Unspooling the Thread // Favorite Record Labels (Pt. 1)

Unspooling the Thread Music and Social Media

As a part of 4th of July weekend, we asked our readers/followers to name their favorite record label(s) – the more obscure, the better. To say that the delivered would be an understatement, so read on…

Bad Cake Records

Our own pick! Out of Minnesota comes this misfit, non-elitist cassette label whose first two releases knocked us off of our feet (Witness to an Execution by The Eternal / Majick by The Triangle Man).

Bad Cake was rather quiet over the last year, but now they’re back in action.

The Black Editions Group

Has to be @AllBlackEdition for their work with the PSF back catalogue. The couple I’ve bought sound stunning and look beautiful.

Label group including Black Editions, VDSQ and Thin Wrist Recordings. Based in L.A. presenting new worlds of sound and music both on record and in performance.

Label Roster – 75 Dollar Bill / Chris Brokaw / Acid Mothers Temple / Wendy Eisenberg and more

via Vogon Laundromat

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Spare No Expanse

It’s in your head, between your ears

PA is run by Bob Bucko Jr. and put out many of his own records + material from Adderall Canyonly (aka Oxykitten), Cop Funeral (Joshua Tabbia from Already Dead Tapes) and others.

SNE is a private press cassette label specializing in minimalism & avant-garde composition run by leaaves. They put out material by Lost Trail Family Shibe (aka Nonconnah), among others.

via The Orchid Show

Hello Sir Records

Hello Sir is an independent record label based out of Athens, Georgia. It was formed by the members of the band Cinemechanica as a means to release their own material, and that of their peers. They have put out releases by bands such as Maserati, We Versus The Shark, Ahleuchatistas, The Mercury Program, Ho-Ag, Serka, So Many Dynamos, Tiger Bear Wolf, Antarctic, The Bronzed Chorus, and A.Armada.

via Radiomancy Museum

Audiobulb

Exploratory music label releasing albums, audio projects, creative software and hardware.

Put out releases by Distant Fires Burning (Belgium), Tomotsugu Nakamura (Japan) and more.

via Neuro…No Neuro

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Subexotic Records

Spun Out of Control

Burning Witches Records

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Finders Keepers Records

International Anthem

Brownswood Recordings

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Subexotic Records was formed in 2010 in London and manufactures all its packaging, vinyl cuts & cassette dubs in-house. SR put out records by Simon Klee, Blank Disco and more.

Spun Out of Control and Burning Witches are UK labels specializing in synth/electronic music and imaginary soundtracks.

Finders Keepers was formed by Andy Votel (Twisted Nerve Records) and Doug Shipton (Cherry Red) with an eye towards reintroducing vintage records to a new audience. Think Suzanne Ciani, Jean-Claude Vannier, Andrzej Korzyński and more.

International Anthem is one label whose name we keep seeing again and again in different guest mixes (i.e. here and here). And for a good reason – IA seem to be absolutely relentless in their search for new and adventurous music, particularly that written by black composers/artists.

Last, but not least – Brownswood Recordings, label formed by DJ, record collector and broadcaster Gilles Peterson in 2006. Much like IA, they specialize in putting out eclectic music from all over the globe – most recently, Songs of an Unknown Tongue by Jamaican artist Zara McFarlane.

via David Soulscorch