A beginning without a grand plan

Talheim Records did not begin in 2008 with a finished business plan. I was 17 years old, still at school and deeply involved with black metal and the underground scene. Through the music I came into contact with more projects and with the people behind them. Many of those musicians were looking for a way to release their recordings for the first time or to find a new home for future work. The thought of starting a label grew out of those conversations.

It was not only the music itself that interested me. I also wanted to understand how recordings became a finished physical release and what allowed music to be noticed beyond the musicians’ immediate circle. Giving underground musicians further opportunities to release their work remained the original motivation.

There was no expectation of how large Talheim Records might become. International contacts, a growing catalogue and different forms of production were not mapped out in advance. One contact led to a release, and that release led to another contact. New tasks created new experience. This gradual development still shapes the label.

A name connected to Vienna

I wanted the name to carry a connection to Austria and especially to Vienna. The suggestion “Talheim Records” came from Akanoth, the musician behind Obskene Sonare. As I remember it, his suggestion drew on the Viennese legend of the “Wild Man of Währing”, which became the inspiration for the name.

Akanoth also designed the first logo. The name and the label’s first visual identity did not emerge from an agency or a prepared branding strategy, but from a personal connection within the underground scene. That is characteristic of the early years: much of what existed began in an exchange between people who cared about the same music and contributed their own abilities.

The first steps while still at school

In 2008 I was still at school and my financial means were limited. I saved for further releases and deliberately reduced personal spending so that as much as possible could be set aside for upcoming productions. A large part of the available money therefore went back into the next project.

The budget determined what was realistic at a particular moment. Small editions could be expensive per copy, especially when individual stages were commissioned from a production company rather than completed personally. At the same time, I did not want to wait indefinitely for ideal conditions. Each project therefore needed a form that could be achieved with the means actually available.

That is how room to act developed: slowly. Money was saved, experience accumulated, and every completed production made it easier to judge which decision genuinely mattered. Later production options and quality standards were not present from the beginning. They had to be learned and financed step by step.

Tapes, CD-Rs and the first pressed CDs

The earliest releases were closely connected to tapes and CD-Rs. I burned some of the CD-Rs myself and used a dedicated disc printer for their surfaces. Booklets and other printed materials also had to be prepared, cut and assembled with the means available. The work took time, but it provided a direct understanding of how many small steps stand between finished audio files and a physical product.

There were also individual early productions for which CD-Rs were made by external companies. Technically and economically, that differed from discs burned at home. For small runs, sometimes only one hundred copies, the unit cost could be high when an external producer was expected to deliver a particular manufacturing standard. This was not one long, uniform production phase, but a series of different solutions for different projects.

In 2011 the first industrially pressed CDs in traditional jewel cases marked another step. A replicated CD is manufactured differently from a recordable CD-R, and the data preparation, minimum quantities, coordination and production sequence differ as well. Experience from the earlier productions, the money I had saved and the knowledge gained along the way made this step possible and expanded the creative and production options available.

Doing much of the work and learning along the way

For many years I handled a substantial part of the graphic work myself. Early layouts were created in tools including GIMP. Covers, booklets and other printed pieces could take several days because I had to test, research and repeat each step. Gradually I learned what mattered when preparing print files, formats and a manufacturer’s specifications.

I later taught myself Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and other Creative Suite tools. Every production made the relationship between design and manufacturing clearer and showed me what information printers and pressing plants needed. This knowledge did not arrive all at once; it grew through practical work, research and feedback from production companies.

Especially in the early years and until around 2018, I handled a large part of the graphic design and production preparation myself. Depending on the product, records and merchandise were made by external manufacturers. As the label continued to develop, my own tasks and the way I worked with those production companies evolved as well.

More than physical music formats

Merchandise introduced another range of questions. A design that works in a booklet behaves differently on fabric. Over the years I studied screen printing, direct-to-garment printing (DTG), direct-to-film transfer printing (DTF) and discharge printing. Research, samples and conversations with production companies taught me how the processes differed and what mattered for a particular design, material, colour range and edition size.

I also had to learn the differences between types of patches. Embroidered versions often appear more dimensional because of their thread structure, while woven patches can reproduce fine details and small lettering more precisely. Over time I learned to consider material, border finishing, colour, durability and the design together when choosing the right approach for a product.

Every new product type also brought contact with different manufacturers. Experience made quotations and samples easier to assess. I paid increasing attention to the available materials, the reproduction of fine details and what could realistically be achieved within the budget. Decisions for each product consequently became more deliberate.

A standard that grew with the label

Over the years this developed into a personal standard: as far as possible, I did not want to sell anything that I would not be happy to wear or own myself. Knowledge, funds and technical options were limited at the beginning. With each production I became better able to recognise which materials, workmanship and preparation matched that standard.

Practical experience and financial means developed together. Every production added knowledge; saving money, doing the work and gradually developing the label created more financial room to act. This allowed the quality standard to be realised more fully over time through better-suited materials, deliberately selected processes and more precise production decisions. The relationship between design, purpose, preparation, manufacturer and careful checking remained decisive.

That standard continues to evolve. I still look closely at every production, learn from deviations and plan products in a way that serves the music and its visual identity. Care remains an ongoing responsibility.

A development that emerged over time

Talheim Records did not grow according to a predetermined roadmap. People brought new music, questions and possibilities. Some contacts led to releases, others to knowledge, cooperation or further connections. The musical scope also widened beyond the original black-metal focus because specific projects and relationships opened new paths.

In retrospect, a development can be traced, although it was rarely possible to plan it in full at any particular stage. What mattered were personal contacts and a willingness to take the next task seriously with limited means, learning the necessary skills through practical work. The first tapes and CD-Rs were followed by pressed CDs, other formats and merchandise; individual contacts became a network.

In the first part of Inside Talheim Records, I described what should become visible behind a release and a label. This second part explains where that work came from. The next article, “A Label in Transition”, will continue the story by looking at how structures, cooperation and the label’s understanding of itself changed over the years.

It began with enthusiasm for black metal and the wish to give underground musicians further opportunities to release their work. What Talheim Records later became had not been planned in 2008. There was music, there were people, and there was a decision to begin with what was available.