Defever on Defever

On the split from 4AD: Having been signed to the same label for 13 years (which I understand is not going to get us in the Guinness Book of World Records), we had developed a sustainable system, but it also got a little boring. And it's great to spice things up sometimes. It's like being married ... whoops.

On his new Silver Mountain label: Detrola is manufactured and distributed by Sony/BMG. It's the first release on my new label. We have many other releases planned including records by NOMO, Fred Thomas, Ida, Faruq Z. Bey, and I've got my eye on a couple other Detroit favorites.

You know how when you're really, really popular you get your own label deal with a major, like Kid Rock records or Shady records — well, that's like the platinum level deal. If you haven't sold 10 million records, but you're still doing really good, you might get the silver-level deal, like Third Man records. We didn't get that. Silver Mountain has what I call the brown cardboard level.

On Detrola's overtly sexy side: If you have a dirty mind, there's a lot of possibilities on Detrola. If you're into politics, Detrola seems to be all about comparing Detroit to poverty-stricken, war-torn Third World countries. Just as water overcomes obstacles in its path by flowing around them, Detroit's long history of extreme revolutionary music, poetry and creativity in general have always been spontaneous expressions without a real purpose or desire.

On mixing the funky with the sacred: I do believe in an unseen power beneath the life and movement in all nature — the shapeless shape, the formless form.

On his dancing abilities: Usually I just like to watch.

On Detrola's all-star cast: There's a thing on old Prince albums where it always said "produced, arranged composed and performed by Prince." I was always really into that. For this record I tried to play all the parts myself but I ended up having to call in a couple "ringers" to really make it happen.