Business Offer

Personal profile

Music Avenue – Alfie Falckenbach Born in 1950, and currently living in Belgium, having worked in Brussels, Milan, Frankfurt and London, Alfie Falckenbach has been active in the international music and entertainment industries for over 40 years. Having started his career in the early 70s as an independent producer working with labels such as Ariola, Barclay, EMI, and Warner. He soon founded his own Sinus Music label, bringing Jamaican music to the European continent, scoring hits with artists like Prince Buster and Bob Marley, while also discovering Pop-Punk superstar Plastic Bertrand. Towards the end of the decade the subsidiary budget label, Surprise Records (one of the first on the continent), as well as a recording studio were sold off. While the remainder of the company was left to his partners, Falckenbach then became general manager of Inelco Records & Tapes, the Benelux distribution company for prestigious labels such as RCA, Baby Records, Dreyfus, Roadrunner, and Stiff. Under his guidance the company racked up an impressive 13 gold record awards in 1981 with artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Madness, Ian Dury, Lene Lovich, Rondo Veneziano, and Romina Power & Albano. Late 1982 Falckenbach left Inelco and founded Mausoleum Records, specialising in hard rock and heavy metal music while Konexion Records, a subsidiary label, predominantly issued punk music by artist such as the Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious, the Exploited, and the UK Subs. During the course of its existence the legendary heavy metal label has harboured classic metal bands such as Anvil, Baron Rojo, Faithful Breath, Great White, Killer, L.A. Guns, Molly Hatchet, Nazareth, Omen, Ostrogoth, and Warlock (Doro). Still going strong after more than three decades; today the artist roster of Mausoleum Records consists of established heavy metal acts in addition to exciting new artists on the cutting edge of the genre, such as Shatter Messiah, Assignment (featuring Robin Beck), Awaken, King’s Call, Taunted, Now And Then (Ex-Pretty Maids), Kirk, Existance, Grenouer, NirtroVolt, Megasonic, Max Pie, The Ghost Next Door, Graveshadow and E-Force, fronted by Eric Forrest, previously vocalist and bass-player with Voivod. The Blues Boulevard label was launched at the start of the new Millennium with the purpose of harbouring a growing number of Blues and Blues-Rock artists already signed to Music Avenue. The label has released albums by Blues-Rock pioneers such as Alexis Korner, John Mayall, Canned Heat and Elvin Bishop, as well as reissues of recordings by traditional Blues legends such as Albert, B.B. and Freddie King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton, Little Walter, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, and the last album recorded before his death by the late great pioneer of Blues, R&B and Rock, the infamous but musically forever underrated Ike Turner. Tyrone Vaughan, son of Jimmie Vaughan, nephew of Stevie Ray Vaughan, also released his debut album “Downtime” on Blues Boulevard, before more recently joining Royal Southern Brotherhood to replace Devon Allman. Today the Blues-label’s roster also contains a number of fine artists from various corners of the planet who represent the future of Blues music, such as Fred & The Healers (Winners of the Belgian Blues Challenge 2013), Doghouse Sam & His Magnatones (Winners of the Belgian Blues Challenge 2014), and Howlin’ Bill (Winner of the European Blues Challenge 2011), David Migden & The Twisted Roots (3rd placed at the 2014 European Blues Challenge held in Riga, Latvia), in addition to some Blues-influenced guitar-driven Rock acts such as Rob Tognoni, Absolution and Innes Sibun (previously with the Robert Plant Band), and Blues Karloff, a hard-edged multi-national Blues–Rock band steeped in the tradition of Leslie West’s Mountain, Jeff Beck Group and early Led Zeppelin, reflecting the influences that shaped the musical tastes of the band members in their youth; Black, White, British and American. In 2014 Blues inked a 3-album deal with Corey Harris, the guitarist/ songwriter, who is leading a contemporary revival of Country Blues. Harris is a truly unique voice in music, on his way to becoming the alchemist of black music, recombining its constituent elements into new substances by recording old songs of the Blues tradition while also creating an original vision of this music by adding influences from Reggae, Soul, Rock and West African music. The latest addition to the label is Troy Redfern, a master slide guitarist backed by one of the most exciting bands to have emerged in Great Britain in recent times. This year Blues Boulevard added two more trailblazing artists to the roster. Ellis Hooks embodies the finest aspects of Southern musical traditions of Blues, Soul and Gospel. His voice, evocative of some of the greats such as Little Milton, Sam Cooke, and Otis Redding, is nevertheless his own. With stylish guitar phrases, at times reminiscent of a more organic Robert Cray, Ellis Hooks connects with the past while looking into the future. Grammy nominees for Best Blues Album (along with Bobby Rush) for the album “Decisions,” Blinddog Smokin' present their new album “High Steppin” which is nothing less than a gravel-voiced celebration of blistering Blues, fatback Funk, uptown horns and low-down grooves. Music Avenue currently has a marketing, distribution and physical sales network covering three continents, and can warrant a guaranteed release for its artists’ output in more than twenty-five countries around globe, as well as being present on iTunes and over 100 other major digital distribution sites in nearly 250 countries. All releases are actively promoted by mailing physical copies to a substantial number of media contacts, around the world, and the company advertises in relevant magazines and new media. Additionally a "Backstage VIP Area," on the web site, allows media – primarily radio stations – to download music directly for broadcast and promotion purposes. Photos, biographies, reviews and assorted information are also available from this site. This system allows the Music Avenue group of labels to potentially reach thousands of radio stations with the artist’s music. At the right moment in time, Music Avenue will also assist the artist management by identifying and liaising with a number of European Booking Agents securing tours and festival appearances on the continent. September 24 – 2015 www.music-avenue.net www.blues-boulevard.net www.mausoleum-records.net Music Avenue [Europe] sprl / bvba 35, Mechelse Steenweg, Box 2 ● B-1800 Vilvoorde ● Belgium Telephone +32 52 57 38 57 ● E-mail: music.avenue@telenet.be

Company profile

Music Avenue, the parent company of the Blues Boulevard Records label, was incorporated in 1996. The Blues label itself was launched at the start of the new Millennium with the purpose of harbouring a growing number of Blues and Blues-Rock artists already signed to Music Avenue. The label has released albums by Blues-Rock pioneers such as Alexis Korner, John Mayall, Canned Heat and Elvin Bishop, as well as reissues of recordings by traditional Blues legends such as Albert, B.B. and Freddie King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton, Little Walter, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, and the last album recorded before his death by the late great pioneer of Blues, R&B and Rock, the infamous but musically forever underrated Ike Turner. Tyrone Vaughan, son of Jimmie Vaughan, nephew of Stevie Ray Vaughan, also released his debut album “Downtime” on Blues Boulevard, before more recently joining Royal Southern Brotherhood to replace Devon Allman. Today the Blues-label’s roster also contains a number of fine artists from various corners of the planet who represent the future of Blues music, such as Fred & The Healers (Winners of the Belgian Blues Challenge 2013), Doghouse Sam & His Magnatones (Winners of the Belgian Blues Challenge 2014), and Howlin’ Bill (Winner of the European Blues Challenge 2011), David Migden & The Twisted Roots (3rd placed at the 2014 European Blues Challenge held in Riga, Latvia), in addition to some Blues-influenced guitar-driven Rock acts such as Rob Tognoni, Absolution and Innes Sibun (previously with the Robert Plant Band), and Blues Karloff, a hard-edged multi-national Blues–Rock band steeped in the tradition of Leslie West’s Mountain, Jeff Beck Group and early Led Zeppelin, reflecting the influences that shaped the musical tastes of the band members in their youth; Black, White, British and American. In 2014 Blues inked a 3-album deal with Corey Harris, the guitarist/ songwriter, who is leading a contemporary revival of Country Blues. Harris is a truly unique voice in music, on his way to becoming the alchemist of black music, recombining its constituent elements into new substances by recording old songs of the Blues tradition while also creating an original vision of this music by adding influences from Reggae, Soul, Rock and West African music. The latest addition to the label is Troy Redfern, a master slide guitarist backed by one of the most exciting bands to have emerged in Great Britain in recent times. This year Blues Boulevard added two more trailblazing artists to the roster. Ellis Hooks embodies the finest aspects of Southern musical traditions of Blues, Soul and Gospel. His voice, evocative of some of the greats such as Little Milton, Sam Cooke, and Otis Redding, is nevertheless his own. With stylish guitar phrases, at times reminiscent of a more organic Robert Cray, Ellis Hooks connects with the past while looking into the future. Grammy nominees for Best Blues Album (along with Bobby Rush) for the album “Decisions,” Blinddog Smokin' present their new album “High Steppin” which is nothing less than a gravel-voiced celebration of blistering Blues, fatback Funk, uptown horns and low-down grooves. Artists on the Blues Boulevard Records label benefit from marketing, guaranteed physical distribution covering twenty-five countries on three continents, as well as being available via iTunes and approximately 150 other digital distribution sites in nearly 250 countries. Blues Boulevard Records; a home for talent – we’re looking forward to hearing from you!