💿📀🎶 Wayo Records Interview (Jonathan Khersis) 💿📀🎶 #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

Established over a decade ago in Paris, French record label Wayô Records have made a name for themselves by releasing consistently high-quality albums such as Actraiser, Across the Worlds and Metal Slug X, to name but a few, as well as some truly gorgeous music boxes.

I caught up with Jonathan Khersis to find out the history of the label and it’s clear that this is very much a passion-driven company that goes far beyond standard releases.

GF - Can you tell us a little of the history behind Wayô Records, how did it come to exist?

JK - Wayô Records was born in 2011, as the result of four passionate friends, veterans from the videogame, events, localization and music industries, putting their skills and energy together to develop innovative concepts and build strong links with composers. We actually started with planning and organizing original videogame and anime concerts, with the presence of composers (such as Masashi Hamauzu, Michiru Oshima, Hitoshi Sakimoto or Yoko Shimomura) and developed our label at the same time. As of today, we have built a strong CD and vinyl collection and created many new concepts such as our luxurious music boxes collection. We have also been involved in game and anime projects, coordinating various production aspects (story writing, recording, art direction) and creating connections between Japanese creators and Western companies.

GF - Is there a story behind the name of the label? 

JK - It’s initially the pronunciation of two Japanese characters. With the kanji “Wa” meaning “Japan” (和) and “Yô” meaning the West (洋), the name Wayô symbolizes our desire to bring Japanese and Western artists together. Our company logo is actually designed with a Japanese calligraphy based on this concept.

GF - What was your initial release, and how do you feel the label has evolved since?

JK - Back in 2011, we held the Imeruat (Masashi Hamauzu and Mina’s band) premiere concert in Paris. A year later, we released our very first CD, and that was the worldwide edition of the Black Ocean album from Imeruat. Then, our catalogue grew with the soundtrack from Of Orcs and Men (composed by Olivier Derivière), but the first big turnaround as a game music label happened in 2013, with the release of the Ni no Kuni soundtrack, long before the vinyl boom that occurred in the videogame industry. From there we focused on releasing mostly RPG and Arcade soundtracks, with the best possible quality for design and packaging.

In the beginning, we were preparing and shipping all CDs by ourselves, which as you can imagine was time-consuming, but a few years ago, as we launched our vinyl catalogue, we started using a warehouse and a logistics supplier. After more than 10 years in the industry, we have built a strong relationship with composers and companies in Japan, so I’m really excited to see what the next 10 years will look like. 

GF - We’ve chatted with a few members of the music industry over the last year, what have been the challenges you’ve faced through COVID?

JK - The music industry faced very complicated challenges during this period. First, we had to deal with international transporters issues. Most of them suddenly added an unexpected "COVID tax". It made things really complicated and we tried to find solutions to avoid impacting the shipping costs too much. We also noticed more issues with the postal service (slower deliveries, lost or damaged parcels, etc.).

The other impact was the -already crazy- vinyl pressing lead-time extension that has occurred since then. I believe most labels can share similar experiences, but pressing plants were already in a busy situation before the Covid, and since 2020, with the increasing demand, they are completely drowned and still unable to offer shorter production schedules. Some of them have made investments to open new production lines and absorb more orders. 

Last but not least, we are facing another big challenge since 2021 with the worldwide PVC, metal and paper material shortage - since these are used to make vinyl - and the continuous rise of oil price is another issue. It’s getting worse with the current geopolitical situation. As a result, manufacturing and transportation costs have been continuously increasing, with no visibility on what will happen in the upcoming months.

GF - I’m a huge fan of the full-size booklets that come with your releases, are these a standard inclusion for all your records?

JK - Most of our records feature a booklet with illustrations (and sometimes a brand new cover art from the original designers) and when possible, unpublished information or tracks, and comments from the original creators or composer(s). It’s something I always considered essential in the experience of enjoying a soundtrack, and learning (sometimes twenty years later) the secrets behind a game’s creation is always fascinating.

GF - What are your earliest gaming memories?

JK - I was young! Probably around 6 years old, I was offered a Videopac and started playing with Pacman, and various action games. Later, I played on Amstrad CPC 6128+. My secret dream was to create my own game, but programming in assembler language was too complicated for me. So I ended up being a gamer and started to learn Japanese instead, playing (mostly JRPG) on various hardware (Game Boy, Super Nintendo, PC, PlayStation…).

GF - Which video games feature music that still resonates with you?

JK - So many, from the early ’90s, starting with old Amstrad classics - but the soundtracks that changed me forever were probably from the first wave of games released on the Super Nintendo, such as Super Mario World, Zelda: A Link to the Past, ActRaiser, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy IV-V-VI, Chrono Trigger etc., at the time, I was even recording my favourite tracks with a tape recorder, since the CDs were not available at all (and the internet was not there yet!).

GF - The VGM vinyl market seems to be exploding at the moment, how do you decide which soundtracks to focus on?

JK - I basically want to release all the soundtracks that were memorable in my life! 

Most of them are soundtracks from past or recent games I played and replayed several times, while we also focus on making original arrangements with the best arrangers and performers.

From there, I build a vision of what the release could be and what would its potential be as a product, especially being aware of the new challenges we have to face with physical releases. Our vision at Wayô has also always been to go beyond the well-known works of renowned composers and try to offer less-known gems to a large audience.

GF - Can you tease us with any upcoming releases?

We’re currently working on a major game composer’s solo work, and as always, we’re expanding our RPG soundtrack catalogue, so you can expect more adventure soon!

GF - Is there a dream release that you’d love to make a reality?

JK - The last ten years are a kind of a personal dream turned into reality. Being able to collaborate with people we admire, release all these memorable soundtracks, and create original arrangement albums is truly a fantastic experience. As a founder and producer, I would say a long-term dream is to have more legendary soundtracks in our catalogue and also grow as a music and production company to create more original and unique content in the future.

GF - What is the best way for people to keep up to date with Wayo Records?

JK - We are mainly active on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, so these are the best place to follow our latest updates!

GF - A huge thanks to Jonathan for taking the time to talk to us, I highly recommend visiting the Wayô Records website, there are many fascinating releases to discover!