Tom “Diepvries” Schaek is the Belgian multi-man behind the Flexx record shop, label, blog and mix provider, investing italo electro-disco with the status of very much cult and still in-demand. With a now solid reputation built upon re-releasing the likes of Crazy Gang, Ozo, Pinneaples, Mr. Master, Twilight Ritual and Bobby Davenport, among others, Flexx hails from the small town of Turnhout, a mainly residential spot that is not exactly part of the Belgian three-city basic dance music circuit, which includes Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent.

Although the 26-year-old only started releasing records in 2005, it was 2002 when the idea of opening a shop like Flexx first stroke a then tired Tom, bored of doing a job he didn’t care for. “This was something I always wanted to do and I noticed Belgian record shops only sold ‘new’ music, so I wanted to fill the gap. It was just before the italo and disco revival over here”.

Licensing

Seeking vintage talents and labels with a similar taste did require some special efforts, though. “We’re always happy to find that the original artists still own the license to their songs. Usually when you have to deal with a major the project ends because for them the administrative burden in terms of obtaining the necessary consents, issuing parts etc. need to be weighed against the income likely to be generated by the licensing deal. In most cases, it’s not worth it for them, which is sad because there are lots of good tracks owned by majors that will never get pressed on vinyl again”, he declares.

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