© Carles Rodríguez
Bankrobber
Marçal Lladó (Girona, 1978) and Xavier Riembau (La Bisbal d’Empordà, 1975) will be remembered for having created a record company, Bankrobber, which is one of the most exciting labels on today’s Catalan music scene. The label has just celebrated its tenth anniversary, and has been home to artists such as Mazoni, Sanjosex, El Petit de Cal Eril, Guillamino, Els Surfing Sirles, Le Petit Ramon and others.
They met when, on Saturday evenings, they both went to the band practice of Red Orange, a group that included a certain Jaume Pla (who a little later would head up Holland Park, those creators of exquisite melodies, and years later would be known by the artistic name of Mazoni) and Miquel Abras, who also forged a successful music career. “It was in that band rehearsal space in La Bisbal d’Empordà that the story of Bankrobber began,” says Xavier Riembau.
He decided to find someone he trusted and who saw promise in the group, with whom to set up the record company. Obviously, that was Marçal. “He said yes, but on the condition that first we had to find someone reliable to do the accounts,” he laughs. “We chose Jordi Pi, a friend from Barcelona who had studied commerce and was also a big fan of Holland Park.” The founding fathers of Bankrobber also included Ramon Ponsatí, responsible for graphics and design. “We all came from different fields, but we all share a passion for music,” explains Marçal. “Xavier worked in band management, I’m a journalist and Jordi was good at business management. Meanwhile, Ramon took charge of the image and identity.”
At the outset, their goals were very short-term, but they knew they had to go further than Holland Park’s first record and seek out more bands. They quickly brought El Chico con la Espina en el Costado into the family, and then were bowled over by Guillamino, soon to be followed by Sanjosex, Espaldamaceta, Mazoni, Le Petit Ramon and many more.
A few months ago, they settled into a two-storey premises in Gràcia, with offices on the top floor and a spacious room on the lower floor that will be used for launches and acoustic performances. Today, every media organisation draws attention to the records brought out by this label, but it was not always that way. “At the beginning, it felt like what we said was falling on deaf ears,” recalls Xavier. “Only one journalist came to the label’s launch concert.”
The turning point came when they got Guillamino to present his first record at the Sónar festival. The legendary British radio host John Peel was there; they didn’t miss the chance to give him a copy of the album and Peel played it on his show when he got back to England.
At this time of global recession, which is even more acute in the recording industry, they know the secret to their success. “The goal has always been to make good records with music that we feel is worthwhile and that, for whatever reason, doesn’t make it into the media or the right channels. Our formula is no better or worse than any other, but it is well defined: a formula in which we grow alongside the artist.”