren albums. I almost went for Something/Anything? but I guess that would have been too much. Runt sounds better anyway.

What was the first thing you put out?

Cat Power’s debut,

Dear Sir

. I put that out in 1995 when I was still living in Italy.

What’s your favorite thing that you’ve worked on?

Terry Reid’s album

River

for sure. I’m really happy about that one.

You run the record label Water, too.

Yeah. I decided to get the rights for some small titles owned by majors (and not-majors). I started four years ago and I’ve ended up releasing some good things: Judee Sill, the Watts Prophets, John Simon, Cluster and Eno, Baby Huey, John Fahey, Eddie Gale. And then soon I’m putting out some stuff from Allen Ginsberg, Sandy Bull, Lucio Battisti, and Shel Silverstein.

Not bad, not bad.

JUNE SPRIG

See more at runtdistribution.com.