Favourite experimental label?

Setun

Well, as the thread title says...

Have bought a few albums on the Rune Grammofon label recently, and while I don't yet know enough about it for it to be one of my favourites, I'll certainly be buying more in the future.

Warp would also be a favourite, with Tom Jenkinson, Aphex, Boards etc. While Warp encompasses many different and progressive styles, it still manages to retain a very subtle 'Warp mood' in all its recordings. Or maybe I'm just imagining it Nevertheless, there's a lot of fantastic albums that have come out on this label.

Anyone got any less predictable nominations? :pac:

Scubadevils

Nice thread idea, could do with some more labels to hunt down and spend money I don't have on!

Some current favourites of mine (with discogs links of course! :pac: )

Type Records

http://www.discogs.com/label/Type+Records

Only have a few releases from this label but all excellent. Very much ambient, experimental and modern classical. Some examples -

http://www.discogs.com/release/513898

A couple of tracks from this excellent chilled album...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jyMDm99YRo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2NDYru46os

Another excellent artist on this label - Helios

http://www.discogs.com/release/1159724

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnjPzOqlQXI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj55nG2tkKw

Modern Love

Mainly a Dub Techno label with a variety of other releases... part of boomkat.com

Some amazing albums and 12"s...

http://www.discogs.com/release/1232865 (this is a spectacular album and needs to be heard really as a complete piece for full effect)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOSmdKgRPVE

http://www.discogs.com/release/596721

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeKunyQuvX4

Will add more to this later, been pointed out to me that the sun is shining and we should go for a walk!

Setun

Here's a Rune Grammofon clip:

Live performance with visuals (that work very well imo). It's Phonophani with Marius Watz.

/EDIT just watched that again, it's freakin' insane about 5.30mins in.

cornbb

I guess mine would have to be Warp (yup, predictable alright ). Maybe Nina Tune to an extent too, I'd class some of their releases as experimental...

jiltloop

i'd have to say skam and rephlex, and also planet mu

bogmanfan

Gotta be Kranky for me. Stars Of The Lid, Labradford, Low, Godspeed, Keith Fullerton Whitman... the list goes on.

Also got a soft spot for Thrill Jockey, especially since they signed Boredoms, who join Tortoise, Sea and Cake, Brokeback, OOIOO and many more.

Setun

bogmanfan wrote: »

Gotta be Kranky for me. Stars Of The Lid, Labradford, Low, Godspeed, Keith Fullerton Whitman... the list goes on.

Also got a soft spot for Thrill Jockey, especially since they signed Boredoms, who join Tortoise, Sea and Cake, Brokeback, OOIOO and many more.

You going to the tortoise gig this weekend? I'm gonna be away for it, yar

John

I'm a big Rune Grammofon fan, absolutely love everything on that label.

Also a big Kranky fan, another consistently excellent label.

There are two other labels that I'd buy releases from just based on their usually great output and that's Important Records and aRCHIVE. Important does a huge range of things from folk and post rock to all out noise and electronic weirdness. Best of all, it's super cheap even with shipping.

aRCHIVE are a smaller label who are also eclectic but very much on the difficult side of eclectic. The pressing numbers are small (usually around 500) and the packaging is always beautiful. I own everything from this label bar the very first release (a Fu****susha 6CD live collection that was limited to half a dozen copies) and only one or two were disappointing. Most of the releases are from artists I've never heard before and I must say, Scott who runs the label knows his stuff.

Another fantastic label is Sub Rosa who concentrate mainly on unearthing rare items from the murky past of electronic music. They release a lot of musique concrete, electronic music from countries that you wouldn't expect to have a long running electronic community, recordings by avant garde artists (like James Joyce reading his own work, Marcel Duchamp interviews/music, etc.) and much more. Luckily I get a lot of their releases as promos for review as they're not the easiest to find but worth the hunt.

Setun

John wrote: »

I'm a big Rune Grammofon fan, absolutely love everything on that label.

Also a big Kranky fan, another consistently excellent label.

There are two other labels that I'd buy releases from just based on their usually great output and that's Important Records and aRCHIVE. Important does a huge range of things from folk and post rock to all out noise and electronic weirdness. Best of all, it's super cheap even with shipping.

aRCHIVE are a smaller label who are also eclectic but very much on the difficult side of eclectic. The pressing numbers are small (usually around 500) and the packaging is always beautiful. I own everything from this label bar the very first release (a Fu****susha 6CD live collection that was limited to half a dozen copies) and only one or two were disappointing. Most of the releases are from artists I've never heard before and I must say, Scott who runs the label knows his stuff.

Another fantastic label is Sub Rosa who concentrate mainly on unearthing rare items from the murky past of electronic music. They release a lot of musique concrete, electronic music from countries that you wouldn't expect to have a long running electronic community, recordings by avant garde artists (like James Joyce reading his own work, Marcel Duchamp interviews/music, etc.) and much more. Luckily I get a lot of their releases as promos for review as they're not the easiest to find but worth the hunt.

What Rune Grammofon artists do you like? I got a phonophani one recently which I'm enjoying at the mo. Also Arve Henriksen would be another favourite from the label, particularly Sakuteiki.

And where do you review, is it that brainwashed link in your sig?

John

Yeah, just click on the brainwashed link and my reviews are scattered through there, normally do 1-2 a week.

As for Rune Grammofon, my most favouritist artist on that label is Supersilent. They are probably one of the best improv groups on earth at the moment (I know you're a jazzer and if you're into the likes of Albert Ayler as well as other groups on Rune Grammofon, I think you'll dig them). Although the one time I saw them live (in the Sugar Club) they were awful. If you're interested, I did a review of there last album here.

Ultralyd are another (kind of similar) group that released their last album, Conditions for a Piece of Music, on RG. It's pretty heavy but absolutely mesmerising. Their Chromosome Gun album on Load records is also worth checking out. I really like Phonophani, Alog, Svalastog and Humcrush are decent too. I want to get the Box album as it sounds really interesting. Deathprod and Moha! are two others that I've dabbled in but yet to buy albums by.

In short, pretty much everything on this label is worth investigating.

Setun

John wrote: »

In short, pretty much everything on this label is worth investigating.

And the album jackets are always amazing.

John

Yeah and when you file them all beside each other they look dead neat. Unfortunately because I get a lot of these as promos, there's a dirty big hole punched through the sleeve by the distributor to stop journalists/buyers selling promos on which kind of ruins the sleeve. Still, free (physical format) music so I can't really complain.

Setun

Well my birthday's coming up, I'll now know what to do with the obligatory tower records vouchers now.

John

*cough* supersilent *cough*

ANarcho-Munk

This thread has been inspiring. Have a few cd's by bands on Load, Kranky and Warp but have never really looked into the labels as much as I would have done with a label like Dischord, Profane Existence or Sub-Pop.


Now...to go attain a few back catalogues.

Scubadevils

I was browsing Tower today and had a look at the various CD's by Stars Of The Lid. I already had 3 other albums picked and couldn't really justify another so thought I would investigate a bit first. Any recommendation as to where to start with them?

John

Any of their albums, every single one of them is wonderful. Their last album And Their Refinement of the Decline is phenomenal but really any of them will give you an idea of what they're at (and soothe you in the process, great driving music).

Scubadevils

Cheers, will be back in town during the week so will have to drop back into Tower so!

Setun

John wrote: »

*cough* supersilent *cough*

Well they were recommended to me again last night so if I can findone of their albums it will be bought

Setun

Hey John, listening to supersilent 4 atm. Quite intense sounds, really enjoying it.

John

Daddio wrote: »

Hey John, listening to supersilent 4 atm. Quite intense sounds, really enjoying it.

I haven't got that one but intense is the word! Glad you're enjoying it, nothing worse than recommending a difficult artist to someone and them hating it.

le_tigre

I'm resistant to the tag "experimental", because I think 99.999% of recorded music isn't. While experimentation may have been found at some point in the conceptual or recording process, there's little way to tell in the final product - at best, we hear conclusions. Some titles, like Christian Marclay's Record Without a Cover, do come to mind.

I think anything in Rune Grammofon with Biosphere, Deathprod or Arve Henriksen's name attached is first rate. Deathprod's 4CD boxed set from a few years ago is especially good. Touch are also a reliable label - I love their Philip Jeck releases, and that recent Sinking of the Titanic collab with Gavin Bryars was wonderful. INA/GRM {home of Bernard Parmegiani, did you clock that massive boxed set?}, Nonesuch and Columbia records from the 60s and 70s and the Creel Pone reissue label are also great.

Scubadevils

le_tigre wrote: »

I'm resistant to the tag "experimental", because I think 99.999% of recorded music isn't. While experimentation may have been found at some point in the conceptual or recording process, there's little way to tell in the final product - at best, we hear conclusions. Some titles, like Christian Marclay's Record Without a Cover, do come to mind.

I think anything in Rune Grammofon with Biosphere, Deathprod or Arve Henriksen's name attached is first rate. Deathprod's 4CD boxed set from a few years ago is especially good. Touch are also a reliable label - I love their Philip Jeck releases, and that recent Sinking of the Titanic collab with Gavin Bryars was wonderful. INA/GRM {home of Bernard Parmegiani, did you clock that massive boxed set?}, Nonesuch and Columbia records from the 60s and 70s and the Creel Pone reissue label are also great.

Anything from Biosphere tends to be amazing alright, still don't have all his albums but love everything I have. I just ordered 'Cirque' today on amazon so look forward to that.

I downloaded that 'Sinking of the Titanic' just today actually - blown away by it I must say, amazing album. Have to pick up that CD next.

Another recent one that I kept meaning to buy is 'IBM 1401, A Users Guide' by Johann Johannsson. Again, a 'preview' download today and on first listen it has hit the top of my list for next essential purchases, a really fantastic album and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get round to it.

John

I started a thread on Bryars a while ago after hearing "The Sinking of the Titanic" on Lyric. There's many different versions of this piece as Bryars wanted it to be constantly malleable. The version on Touch is excellent, a joint favourite with the one on Point Music (which from looking at your Last.fm Felix is the version you've got).

le_tigre

Felixdhc wrote: »

Another recent one that I kept meaning to buy is 'IBM 1401, A Users Guide' by Johann Johannsson. Again, a 'preview' download today and on first listen it has hit the top of my list for next essential purchases, a really fantastic album and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get round to it.

Felix,

If you like that, then Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks, on Fat Cat, comes with my enthusiastic recommendation. A lot of hype accompanied that release, and I reckon it earned every word of praise.

le_tigre

Felixdhc wrote: »

I was browsing Tower today and had a look at the various CD's by Stars Of The Lid. I already had 3 other albums picked and couldn't really justify another so thought I would investigate a bit first. Any recommendation as to where to start with them?

For a first record, I say go the whole hog and grab Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid, but like yer man says, everything's worth owning. Refinement..., Ballasted Orchestra and Music for Nitrous Oxide are special favorites, here. It's enough to make a guy sell all his synths and rock a floor full of guitar pedals.

Scubadevils

le_tigre wrote: »

Felix,

If you like that, then Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks, on Fat Cat, comes with my enthusiastic recommendation. A lot of hype accompanied that release, and I reckon it earned every word of praise.

Thats gas, I actually had that in my hand today along with 'Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again' by Tim Hecker in Tower Records but as I was already over budget with another 3, they were put back for another day. Anyone heard that Tim Hecker album actually? - been tempted several times now.

I picked up the Johannsson one today along with Shenzhou by Biosphere and Rubycon by Tangerine Dream. And ordered the Titanic one from Amazon... which is the Touch version so will be interested to hear the most up to date version of this.

Scubadevils

le_tigre wrote: »

For a first record, I say go the whole hog and grab Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid, but like yer man says, everything's worth owning. Refinement..., Ballasted Orchestra and Music for Nitrous Oxide are special favorites, here. It's enough to make a guy sell all his synths and rock a floor full of guitar pedals.

Cheers, I will have to get something by them the next time round.

Its amazing, there really is no end to the amount of excellent music out there.

Setun

le_tigre wrote: »

Felix,

If you like that, then Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks, on Fat Cat, comes with my enthusiastic recommendation. A lot of hype accompanied that release, and I reckon it earned every word of praise.

Fantastic 'album', if you can call it that. I may or may not prefer Memoryhouse though, I can't decide.

le_tigre

Felixdhc wrote: »

Thats gas, I actually had that in my hand today along with 'Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again' by Tim Hecker in Tower Records but as I was already over budget with another 3, they were put back for another day. Anyone heard that Tim Hecker album actually? - been tempted several times now.

Hecker goes from strength to strength. Haunt Me is good, but I really rate Radio Amour and Ultraviolet. They're perfect for those 3am Kompakt moods.

Scubadevils

Felixdhc wrote: »

Cheers, I will have to get something by them the next time round.

Its amazing, there really is no end to the amount of excellent music out there.

Picked up Refinement there during the week, had a listen to the 1st disc and I am completely sold, lovely stuff.

I also got the Titanic CD yesterday which as previously mentioned is the Touch release. It's very good but I prefer the version I downloaded during the week, much more emotional and less experimental I suppose. I will have to try find that release on CD.

John

Felixdhc wrote: »

Anyone heard that Tim Hecker album actually? - been tempted several times now.

le_tigre wrote: »

Hecker goes from strength to strength. Haunt Me is good, but I really rate Radio Amour and Ultraviolet. They're perfect for those 3am Kompakt moods.

I've only got Harmony in Ultraviolet which I got free at a music festival and I love, love, love it. Keep meaning to pick up more, thanks for reminding me guys.

Felixdhc wrote: »

Picked up Refinement there during the week, had a listen to the 1st disc and I am completely sold, lovely stuff.

Glad to hear you enjoyed them. I'm heading to Boston in November to see them again (among other bands). Can't wait!

I also got the Titanic CD yesterday which as previously mentioned is the Touch release. It's very good but I prefer the version I downloaded during the week, much more emotional and less experimental I suppose. I will have to try find that release on CD.

I prefer the other one to the Touch one but the Touch one is still absolutely gorgeous. I tend to pick at random which one I listen to. The other version is available in Tower Records I think and it's certainly on amazon (where I got mine).

buck65

ipecac records owned by Mike Patton

markw999

My favourite Tim Hecker is the amazing Harmony in Ultraviolet

As for labels, I recommend Alien8, Constellation and Important. In that order.

manfist

Pretty much everything on warp is amazing (take out maximo park).
rephlex is also amazing, the tuss being a favourite of mine latley.
Planet Mu would be up there aswell , U-Ziq(cnt do the proper symbol on this) is top notch especialy.

Scubadevils

Another label I have just started with is n5MD - I picked up an excellent compilation the other day and will certainly be hunting down more from the artists featured on the compilation -

http://www.discogs.com/release/1112212

There was an album playing also in City Discs which I now regret not buying by 'Lights Out Asia' -

http://www.discogs.com/release/1410106

Worth a listen on their myspace -

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=13935750

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbrGtHu2FUU

Will definitely be checking out more from this label.

Scubadevils

Got 'The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid' today... loving it too. Also picked up 'Lift Your Skinny Fists' by Godspeed - excellent stuff also. Lots more to check out from Kranky it seems!

Setun

Felixdhc wrote: »

There was an album playing also in City Discs which I now regret not buying by 'Lights Out Asia' -

http://www.discogs.com/release/1410106

Will definitely be checking out more from this label.

Thanks for that felix, if I wasn't broke I'd be out buying it now :rolleyes:

Scubadevils

Daddio wrote: »

Thanks for that felix, if I wasn't broke I'd be out buying it now :rolleyes:

Yeah it sounds excellent, the label seems to be generally very good too.

Picked up today...

Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks
Machinefabriek - Marijn
http://www.discogs.com/release/710223
Anders Ilar - Ludwijka
http://www.discogs.com/release/953826

Only listened to the Max Richter album so far and really enjoying it.... thanks for the recommendations in this thread (I think this thread anyway!).

Some more CD's on the way from Amazon and Boomkat... my credit card is through the roof (but web stores don't seem to mind when less than £40 or so per transaction ).

On a side note, I'm in London for the week next week. Working but hope to get a chance to look around some music stores... any recommendations - especially places good for electronic, vinyl, 2nd hand etc?

John

Felixdhc wrote: »

On a side note, I'm in London for the week next week. Working but hope to get a chance to look around some music stores... any recommendations - especially places good for electronic, vinyl, 2nd hand etc?

Second Layer/Sound 323 is a must go for electronic music. I spent over £100 there on my last visit!

Rough Trade is always a good place to stop and there are loads of second hand shops around Camden and on Berwick St.

Scubadevils

John wrote: »

Second Layer/Sound 323 is a must go for electronic music. I spent over £100 there on my last visit!

Rough Trade is always a good place to stop and there are loads of second hand shops around Camden and on Berwick St.

Cheers John, didn't make it to these but did get to both HMV & Zavvi on Oxford St which both put all Irish music stores to shame! More so for dance though I should say as the more experimental electronic side wasn't that well featured.

Will defo check out those above next visit - which is next week!

John

Sound323 will more than whet your experimental appetite. Be sure to look through the 2nd hand rack as I found loads of interesting items for very reasonable prices.

Scubadevils

John wrote: »

Sound323 will more than whet your experimental appetite. Be sure to look through the 2nd hand rack as I found loads of interesting items for very reasonable prices.

Yeah will definitely have to get there. Due over in a couple of weeks again so will have to find time.

Another recent discovery for me is Loscil who is also on Kranky. I have only bought one album so far but it is unreal -

http://www.discogs.com/release/249365

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gkxd5H81LM

Will be buying everything else by him once I can afford!

Kranky really is a fantastic label.