Dave Chamberlain

Aesthetic: 1. of or in relation to aesthetics 2. of beauty 3. sensitive to art and beauty; showing good taste; artistic.

At a time when so much means so little in the music world, especially concerning label and band names, local record label Aesthetics lives up to its moniker. Not just in terms of its output--which includes underground rock and electronic bands like L'Altra, 33.3, Pulseprogramming, the Eternals and, recently, Hood--but also in terms of its owner (and L'Altra bass player), Ken Dyber.

The 28-year-old Connecticut native moved to Chicago almost five years ago--not long after founding Aesthetics--and has scored something of a coup by domestically releasing Hood's "Cold House," the band's eighth record. The subsequent tour, which brings the band to the Empty Bottle April 6, marks Hood's first appearance in the United States in eight years, and also marks Dyber's first Aesthetics night in Chicago; also on the bill are Pulseprogramming, The Eternals, DJs Bob and Dyber.

Dyber cut his teeth in the industry through an internship at an alternative radio station in Connecticut. Though he doesn't regret the experience, Dyber says "a lot of the things I learned there are things that never apply to my label, because it's like day and night. Especially in dealing with licensing issues and contracts--stuff that I don't really try to deal with at the label."

For example? "Eventually, the radio station went from being a cool alternative station that had Björk and Radiohead in rotation to playing Dave Matthews. His music isn't alternative, but he Soundscans well in every format, from Top 40 to alternative. And that's what I learned: what Soundscan is, what crosses over--which never applies to Aesthetics. My own version of radio promotion is like sending it out and saying, `ummm, play it if you like it.'"

Aesthetics is a one-man operation, and Dyber handles every aspect of the label business from A&R to licensing. He fits the Chicago mold perfectly in that his business dealings rely more on trust and integrity than contracts. Handshake deals are the norm.

"I try to keep the label low-key, kind of what Corey [Rusk]'s done at Touch and Go! or Bettina [Richards] has done with Thrill Jockey. The labels in Chicago have a unique way of working with artists." Though he hasn't exactly modeled Aesthetics after said labels, he knows why they're successful. "They're all really respected, and there is a reason they've all been succeeding and their artists stay with them. If the band has a problem, they can just go over there and say `what's up?' instead of having to make an appointment."

But this style of management can backfire; Rusk, for example, lost Touch and Go's entire back catalogue of Butthole Surfers' records after a handshake deal was ruled non-binding in court. "I've had some issues, but nothing to the extent of Rusk. More like people smoking too much pot and spacing out or whatever. You told them and they just forgot."

Integrity, something so often seen as missing in the music industry, forms the backbone of Aesthetics. "I think [integrity] has to be [important]. A label of this size, you have to be careful with every relationship you have, because you never know how it's gonna pan out down the road."

Dyber has had brief flirtations with licensing tracks from his bands, including a 33.3 track that Armani purchased the rights to as part of a marketing plan. But Aesthetics won't kowtow for money. "With certain things, you have to give the artist the benefit of the doubt. The Gap's never made me an offer. I have a lot of political problems with the Gap--whatever. But at the same time, if they offered me $50,000 to license a track--not for an artist to write a new one, but just for an old one--well, that would mean that I wouldn't have to bar-tend for the next six months. Or L'Altra could record a really amazing record. That hasn't happened. Offers like that do happen, but I'd still have to ask the artist."

In fact, Shout magazine wanted to help him sponsor the Hood tour, with the coffers of a major tobacco company leading the way. "They didn't want control over anything, just to give us money and have its name somewhere. But being associated with a tobacco company didn't really interest me."

Dyber plans on relocating to Portland this year, with Aesthetics in tow. But knowing that Chicago has a unique music scene, doesn't he worry about losing his edge? "With the Internet the way it is, you don't even need to leave your apartment to keep in touch. Just go to three good record stores' Websites, once a month. I don't think it will be hard."

And what does he hope for Aesthetics in the long term? To open a storefront that--like Weekend Records on Division--keeps its priorities straight. "Hausmusik in Germany has it right. When you go into the record store--which also doubles as the label office--they're only selling their own distributed labels."

But no matter where he's based, it's clear that his association with Hood has opened doors. "All you need is one band--like the way Constellation Records has Godspeed You Black Emperor--and everything opens up after that."

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