We got to speak to Mirza, owner of Prime Collective, one of the most thriving company for modern metal music in Denmark.
As Mirza explains the whole roster is 100% Danish and built a big reputation over the years. Artists like Ghost Iris, Siamese, Cabal, and Møl already showed how successful Danish bands are right now. But there are plans to expand outside of Denmark. Mirza also told us his secret on how the artists are picked:
‘I pick them by potential. Working with us means opening up your music to competent strangers to have a look at it. Things can always get better. So when I look I really seldom search for bands that are too evolved. I want the bands to evolve with us.’
With this in mind, Mirza looks for two things: How eager is the band to make a career, and how active are they?
‘For me, a band becomes relevant if they want to work hard with us. Also it’s important that the individuals are no awkward or unrealistic personalities.’
A tour like the Danish Demolition shows how he combines his bands into a big package touring Europe. He picked up the four bands that had the most active touring experience in Europe and also the best sales numbers. It’s a full Prime Collective project that is totally independent of anything else. They did everything on their own. The Danish Demolition Tour shall now happen every year. The next one for 2019 is already in the making, as artists like Cabal and Møl, for example, are doing very well right now.
As Mirza also played with Siamese on the 2018 edition of Danish Demolition Tour, he was super excited about the London show. It seems to be a city with a lot of fans and appreciation for Danish metal music, which is only topped by the German live scene according to Mirza.
The tour lineup consisted of a band called Defecto. They made it in 2017 and supported Rammstein and Metallica, two of the biggest metal-related bands in the world. I wondered how this might feel for a manager like Mirza:
‘Feels good, man. I was a big part in that happening. Defecto are besides being my friends some of the most gifted people I have ever worked with.’
Maybe this is their reason for success.
It’s the depth of involvement that Prime Collective demands in the whole process, as Mirza explains: ‘I’m not the one to get like ten tracks from the band, and they go: ‘Here you go, now promote and network us to the next level’. ‘Cause, to be honest, a lot of times, the product (which is the music), is NOT good enough.’ That’s why he takes the creative process very seriously and demands changes if there are evident flaws in structure, melodies, or phonetics.
‘This shit is important. Good music will get to the fans if it’s good. I know this should be self-explanatory, but to musicians, it isn’t.’
Mirza sees this fact as the main reason for the growth of Prime Collective.
‘I’m ecstatic about that. Of course, we have some albums that miss. But I cope with the pressure, ’cause I believe in our bands, our concept, and in my ears.’
But why is Denmark such a good spot for modern metal music? It’s a thriving scene, which it wasn’t as recently as a couple of years ago.
‘The Danish music industry was not taking professional care of the metal scene at all. Our rock and metal acts had to understand the hard way, that there is no easy way to success (like big hits).’
It’s all about building and being productive. A lot of bands are working harder than they ever thought they would and put out a record every year. This ambition pretty much results in the names from Denmark we now know about.
The ambition reflects on Mirza’s very own band, Siamese. They toured with Dead By April in 2017 and released a new EP on September 14, to be followed by a full-length in 2019. They even made it to Japan, which he claims as one of the best times for the band as all shows were sold out. As he also stated they will ‘get to play shows with some of my biggest idols in 2019.’
The last thing I was wondering about is if it’s easier for him to work with bands of his own collective, which he answers with:
‘Yes and no. But mostly yes, haha. Metal and rock is where my heart is.’
Even if he would probably make more money on mainstream artists, he follows his feelings. And that’s where he feels that they are making a difference. Make sure to watch out for The Danish Demolition Tour in future and like Prime Collective‘s Facebook page for the newest up and coming bands!
