Paula: When was Alula founded, by whom, and for what purpose?
Sarah: Alula Records was founded by Angel Romero and Akira Satake. Angel Romero, originally from Spain, had previously worked for various labels (Ellipsis Arts, Music of the World, Legato, etc.) as producer, project manager and writer, and had also worked as television producer for a weekly music show on a European network. Akira Satake is a musician and had done a lot of production work for various American and Japanese companies previous to founding Alula Records with Romero. The purpose was to start a contemporary world music label featuring outstanding artists, high quality recordings and very attractive packaging and cover designs, many for which we have won Indie Awards. Paula: What are the musical goals of Alula? Sarah: To produce and promote contemporary visions of crosscultural music from all over the globe. Paula: What CDs/artists/projects are you most enthusiastic about right now? Sarah: Our American roots artist and Grammy Award winner, Tim O'Brien; world beat Iranian American composer and performer Jamshied Sharifi whose music has been featured in 3 major motion pictures, ABCNews, and many major label compilations ; two of the top Flamenco guitarists from Spain: Gerardo Núñez and Miguel Angel Cortés (primary guitarist for world-renowned Carmen Linares); and our recent CDs by Moroccan Gnawan trance band Nass Marrakech, Latin guitar band De Madera and Malian kora player Mamadou Diabate, who has been featured on AfroPop Worldwide. Paula: What do you see as the future of Alula? Sarah:A label that will consolidate itself as one of the leading world music labels, with an impressive roster of diverse and eclectic artists from many parts of the globe. Paula: What is the biggest challenge of the company? Sarah: To stay in business at a time when the ways of selling music are changing very quickly, when there is a lot of competition and the cost of doing business keeps increasing. We have great music. Part of the challenge is to get good exposure for it. Some Links to Alula Artists Previous Features
