“Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten” (Little Underground Records) is a German indie label from Augsburg, specializing in indie pop releases. Founded in 2015 by Ronny Pinkau, the label releases singles and LPs on vinyl and represents both local Augsburg bands and international artists. In recent years, it has also become known for its handcrafted approach, including cover design and promotion. To celebrate 10 years of Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten, bands and artists from the label, as well as musician friends, were asked to cover their favorite songs released on KUS. The resulting compilation was named Stadtbibliothek (City Library), because all the musicians immersed themselves in KUS song-library, borrowed their favourite songs, and created truly original works with their interpretations. Just like in a public library, where you learn about a particular topic, study it intensively, and then write your own paper about it. Among the band involved there are many TRISTE© favourites, such as: Jetstream Pony, Love,Burns, The BV’s, Zimt, The New Mourning, The Simple Present and Eccentric BlaBla. “As a small label built on community and DIY principles, we believe that a compilation like this, which celebrates togetherness and cooperation, is the best way to mark our 10-year anniversary” says Ronny Pinkau, and today TRISTE© wants to be (a small) part of this well deserved celebration.

In keeping with the spirit that has always characterized our TRISTE© Mixtapes, some of the bands featured in the magnificent Stadtbibliothek collection tell us about the songs they chose to cover and why.

Mondleiter – This is Where My Love Goes 

Original version by Bart & Friends from Tolmie Wild Thymes 10″ (KUS 030)

What Pam from Mondleiter says about their version: “My personal connection with Bart & Friends’ album Tolmie Wild Thymes began in 2021, two weeks after the birth of my son. Frederik Jehle (from The BV’s) and I met at Ronny Pinkau’s flat and drew the thyme flowers on the album cover while the new album played in the background. It was a special situation, being able to devote myself to other things again after a period of pure care work. So the album became particularly special to me, filled with special memories, and ultimately led to the cover of the song This Is Where My Love Goes. 
Bart & Friends’ rather lively, cheerful version also resonates with a sense of longing, which has now been given even more space in the cover.”

Mondleiter version:

Zimt – Niederlage (Interpretation) / Dein Erfolg

Original version by Botschaft from Niederlage 7″ (KUS 006)

What Zimt say about their version:”We chose the cover Niederlage by the band Botschaft because we have a lot in common with Botschaft: we were one of the first bands to release records on Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten and also one of the bands that subsequently switched to Tapete Records Hamburg. In addition, we both sing in German, which brings us to another reason for our choice: the lyrics are outstanding, and the lyrics of Niederlage in particular spoke to our hearts. With the chorus “Your success depends on others” the band created a very concise line that we also wanted to emphasize in our interpretation. Our interpretation is deliberately very different musically; we turned it into an ’80s dance number, but the main focus remains on the successful lyrics.“

Zimt version:

The BV’s – Laura Palmer

Original version by The Luxembourg Signal from Blue Field LP (KUS 009|LIFE 154)

What Josh from The BV’s says about their version: “The Luxembourg Signal is a really important band for us. In 2017, not long after we released our first album, Speaking from a Distance, they took us on our first ever tour. Since then, they’ve been huge supporters of us and that tour led us to lots of new friendships and opportunities. So we really wanted to cover a song of theirs to say thank you! We chose Laura Palmer not only because we love the song, but also because we’re all huge fans of Twin Peaks and David Lynch. His work has influenced us all in so many ways, so it felt really fitting to cover it.“

The BV’s version:

Jetstream Pony – Sushi Later

Original version by The BV’s from Speaking From a Distance LP (KUS 007)

What Shaun from Jetstream Pony says about their version: “Beth’s association with The BV’s goes back to the earliest days of the label, when they toured Germany along with The Luxembourg Signal, as they would also do with Jetstream Pony. This song has those early associations, and Beth would often affectionately remind them to include it in their set. We could also have picked other songs from their wonderful album Taking Pictures of Taking Pictures“, but in the end we chose the one we would always ask them to play.
Hannes Müller (the drummer of The BV’s) was also a member Jetstream Pony until the distance between Augsburg and the UK became too hard to sustain. The friendship between the bands continues to this day.“

Jetstream Pony version:

Love, Burns – Give away the day

Original version by Zimt from “Du kannst so leben wie Du willst” 7″ (KUS 004).

What Phil from Love, Burns says about their version: “This is the Love, Burns version of the Zimt song Tag Verschenken, written by Janina Kölbl. Kyle Forester did the beautiful music, and Gary Olson mixed. When Ronny asked if we could contribute a cover of a song by one of our KUS labelmates to his 10th Anniversary LP, Stadtbibliothek, I wanted to do a German language song. Unfortunately, and though I was born in Bielefeld, I cannot speak German. I asked Janina and Ronny what the song was about to try and capture a feel for the German words in an English language version. And I used Google, a little bit! So my English version is not a translation as such, but more my interpretation of Janina’s words and mood. I hope! I decided it would be fun to cover a Zimt song because we met the band in Augsburg (and saw Janina play a solo set), and Isabella is, of course, the cover star of the second pressing of the Pale Lights LP, The Stars Seemed Brighter. They are very lovely people. I am very proud of the work Ronny and Pale Lights and Love, Burns has done with KUS, and the whole catalog is wonderful body of work, contained in beautifully designed sleeves. We hope KUS will carry on for another 10 years!“

Love, Burns version:

Stadtbibliothek : the tracklist

Stadtbibliothek is out now via Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. Look HERE for more information on Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten.