Michael Kaufmann, an experimental artist, mirrors that free-form aesthetic naturally as A&R of Asthmatic Kitty. Asthmatic Kitty is probably best known as the home for singer/songwriter and label co-founder Sufjan Stevens, a record label that broods over a diverse array of artists spanning a wide array of tastes and Kaufmann gets to sign them.
Kaufmann was raised in Escondido, California, a suburb of San Diego that he says was pretty disconnected from art and music. It wasn’t until his Sunday school teacher from Truman’s Water, an early 90’s band opened his eyes to the endless possibilities in music. The band opened for experimental rock heavyweights such as Sonic Youth and the Boredoms. It was these shows that pushed Kaufmann to find the musical tastes he craved. After a semester in college Kaufmann went to live with his parents in New York City: “I would just go through the Village Voice and look for the weirdest things I could find and go to them.” That led to occasions at the Knitting Factory where he witnessed the “weird, free improv jazz” of Charles Gale or the avant-garde experiments of John Zorn.
Kaufmann is a rare breed in the music world. He is empathetic, seeing the artist through the eyes of an artist and extrapolating camaraderie in the process. “I think one thing we have done very strategically is investing in artists’ careers as opposed to just albums. And what’s more important than selling records is fostering and developing an artist both creatively and emotionally.” The trust that he has built with the musicians on Asthmatic Kitty is admirable and unique. Kaufmann treats each act as a long-term relationship. He understands the ever-evolving mind of a musician. “What I’m more interested in is what this artist’s fifth album going to sound like…" Loyalty takes center stage and builds on the community aspect thriving at Asthmatic Kitty.
“I think if there was a perfect album, that would leave a lot of other albums out,” says Kaufmann, who straddles the line of romanticism when attempting to define what he loves in a good record. He describes it as a connection to form and tradition with an awareness of rhythm and melody. He goes on to elaborate on the perfect album say that, “something new, unique and personal appears when a genre is explored, turned inside out and individualized by the artist.”
Kaufmann took his own advice when choosing albums for Panel this week. Serengeti and Polyphonics’ “Terradactyl”, which according to Kaufmann illustrates that the boundaries of the experimental hip-hop have only begun to be mapped. While his other pick, These are Powers’ “All Aboard Future” manages to walk the fine line between pop and not pop.
Michael Kaufmann, an experimental artist behind Indie label Asthmatic Kitty as A&R. Try convincing him to listen to your record more than once..
