MEMORABILIA. COLLECTING SOUNDS WITH... Eric Isaacson. Part I

Produced by Rosanna Arbon

Collecting music began as a private pursuit for Eric Isaacson, from the age of five he was recording songs off the radio and making his own mix tapes. His biggest undertaking was reconstructing the Beatles back catalogue, track by track, album by album entirely off the radio which took him four years to complete. That kind of behaviour might lead you to believe the young Isaacson would grow to be one of the breed of sound collectors that William Bennett refers to as the completists, but Isaacson is far from it.

Around 300 records make it into his personal collection at one time, it seems a small amount for someone who runs a record label but Isaacson's collection is constantly on the move – he gets hold of records as quickly as he gets rid of them because ultimately what matters most is the contemporary relationship he is having with each record in his collection. 'I'd go insane otherwise,' he says, 'my interests go in such different directions, I would have to have 50,000 records to represent what I'm into and that's impossible.' In lieu of a physical collection, Isaacson's notebooks which are filled with lists of songs that either have or might make their way on to a Mississippi release are a testament to the extensive amount of records that have been a part of his life over the past ten years.

Isaacson's unique design sensibility adorns the covers of Mississippi releases, early influences include Daniel Johnston and punk rock zines, whilst more recent influences include the cover art of Folkways Records and Indian Tantra art, but as with Isaacson's sound collection, his artistic influence is vast. Isaacson says his style was created by his limitations: 'I had to find a unique voice because I couldn't use tricks or skills, flashing lights or dazzling techniques'. Isaacson's cover art is bold, colourful and raw, the imagery is almost cryptic at times and as such Mississippi releases can't help but stand out on any shelf.