Photo: Adam Wallcavage

person Art Borasseau Twenty-eight-year-old Art Borasseau speaks in such a deadpan demeanor that it mirrors the grim Tiki masks that line the walls of his Lansdowne office. But lounging in his bedroom/office - a room plastered with garage-rock posters, vintage ads and exotica album covers - the big kahuna of the growing MuSick record label has no reason to be anything but proud. His roster ranges from the smooth-sailing Laika and the Cosmonauts to the hyper-distorted Bomboras. Concentrating on contemporary instrumental surf rock, MuSick's bands transport listeners back to a time when Link Wray and the Shadows were riding high. Borasseau attributes his specialized interest to his grandfather, a French magician who performed as the Amazing I-Ching to a soundtrack of lounge music like Les Baxter and Martin Denny. He was exposed to exotica as a young man while splicing together the songs for the shows. "A lot of people dismiss instrumental rock," says Borasseau, "so it's a mission of mine to make it be heard. Vocals [in most rock music] are so immediate. With instro, you have to really use your imagination and create a story that takes the listener somewhere not really known. With vocals explaining it all away, I get bored." The only band with vocals on the label is Lebanon, PA's Omega Men, who will soon be touring their "spy-fi" sound with West Coast surf punks Agent Orange. Other acts on the label include the solo stylings of Los Straightjackets guitarist Eddie Angel, which features Boz Boorer of Morrissey fame on sax. When asked what differentiates MuSick from other retro genre labels, Borasseau credits business experience and emphasis on distribution beyond that of most retro indie labels. He aims to "ensure that people hear the stuff, without selling out the genre." A drummer himself, he's got a musician's standpoint as well as business acumen, having worked for Relativity and Red record labels. MuSick's most recent conquest has been the Fathoms from Boston, who are slated to release an album in January. Borasseau's label will also be putting out a Shadows tribute album in October featuring the Boss Martians and Jim Mankey (of Concrete Blonde fame). - Geeta Dalal