It’s a long way from that Island

BRUNO GUEZ was one of the rising stars of the music business in the last half of the ‘90s. Mentored by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, he earned a reputation as a sharp talent-spotter, creative label executive and enthusiastic leader of the burgeoning global electronica and world fusion scenes via his Island-distributed Quango Records label.

But Guez spent the first half of this decade in the background, consulting on various projects, serving as music director for the Cirque du Soleil empire and, most crucially, adapting to life as a quadriplegic after an ill-fated dive into the ocean off Brazil in early 2000.

Now Guez, 35, is learning to adapt to all the changes in the music business that have occurred over the last five years. He’s relaunched Quango as an independent label, is signing new acts, and is aggressively pursuing a new approach to music branding and distribution.

“I’ve got back on my feet for new ventures and want to do more lifestyle-oriented productions,” he says.

To that end, he’s teamed with such companies as the American Rag clothing stores, Oliver Peoples eyewear firm and Da-Nang clothing to produce and distribute custom compilation CDs.

“Working with companies for branded products became a strong focus for me in the last year,” he says. “The market is oversaturated with compilations, but if you team up with a brand that has a wholesale and retail engine and create a soundtrack that speaks to their customer and the essence of the brand, then that helps strengthen brand awareness and trust.”

The biggest change is that Quango is no longer under Blackwell’s wing. But the executive thinks Guez can thrive on his own.

“Quango is exactly the kind of label that can develop a strong following, as it has a clear character,” Blackwell says, relating it to the early days of Island, a stronghold for reggae and adventurous acts before signing such artists as U2. “There is now the Internet and its extraordinary global reach, and he has a passion for music, discovering new music and the wish to pass on his discoveries.”

Guez has not given up on finding new acts, either. In the earliest stages of rehabilitation after his accident he signed Zero 7, which became Quango’s biggest act. Now he has taken a new, aggressive stance to signings, recently releasing “Quiet Letters,” the debut from Danish act Bliss. Two new projects are due in early 2006: a debut from an as-yet-unnamed duo of instrumentalist Kiran Shahani and singer Shana Halligan, and an American debut from Spanish act Gecko Turner. Guez hopes to find commercial and film placements for both, providing the kind of boost that Zero 7 got when a song appeared on the “Garden State” soundtrack.

He says he has been approached by several major labels proposing deals for him and/or Quango, but thus far none have been of interest.

“It’s a real renaissance for independent labels now,” he says. “The majors are sinking themselves deeper into a hole where they need to have hit after hit after hit right out of the box. Independents can control expenses and build careers from grass roots.”

Tommy Trojan meets Atomic Dog

THE USC marching band is known for its highly regimented performances.

George Clinton and his P-Funk collective are, uh, not.

So it could get pretty interesting when Clinton becomes an honorary member of the USC band at halftime of the No. 1 Trojan football team’s Nov. 19 game against Fresno State at the Coliseum. The band will do a tribute to Clinton (celebrating his 50th year in music), and he and members of P-Funk will join the band for a rousing take on his “Give Up the Funk.”

The teaming came about when Arthur Bartner, the band director, put out word seeking a guest artist, an annual tradition for the marching band. Publicist Sandy Friedman suggested Clinton, Bartner ran the idea past his students, and they loved it.

“We’ve been listening to a lot of his recordings and a lot don’t translate -- they’re so free-flowing,” says Bartner, who’s overseen the USC band for 35 years. “And I have 35 drummers, and that beat is not going to budge. It gets locked in. But my arranger, Tony Fox, will come up with arrangements and make it work and leave some room so Clinton can have some room to improvise.”

The USC marching band does have a history of interesting pop collaborations, dating to 1973, when Diana Ross performed a halftime show and, perhaps most famously, when it backed Fleetwood Mac on the song “Tusk.” And Bartner notes that the band got pretty funky at the 2004 Grammy Awards performance, where it accompanied OutKast. But he still sees this as an enticing challenge.

“It will definitely be a different experience matching these two different musical cultures,” he says.

Small Faces

* Tony Kanal of No Doubt, Tim Armstrong of Rancid and the Transplants and Angelo Moore of Fishbone will team as an ad hoc group to perform at a Sublime tribute concert Oct. 24 at the Henry Fonda Theatre. The band (with a drummer to be announced) is being added to a lineup featuring Ozomatli, Blackalicious and Fishbone in a show benefiting the MusiCares MAP Fund for addiction and recovery issues and hurricane relief efforts. More guest performers are expected to join the bill....

* Cypress Hill’s Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes and his brother Ulpiano Reyes (who as Mellow Man Ace had the Latin hip-hop hit “Mentirosa” in 1989) have recorded an album as the Reyes Brothers. “Ghetto Therapy” will be released in February 2006 as the inaugural title from the siblings’ new Latin Thugs Records label....

* On top of hosting the “Community Service” radio show on Indie 103.1 (KDLD-FM and KDLE-FM) and writing and performing the theme for the new Fox series “Bones,” the Crystal Method has done its first movie score, creating music for “London,” starring Chris Evans (“Fantastic 4”) and Jason Statham (“Transporter”). A soundtrack album in January will be the first release from the Crystal Method’s own Tiny E Records....

* New Orleans monthly music magazine Offbeat, an essential resource for the city’s music fans, is in suspension while post-Katrina recovery continues, with no sources of revenue. But to build toward renewing publishing it’s offering a lifetime subscription to anyone donating $200. Details can be found on the website, www.offbeat.com.