Crammed Discs Explained

Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released around 400 albums and 300 singles, working with artists from all over the world (from Western Europe and the US to the Balkans and North & Central Africa, from South America to the Middle East and Japan).

Crammed Discs is run by Marc Hollander (A&R) with Hanna Gorjaczkowska (artist development, marketing, distribution & art direction) and Vincent Kenis (producer, director of the Congotronics Series).

Marc Hollander and Crammed Discs received the WOMEX award in 2004 at the World Music Expo international music trade fair, for being "one of the seminal players on the world music field".[1] However, the label has always systematically worked with electronic music, indie pop and rock artists, and "doesn't see itself as a world music label: it just happens to enjoy working with artists from around the world, some of whom sing in languages other than English" (as stated in the label's manifesto).[2] Crammed has been described as "one of the most boldly eclectic independent labels around" (Pitchfork),[3] as "innovative and groundbreaking"[4] and "visionary",[5] a.o. for steadily avoiding to confine its roster "to one, potentially homogeneous category" and encouraging artists with plural identities to create new forms of music.[6]

In 2011, Crammed Discs celebrated its 30th anniversary by setting up the Congotronics vs Rockers project, a "superband" including ten Congolese and ten indie rock musicians (including members of Konono No1, Deerhoof, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Kasai Allstars, Skeletons, Juana Molina and Vincent Kenis), who collaborated to create a common repertoire and performed at 15 major festivals and venues in ten countries.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

From 2008 to 2014, the following artists have joined the Crammed Discs roster: Chicago band Allá, indie pop act Lonely Drifter Karen (from Vienna and Barcelona), London-based Moroccan electronic artist U-cef, Congolese band Staff Benda Bilili, musician/composer/producer Mocky, Belgian band Hoquets, Belgo-Congolese rapper Baloji, Belgian-Colombian band La Chiva Gantiva, French-American artist Maïa Vidal, US bands Skeletons & Megafaun, South African/Dutch band SKIP&DIE, Belgian band Amatorski, Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, Argentinian artist Juana Molina and Ghanaian/Swiss band OY.

The label's latest signings (2016-2023) are Parisian electronic music collective Acid Arab, Portuguese singer & musician Lula Pena, young French-Welsh band Fauna Twin, French experimental pop band Aquaserge, Matias Aguayo & The Desdemonas, the new rock band founded by the German-Chilean electronic music producer, Berlin-based Spanish experimental musician Don The Tiger, French-Chilean band Nova Materia, Lagos/London project Ekiti Sound, Ugandan/British band Nihiloxica, Californian musician Scott Gilmore, renowned producer Pascal Gabriel and his new Stubbleman project, and Palestinian techno duet Zenobia.

Sub-labels

Because of the diversity of the label's output since its early days in the 1980s, its founders chose to create several sub-labels.[12] This policy was discarded during the latter part of the 1990s, because Crammed felt that genre-blending had finally become acceptable.[13]

Crammed also had several specialized and one-artist sub-labels:

Currently the only subsiding Crammed Discs imprints are Congotronics and Made To Measure. Congotronoics is not a sub-label per se, but a collection of releases by Congolese bands who play their own respective styles of electrified traditional music (such as Konono No1 and Kasai Allstars).[21] The series is curated and produced by Vincent Kenis.As for the Made To Measure composers' series, it is being discreetly revived since 2013 (after having remained inactive for 18 years), as 6 new volumes have recently come out.

Discography (albums)

1980

Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits, with Chris Cutler and Fred Frith (LP 1980, CD reissue in 1995, vinyl reissue in 2018)
1981

Onze Danses Pour Combattre la Migraine (originally out in 1977, released on Crammed in 1981, CD reissue in 2003, vinyl reissue in 2015)

Minimal Compact (mini-album, 1981, reissued on CD as part of One+One By One)

Band Apart (mini-album)

Greatest Hits
1982

Les Tueurs de la Lune de Miel

Lunga Notte (mini-album)

The World On My Plates


1983

One By One (1983, reissued on CD as part of One+One By One)

Marseille


1984

Deadly Weapons

Regrets Eternels (1984, re-released in 2003 as part of Secret Love - Compiled Electropop Works)
1985

Mr Manager

Sedimental Journey

Holy Wars

Raging Souls

Half Mute (originally out on Ralph Records in 1980, reissued on Crammed in 1985)

Géographies

Fatal Reverie (1985, re-released in 2003 as part of Secret Love - Compiled Electropop Works)

Rapture In Baghdad, feat. Adrian Sherwood
1986

In Search of a Decent Haircut

Commercial Suicide

Desire (originally out on Ralph Records in 1981, re-issued on Crammed in 1986)

Ship of Fools

A Walk In The Woods

Stranger Than Paradise (original soundtrack from the Jim Jarmusch film)

Ere Mela Mela (originally released 1975-76, released on Crammed Discs in 1986, and re-issued as part of the Ethiopiques series in 2000)

Reivax au Bongo
1987

The Figure One Cuts

You

Lowlands Flight

Music For Commercials

Down By Law (original soundtrack from the Jim Jarmusch film)

The Truth Is Hard To Swallow

Suite en Sous-Sol/Time To Lose/Short Stories (originally out in 1982 and 1983, re-issued on Crammed in 1987)
1988

White Out Conditions

It Seems

Nebka

Pinheads on the Move
1989

Live

Guilty

Cold Tears

Tone Poems


1990

Birds Of Passage

Géologies

La fiancée aux yeux de bois

East On Fire

The Top Of His Head

Le cri du lézard

Arrows

Divine, soundtrack for a Maurice Béjart ballet (1982, reissued on Crammed in 1990)
1991

Entre l'étoile et le carré

Toleki Bango (Miles Ahead)

Musique des Tziganes de Roumanie

Domino One

Loonychip Classics

Fishing Le Kiss

Nekonotopia Nekonomania

Zap Mama (retitled Adventures In Afropea for the US release, 1991)

Sahara Blue feat. John Cale, Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian...
1992

Shimmering Warm and Bright

Les Snuls, bien entendu
1993

Water Dragon

Self-Portrait Jumping

Solve et Coagula

Le Parfum du Raki

Granite & Sand


1994

2 l'Amour

Sabsylma

Cannibale

Honourable Brigands, Magic Horses & Evil Eye


1995

Wrong

Les dieux sont fâchés/The Gods Are Angry

Surreal Sheep
1996

The Man In The Shadow

Remixed Sheep

Mashreq Classics
1997

The Ghost Sonata (1991, reissued on Crammed in 1997)

L'Orient est rouge

Alien Rainbow

Dissected

The Arc Of Blueness

Esoteric Red


1998

Dumbala Dumba

First Class Ticket To Telos

The Unbearable Lightness Of Auto-Repeating

Internal Clock

Revisited Classics

I Don't Like Music, a collection of remixes

Faces & Phases (2CD)
1999

I Don't Like Music 2, a collection of remixes

Spears Into Hooks

Outro Lado

Pillar Of Salt


2000

Tanto Tempo

Simply

The Hill

Les Petits Chefs

Madman of God


2001

Band of Gypsies

The Other Side of Outro Lado

Samba Rock

Goingmobile

Brasilidade

Tanto Tempo Remixes
2002

Alone at my Wedding

Tales of High Fever

Escape To Where


2003

Cibelle

Natural

Compiled Electronic Landscapes

One Down, One Up (2CD)
2004

Bebel Gilberto

Cabin In The Sky

Seismic Riffs (DVD)

Mahala Rai Banda

Beleza! Beleza!! Beleza!!!

Uma Batida Diferente

Congotronics

Returning Wheel (3-CD box set, including new remixes and rarities)
2005

Rive Gauche Rio

Bebel Gilberto Remixed

Res Inexplicata Volans feat. Cibelle, Seu Jorge etc.

Aparelhagem

Whaa!

About A Girl EP (CD/DVD dualdisc)

The Continuing Adventures Of... (DVD+CD)


2006

Trafico

The Shine Of Dried Electric Leaves

Bardo Hotel Soundtrack

The Ballad of Den The Men


2007

Vapour Trails

77o7 TM (The 30th Anniversary Box) (3CD+1DVD)

Momento

Maskarada

Psychoscout

Nu Med

Camping Shaabi

Live At Couleur Cafe


2008

The Ravished Bride

1 Real

Nu-Made (CD+DVD)

Halalwood


2009

Ao Vivo (DVD+CD)

Planet Paprika

Sonido Amazonico!

Cheer Me, Perverts


2010

Fall Of Spring

Blue Eyed Black Boy

Las Venus Resort Palace Hotel

Pesebre

Alternative Takes on Congotronics feat. Deerhoof, Andrew Bird, Juana Molina, Micachu, Glenn Kotche & more (2CD)

Heretofore
2011

People

Belgotronics

Unearthed, previously-unreleased music and videos (CD+DVD)

Megafaun

The Last Werewolf

Pelao

God Is My Bike

Kinshasa Succursale
2012

Wait For Me

Poles

Give

Bongo Hotheads

Canibalismo

Bouger Le Monde

Riots In The Jungle
2013

TBC (+ Same Stars We Shared)

Spaces

Alter

Ya Nass


2014

Vivo

No Problem Saloon

from clay to figures

Pink Narcissus

Beware The Fetish

Segundo (re-issue - originally out in 2000)

Tres Cosas (re-issue - originally out in 2002)

Son (re-issue - originally out in 2006)

Un día (re-issue - originally out in 2008)

Amansara

It Is Time For You To Return
2015

Of Lovers, Gamblers and Parachute Skirts

Hombre de piedra

Cosmic Serpents

Dangerous Orbits

The Best of Soapkills

You're The Waves

The Vinyl Box (retrospective, 10-LP boxed set)
2016

Konono N°1 meets Batida

Musique de France

Guerre EP

The Hydra EP


2017

Archivo Pittoresco

Laisse ça être

Passé composé futur conditionnel

Al Jamilat

Around Félicité

Halo

Un día (vinyl release)

Music For Commercials (vinyl reissue)

Noir et Blanc (vinyl reissue)
2018

Un peu de l'âme des bandits (vinyl reissue)

Déjà-vous?

Jamilat Reprise

It Comes

Matanzas
2019

Two Roomed Motel

Abeg No Vex

Mountains And Plains

Band Apart (vinyl reissue)

Support Alien Invasion

Forfun EP

Adventures in Afropea (vinyl reissue)

Kinshasa 1978 (Originals & Reconstructions) - feat. Konono No.1, Sankayi, Martin Meissonnier
2020

Doctor Fluorescent (feat. Scott Gilmore & Eddie Ruscha)

Figures

Halak, Halak

Kaloli

Abeg No Vex Remixes vol.1 (digital EP)

The Blackbird Tapes (digital EP)

Live At Home (digital EP)
2021

Black Ants Always Fly Together...

Xpujil

The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge

Redrawn Figures 1 and Redrawn Figures 2
2022

El Hombre Invisible

Where's The One?

Fictions (Made To Measure Vol.47) feat. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Mary Lattimore etc

Neon Colonialismo
2023

Trois

Une aventure de VV (songspiel)

Jojoni

Drum Money

Source of Denial
2024

Curves and Bends, Things Veer

Le fin de l'économie
Crammed Samplers

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

Maïa Vidal (2012)

Crammed Discs artists (past and present)

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The WOMEX 2004 Award . Womex.com . 2013-04-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130820091017/http://womex.com/realwomex/item.php?items_id=37 . 2013-08-20 .
  2. Web site: Manifesto on the Crammed website . Crammed.be.dd5126.kasserver.com . 2013-04-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130430234840/http://crammed.be.dd5126.kasserver.com/index.php?id=32 . 2013-04-30 . dead .
  3. Web site: Pitchfork . Pitchfork . 2007-04-25 . 2013-04-13.
  4. Web site: Radio Nova. Nova.fr. 2020-02-14.
  5. Web site: Les Inrockuptibles . Lesinrocks.com . 2013-04-13.
  6. Web site: Snell . Heather . Pop Matters . Pop Matters . 2013-04-13.
  7. News: Caspar Llewellyn Smith . The Guardian . 2011-07-13. 2013-04-13 . London.
  8. Web site: The Quietus . The Quietus . 2011-07-11 . 2013-04-13.
  9. Web site: Howard. Male . The Arts Desk . 12 July 2011 . The Arts Desk . 2013-04-13.
  10. Web site: Pitchfork . Pitchfork . 2011-03-28 . 2013-04-13.
  11. Web site: Les Inrockuptibles . Lesinrocks.com . 2013-04-13 . 2015-06-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150618050919/http://www.lesinrocks.com/2011/07/05/musique/congotronics-vs-lindie-rock-en-tournee-joyeux-bordel-1112953/ . dead .
  12. Web site: Marc Hollander's Womex Award acceptance speech . Womex.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130820091017/http://womex.com/realwomex/item.php?items_id=37 . 2013-08-20 .
  13. Web site: Interview in Belgian daily Le Soir . Blog.lesoir.be . 2011-09-19 . 2013-04-13.
  14. Web site: Made To Measure web page . Crammed.be . 2013-04-13.
  15. Web site: SSR web page . Crammed.be . 2013-04-13.
  16. Web site: Language web page . Crammed.be . 2013-04-13.
  17. Web site: PAUL AMES Associated Press 2007-06-18 05:17 PM . Associated Press . Taiwannews.com.tw . 2007-06-18 . 2013-04-13.
  18. Web site: Ziriguiboom web page . Crammed.be . 2013-04-13.
  19. Web site: Selector web page . Crammed.be . 2013-04-13.
  20. Web site: Artist Details: CRAMMED DISCS . Crammed.be . 2013-04-13.
  21. Web site: The Congotronics web page . Crammed.be . 2013-04-13.