Ruin Nation Records

18/07/2025

Woke up to the heartbreaking news that Bill Chamberlain from The Pist ( and Mankind? / Behind Enemy Lines, The Brood etc…) has passed away yesterday. I only meet him a couple of times with BEL and just another sweet gentle giant he was and genuine punk rocker by heart. Rest in punk Bill!
♠️💔
Photo by Al Quint.

07/07/2025

Thanks to my BFF, soul-sister and favourite vegan foodie “Sandy McGroda” for this
cool present celebrating my first proper(!) job in almost 26 years… crazy. People who know me will get the pun. I just added delivery to my packing and shipping expertise…

19/06/2025

Before messenger, social media and emails became established we used to write loads of letters and postcards. Ordering from a DIY distro usually meant that you call, or send a letter with your order. Include the cash or wait for a return letter. Soaping the stamps was common practice in order to re-use them and save postage. A bit of a risky affair of course...

Anyway, I used to have very avid contact with many friends across the globe. Most of them are still dear friends close to me. 

Since I’m a notorious hoarder of punk-rock memorabilia, I still have all my old correspondence stuffed away in these little wooden boxes... I wish I could find the time to archive them properly. There’s quite some gossip and chitchat among them with some (back then and before) legendary characters. Ok, some of them.

15/06/2025

Thanks so much for all the Birthday love and messages and comments and presents… turning 51 years old just feels like being 15 again (not kidding… really!) - Had an fantastic slide into my BD thanks to the ever fantastic LASSO from Brasil who kicked my ass for the
second time. Then spend my actual Birthday afternoon battling the heat in the dark hole of „Rum Bumbers“ checking out the new Guinness tab. FANTASTIC! The Bremen „Harbor Cider“ is perhaps the sweetest Cider i ever had. Not convinced. I am sure this Cider can give you Diabetes in a Week (or „weekend“ in my case!) - Anyway, special thanks to Atom, Andy, Katia and Marleo… and everybody else! Love you!
Cheers!!!

13/06/2025

Despite the fact that I plan to shut down the Distro soonish, I just couldn’t resist pulling a few new releases from PHOBIA RECORDS and SEALED RECORDS for the mailorder as well as for myself. And while at it why not restock some more from GENERAL SPEECH, SOUNDS OF SUBTERRANIA and LA VIDA ES UN MUS.

Get all the new WAR//PLAGUE, EXPLOATÖR, VISIONS OF WAR / PHANE as well as the Euro-pressing of the amazing VAMPIRE debut album. The long overdue reissue of KARMA SUTRA’s „They daydreams of a production line worker“. Many restocks from NEWTOWN NEUROTICS, ALTERNATIVE, DISCLOSE, KRIEGSHÖG, TOXIC WASTE, RUDIMENTARY PENI, STRAW MAN ARMY, ES WAR MORD.
Thanks to

06/06/2025

After 32 years of bustling around the DIY Punk scene it’s time to move on. I will write more about this very soon. But for now i wanna be out of the warehouse by the end of the month as well as paying off outstanding invoices and debts the distro caused ASAP! Thank you very much.

400 titles radically reduced in price... some more, some less. Check it out...LINK IN BIO... you know the name of the game.

No, I do not plan to quit the label (yet!), I also don’t plan to go off grit and become a hippie (But i might become a skinhead if my hair loss continues at this speed) ... but there will be a massive change in future operations. More soon. Here at this channel.

30/05/2025

Ten years ago today, I went with my Partner to the cinema to see "Mad Max Fury Road" at a late night screening. When we came home i had several messages from Verena (Kleister's partner) on my answer phone tear-stained and shaken. I knew instantly something very bad must have happened and tried to call back several times but it was almost 2 am and i didn' reach her.  I knew something was not right and could not sleep a second.

The next morning I heard from Verena that Kleister had an accident in a quarry in France, where he was going to pursuit his hobby of digging old fossils. He was taken out by a falling 50kg (110 lb.) heavy rock that got loose. Like switching the lights off he was gone.

Since the very early nineties Kleuster and me have had a very strong connection and we considered ourselves best friends. We had hourlong telephone conversations on an almost daily basis talking about DIY Punk, the scene, politics, and what not. When Kleister passed I couldn't really fully grieve and process the whole situation because I also wanted to be there for his Family, taking care of the remains from the Label and distribution. I think in a way I am still processing. There's not a single day I didn't think of him at least once.
I miss him dearly. One of the most genuine and dedicated Punks i ever knew. A monument of the European DIY Punk/Crust scene and my best Friend. I have far too few photos of you.

Rest in Happiness Oliver "Kleister" Schmid. (21.09.1967 - 30.05.2015)

"THE POWER REMAINS..."

20/05/2025

WORLD CHAOS on March 7, 2000 at the General Guisanstr. in Wintertur, Switzerland (I think?) - What a crazy tour that was... Miss you loads Køk (RIP 2006), check out Pappes follow up band named “Profit & Murder” still going strong in 2025!

19/05/2025

MOSSURAYA (ex-Headache, NNY, J’m’en Fous etc) at the Friese, Bremen in 2010 - Words cannot even rudimentarily describe that Live experience but if you take a hint from Roberto’s and Titi’s previous Bands you might get an slight idea. Members are now underway in a band called BOF. Watch out for them.
Punk has never been freakier, better or sexier… apart from everything I played in. Of course.

19/05/2025

18/05/2025

aaand some more photographic DIY Punk memorabilia coz. I’m old (but sexy):

FINAL WARNING (US) at the Friese, Bremen. 30th April 1995… many moons ago. Stacy (Mankind?), with her back towards the camera, was doing Vocals on that (final) DIRT Tour as far I remember. Here helping out Neil with „Electrodes“ (NAUSEA Cover)… Russ from DREAD MESSIAH / SCREECH ROCK on Drums. Tom (Guitar) passed away the same year.
Are Steve and Stacy still around ? I meet Russ in 2022 when we did the Dread Messiah gig at the Friese.

18/05/2025

VISIONS OF WAR at the Friese, Bremen - 14th of July 2011 - Rest in Power W***y and Yvan!
🖤🖤🖤