List of industrial music labels explained

List of industrial music labels
Abovestyle:background:lightgrey;
Above:List of industrial music labels
Headerstyle:background:lightgrey;
Labelstyle:background:lightgrey;
Header1:General Information
Label2:Related genres (partial)
Label3:Location
Data3:Worldwide

The following is a list of music labels that predominantly feature industrial music styles and that have released or distributed work by one or more notable industrial music artists or bands.

The releases for each of the labels here listed can be categorized by one of the many industrial music genres for the entirety of, or a significant portion of, the label's lifetime. For the purposes of this list we are using a maximally inclusive definition of "industrial" music, taking a cue from S. Alexander Reed's characterization of genre as "both hazy and changing over time." Therefore, some labels, such as Cleopatra, Mute, and Play It Again Sam that began as predominantly industrial music labels but diversified over the years are included due to their significant contributions to the genre during those periods.

Many of the listed labels shared bands and artists due to licensing agreements meant to increase distribution in different markets and geographic areas; e.g.: Cleopatra & Zoth Ommog, Metropolis & Off Beat, Wax Trax! & Play It Again Sam. Likewise, some of these labels revived the back catalog of others that have closed, e.g.: Infacted with Zoth Ommog & Bloodline, Metropolis with 21st Circuitry & Pendragon, etc. Several labels spawned sub-labels to differentiate between styles; any of which that meet the genre definitions above are included separately in the list with relationships indicated.

Labels

NameYearSelected Notable ActsNotes
13th Planet Records2005Founded by Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen.
21st Circuitry1991A San Francisco record label, acquired by Metropolis in 1999.
A Different Drum1996An independent record label and online store specializing in synthpop and related genres and founded by Todd Durrant.[1] The label held a yearly Synthpop Music Festival which ran for 3 years, from 2004 to 2006; in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Red Lion Hotel.[2] A selection of songs from the label's artists have been featured on various versions of Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series, including the arcade version of Dance Dance Revolution X.
Accession Records1996Founded by Adrian Hates.
Ad Noiseam2001Founded by Nicolas Chevreux. Originally started out as a webzine but quickly moved on to being a record-label.
Alfa Matrix2001Founded by staff members of Side-Line magazine, Séba Dolimont, Bernard Van Isacker, and Benoît Blanchart.[3]
Alien8 Recordings1996Canadia label founded by Sean O'Hara and Gary Worsley.
Ant Zen1992Established in Germany by Stefan Alt and Alex Pickar. The name is derived from the phrase "Anti-Zensur" ("anti-censorship"). Ant Zen also runs several boutique sub-labels including Bazooka Joe, Delikatessen Records, Duebel, Flyco, Hymen Records, and Mirex.[4] [5] [6]
Antler / Antler-Subway Records1982Belgian label founded in Aarschot by music producer Roland Beelen. In 1989, Antler merged with Maurice Engelen's (of Lords Of Acid) New Beat imprint Subway Records. The label was influential in EBM & New Beat during its early years but shifted towards a more dance & techno roster during the 90s.
Artificial Sun2012Established to distribute records by industrial bands and artists mainly on territory of Russia, CIS and Europe and Naveen.
Artoffact Records1999Founded by Jacek Kozlowski
Avalanche Recordings1999Founded by English musician Justin Broadrick in 1999. It is named after Broadrick's own recording studio, Avalanche Studios, and mainly releases Justin Broadrick's side projects.
Bain Total1977Founded by French photographer, Philippe Fichot, who used the label to primarily release his work as Die Form as well as other experimental music artists.
Beyond Therapy Records2010Founded in Orlando, Florida by Ben V of Ludovico Technique in 2010.
Body Records1981Founded by Dirk Ivens of Absolute Body Control. Distributed in part by Antler Records.[7]
Celtic Circle Productions1992Founded by Alfred Kaenders. Spawned sub-label Khazad-Dûm and produced compilation releases for Side-Line and Vertigo. The label ceased operations in 1998 after experiencing financial difficulties.[8]
Cleopatra Records1992see Founded in Los Angeles by Brian Perera. It started out as a primarily industrial-gothic imprint that imported many European bands to the US, but has since grown into a more diverse direction and spawned a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, Deadline Music Records, and X-Ray Records.
Cold Meat Industry1987Founded by Roger Karmanik, and specialized in niche music genres such as dark ambient, death industrial, and neoclassical dark wave.
Cold Spring1990Founded by Justin Mitchell and based in Northamptonshire, England, specialising in "all forms of extreme media, but particularly: Dark ambient, Neo-classical/Neo-folk, Orchestral, Power Electronics/Noise, Japanese Noise, Minimal, Death Industrial, Dark Soundtracks, Experimental, obscure electronics from Russia, China, Japan, and Poland.
Come Organisation1979Founded by William Bennett initially as a means for releasing his own music as Come.
Contempo International1984Founded by Giampiero Barlotti. Shares a name with a record shop in Firenze, Italy from where the label was formed.[9] First active from 1984 to 1995, Contempo specialized in electronic, industrial, and post-punk. The label has since relaunched with a focus on indie and rock genres.
COP International1991Founded in 1991 by Christian Petke (a.k.a. Count Zero of Deathline Int'l.) in Frankfurt, Germany. A few months later his girlfriend, Kim "X" Nguyen, opened a branch office in Oakland, CA. Among the more notable of the label's releases were the female-focused, "Diva X Machina" compilations series.
Cyberware Productions1993
Daft Records1991Dirk Ivens' second label, after Body Records.
Dais Records2007Founded by musicians Gibby Miller and Ryan Martin.[10]
Dancing Ferret Discs1998Established by Patrick Rodgers (a.k.a. DJ Ferret) in 1995 with the formation of sister company Dancing Ferret Concerts.
Darkest Labyrinth2000First called Cure, Starwave Records started as an Osaka-based project to release works by label-owner Kiwamu's own band Blood. The label changed names to Darkest Labyrinth and expanded to distribute music by international Gothic and Post-Industrial artists in Japan.
Decibel1994Founded by composer Tom Muschitz in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Dependent Records1999see An EBM "mega label" founded by former Off Beat A&R manager Stefan Herwig along with Eskil Simonsson (Covenant), Johan Van Roy (Suicide Commando), Bryan Erickson (Velvet Acid Christ), and Ronan Harris (VNV Nation).
Digital Hardcore Recordings1994Established by Alec Empire, Joel Amaretto and Pete Lawton and based in Berlin.
Discordia1992Closed in 1997 and re-emerged as Triton. Ran a sub-label, Taste This, to release the Taste This compilation series.
Dossier1985Founded by Manfred Schiek.[11]
Durtro1990Formed by David Tibet of Current 93, mainly for releasing his own records.
Dynamica1993Founded by Jor and Anna Rosen after the success of Machinery Records specifically to release industrial metal music. Both labels later came under the Noise Records banner, a label of Modern Music Records, but still continued to release music under their own names.
Earthly Delights1986Founded by Nigel Ayers of Nocturnal Emissions. The label's name refers to Hieronymous Bosch's painting The Garden of Earthly Delights.
Eerie Materials1990First based in Richmond, Virginia and later in San Francisco, California
Energy1989A sub-label of Hot Stuff founded by Per Faeltenbor. Merged with the labels Front Music Production and Electronic Beat Association in 1990 to become Energy Rekords.[12]
Energy Rekords1990Formed in 1990 by the merging of the three labels: Front Music Production, Electronic Beat Association, and Energy - all small labels run from the Swedish town of Älmhult - founders Håkan Ehrnst, Krister Svensson and Per Faeltenborg. In 1998 Energy Rekords merged with October Records and added that label's bands to its roster.
Extreme Records1985Founded by Ulex Xane and initially specialised in underground experimental and industrial cassettes. Roger Richards became involved in 1987 and eventually became the label's director after Xane's departure.
Fetish Records1978Founded by Rod Pearce, who adapted the name from a mail art t-shirt. It was also a home to the early works of graphic designer Neville Brody, who created artwork for releases as art director for the label. Fetish's final release was the compilation album The Last Testament in 1983, which featured a sleeve note written by Jon Savage.
Fifth Colvmn Records1990see Founded by Zalman Fishman, owner of the nightclub FIFTH COLVMN, located in Washington D.C. Following an investigation for tax evasion, the Fifth Column nightclub closed in 1996. Although a separate entity, the label eventually suffered as well and ceased operation in 1997.
FiXT2006Founded out of Esion Media, the name under which Klayton published his earliest Celldweller material.
Fourth Dimension Records1984Founded by Gary Levermore as an offshoot of his Third Mind label before being taken over by Richard Johnson (aka Richo) in 1984.
Front Music Production1987Founded by Håkan Ehrns. In 1990 merged with the labels Energy (A Division Of Hot Stuff) and Electronic Beat Association to become Energy Rekords. Front Music Production was connected to Swiss label Art Sound Records. Both labels have been founded by Swiss/Sweden music magazine New Life.
Functional1993A division of Tesco Organisation specializing in Industrial, Heavy Electronics and Noise. Mainly re-releasing sold out cassettes.[13]
GPC Productions1989A.k.a. "General Purpose Cassettes," founded in Newark, DE by Sloth (a member of Batz Without Flesh), Cliff Tkac (a member of XenophoN) and Alex Kane (of Sinister Attraction.)[14] [15]
GUN Records1992German industrial, metal, and crossover label founded by Bogdan Kopec; ceased operations in 2009.
Hard Records1992Cophenhagen-based label and distributor founded by Christian Rosén.
Homestead Records1983Distributor of Dutch East India Trading turned label; established by Barry Tenenbaum and Sam Berger.[16]
Hospital Productions1998Founded by Dominick Fernow and also operated as a physical record store.[17]
Hypnobeat Records1987Founded by Oliver Roesch and distributed by Semaphore in Europe. Co-located with sister label Hyperium Records.
Hypnos1996Established by M. Griffin to release his own recordings, but later expanded to distribute other ambient and drone artists including releases on the Binary and Hypnos Secret Sounds sub-labels.
Industrial Records1976Industrial Records is a record label established in 1976 by industrial music group and performance artists Throbbing Gristle. The group created the label primarily for self-releases but also signed several other groups and artists. The label gave a name to the industrial music genre.
Infacted Recordings2003Founded by Torben Schmidt (formerly A&R Manager of the labels Zoth Ommog & Bloodline).
Invisible Records1988A Chicago-based record label founded by Martin Atkins. In 2001, Invisible Records started a subsidiary label, Underground Inc.
KK Records1987Belgian label that was influential with EBM/Industrial in the 2nd half of the 80s. During the 90s the style changed into some more experimental pop-electro before it dissolved around 2000. Spawned numerous sublabels including Electrip, Instinct Ambient Europe, KK Traxx, Madagascar, Nova Zembla, Radical Ambient, Terminal Antwerp, Ultraxx, Zazaboem.
Machinery Records1989Founded by Jor Jenka and Anna Rosen in Berlin, Germany. In 1991, Machinery came under the Noise Records banner, as part of the Modern Music Records group. By the end of the 1990s Machinery was releasing less music, with many of the original acts instead releasing on the Dynamica sub-label. When Modern Music was acquired by the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001, the Machinery imprint was dropped.
Memento Materia1992A Swedish record label focusing on synth-, electro- and futurepop, although it also released some EBM in the 1990s. In 2001, it formed Prototyp, a sublabel focusing on EBM, industrial and harder electro.
Metropolis Records1993see Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1993 by Dave Heckman. The label's all-electronic format closely tracked with European contemporaries such as Off Beat and, since 1995, has been instrumental in promoting and distributing underground electronic music in America.
Minus Habens1987Founded by composer Ivan Iusco, originally to release his own work as Nightmare Lodge as well as other Italian electronic musicians. Minus Habens spawned a sister label, Disturbance, that focused on techno & ambient including Iusco's own IT project.[18]
Mute Records1978see Founded by Daniel Miller of The Normal.
Negative Gain Productions1997Currently run by Roger Jarvis (of KDC and HexRx) and Micah Skaritka (of Cruciform Injection); also publishes NGP Magazine.
Nettwerk1984see List of former Nettwerk Music Group label artistsOriginally created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride, Mark Jowett, Ric Arboit and Dan Fraser, as a record label to distribute recordings by the band Moev, but the label expanded in Canada and internationally. Initially specializing in electronic music genres such as alternative dance and industrial, the label turned towards pop and rock in the late 1980s and 1990s.
New European Recordings1981Began as Death In June's personal self-produced label. In the 1980s' NER was distributed by Rough Trade UK, in 1990s' by World Serpent Distribution. Due to legal problems between Death In June and WSD, in 2000 the distributor then became Tesco Organisation, Germany which ended 7 years later. Since 2007 the official Worldwide distributors of the NER catalogue are Soleilmoon in America and NEROZ II in Australia.
Neurot Recordings1999Founded by members of avant-garde metal band Neurosis.
Nextera1989Czech record label founded by Kristian Kotarac.
Nilaihah Records1999Founded by Kristy Venrick of The Azoic, after Oneiroid Psychosis asked her to release their next album. Though she did not have a record label at the time, Oneiroid Psychosis was impressed by Kristy's success at promoting her own band. After considering the proposal, a year later, Kristy agreed and decided to begin Nilaihah Records.
Nothing Records1992see Nothing Records discographyFounded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor as a sub-label of Interscope Records.
Nova Zembla1993Sub-label of KK Records.
Off Beat1993see Founded by Stefan Herwig and Thorsten Stroht after Stefan closed Kugelblitz Records. Sublabel of WestCom along with sister labels Visage (synthpop), Poison Ivy (goth rock), and Nightshade Productions (dark wave). In 1999 Stefan Herwig, A&R manager at Off Beat, left the company over differences in promotion to form the Dependent label, taking many of Off Beat's acts with him and effectively shutting down Off Beat & Westcom.
Old Europa Cafe1983Founded by Rodolfo Protti, originally as a small cassette label.
Opción Sónica1991Mexican label and distributor with a heavy emphasis on electronic music during the 90s.
Pendragon Records1994Founded by Irish expatriate Colm O'Connor. The label was bought out by Metropolis Records in 1999 shortly after it released Halo_Gen's self-titled album. When Metropolis Records bought Pendragon, they continued to sell Pendragon's backstock.
Pharmafabrik1993
Positron! Records1998Founded by Chris Randall, frontman of the industrial band Sister Machine Gun.
Play It Again Sam1983Founded in Belgium by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot.
Prototyp2001A sublabel formed out of Memento Materia focusing on EBM, industrial and harder electro.
Ras Dva1994Founded by Ric Laciak, a disc jockey for WMSE in Milwaukee and writer for Industrial Nation magazine.[19] It was originally started as "GAWMUS," a fan club for members of the band Leæther Strip.[20] In 1995, Ras Dva released There Is No Time, a comprehensive 4-CD compilation of the European and American industrial music scenes.
Red Rhino Europe (RRE)1982European subsidiary of the UK-based Red Rhino Records that served as Front 242's European label during the 1980s and 90s. RRE was acquired by Play It Again Sam after the financial collapse of its parent company in 1988.
Re-Constriction Records1991see A division of Cargo Music based in California. The label was founded in 1991 and headed by Chase, who was previously the music director at KCR, a student radio station on the campus of San Diego State University.
ROIR1979Reachout International Records, founded by Neil Cooper initially as a cassette-only label.[21]
Rotorelief2005
Season of Mist1996Metal and industrial metal label founded by Michael S. Berberian that also distributes other major industrial labels within France.
Simbiose Records1992Later renamed to Symbiose Records
Soleilmoon Recordings1987see Began as a cassette label operating from the back of a record shop called the Ooze in Portland, Oregon, US. In 1991 the shop was sold and Soleilmoon became a full-time label.
Some Bizzare1981see Founded by Stevo Pearce.
Sordide Sentimental1978Founded by Jean-Pierre Turmel and Yves Von Bontee.
Sound of Pig1984A cassette culture label started in the early 1980s by Al Margolis in New York City.
Staalplaat1982Founded by Geert-Jan Hobijn and is famous for its Mort Aux Vaches series, which is a collaboration between Staalplaat and the national Dutch radio VPRO, in which the station provides the recording sessions and Staalplaat releases them in a limited edition.
Steelwork Maschine2003Founded in 2003 by Christophe Gales and Serge Usson after the demise of Gales' previous CD-R label Black Sun Rising. Steelwork Maschine also started a mail-order store on internet in 2004.
Sterile Records1979Founded by Nigel Ayers and Caroline K of the post-industrial music group Nocturnal Emissions. Caroline K left the label in 1983. In 1986 the label was effectively dissolved as Ayers turned his attention to setting up the Earthly Delights company.
Subconscious Communications1993Founded by Dwayne Goettel of Skinny Puppy and Phil Western of Download. The label has been described as a "record label, musician collective, remix team, 32-track digital studio, [and an] analogue synth museum."
Subterranean Records1979Founded by Steve Tupper and a then partner, Michael Fox, in San Francisco. Subterranean had a small storefront record shop on Valencia Street for about 4 years, from about 1984 to 1988.
Synthetic Sounds2006Record label founded by concert promotion and music management/booking company Synthetic Entertainment. Distributed by Canadian company Sonic Unyon.
Techno Drome International1987Founded by Andreas Tomalla (a.k.a. Talla 2XLC).[22] The label's first records appeared under the tagline 'Aggrepo', which is a syllabic abbreviation of aggressive / positive – a German-based alternative term for Electronic Body Music. Tomalla left the label in 1989 to found Zoth Ommog and New Zone, after which TDI turned towards a house & techno sound.
Temple Records1984Founded by Genesis P-Orridge and Psychic TV from 1984 through 1994 for releases by Psychic TV and related projects. TOPYUS was the related sublabel for releases inside the United States of America. In 2003, the label was resurrected as a part of the Voiceprint label group.
T.E.Q. Music?1993Music label off-shoot of "Music from the Empty Quarter", a magazine covering industrial and experimental music that was published from 1991 to 1996.
Tesco Organisation1987Founded by Joachim Kohl and Klaus Hilger, Tesco Organisation started as a mail order company in 1987. In 1989 the label released their first album and shortly after this release Tesco expanded and created a sub-label, Functional, primarily for the re-release of unknown cassette recordings.
Third Mind Records1983see Founded in February 1983 by Gary Levermore.
Trisol Music Group2000Umbrella company for a number of sub labels covering various styles of dark alternative music.
Triton1998Began where Discordia left off.
Tursa1990Founded by Tony Wakeford and distributed by World Serpent Distribution.[23]
TVT Records1984see TVT Records (Tee-Vee Tunes) was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. In 1992, TVT purchased the Chicago-based industrial music label Wax TraxRecords. In 2007, TVT filed for bankruptcy and in 2010 much of the label's back catalog was acquired by The Bicycle Music Company.
Tzadik Records1995see New York City label that specializes in avant-garde and experimental music; established by composer and saxophonist John Zorn.
Underground, Inc.2000see A Chicago-based subsidiary of Invisible Records distributed by Caroline Distribution.
United Dairies1979Formed by Nurse With Wound to distribute their own releases but later expanded.[24] Distributed by World Serpent Distribution until 2003, and by Jnana Records thereafter.
Van Richter1993Founded in California by Paul Van Richter (né Abramson). In 1999, the label made an early entry into the ecommerce space by launching its own online retail store, Muzik Non-Stop, which offered CD retail and downloadable music in Liquid Audio format.[25] At various points has been distributed by Fontana Distribution,[26] Navarre Corporation, and Ryko Distribution Partners.[27]
Vinyl on Demand2003Founded by Frank Maier with the purpose of re-releasing on vinyl many of the limited edition cassettes in Frank's collection, but as time passed the reissues became deluxe box sets with material from cassettes as well as unreleased material. Vinyl On Demand sold yearly subscriptions to collectors, often providing extras exclusively for subscribers.
VUZ Records1993Founded by Hoger Hanraths out of his mail order service that originated in the tape scene of the 1980s. VUZ spawned a boutique sub-label, Cats' Heaven, that dealt in more of an industrial-inspired dark ambient and trance direction.[28]
Wax Trax! Records1980see Label began by Jim Nash & Dannie Flesher at the beginning of the 1980s named after the record store that the pair originally established in Denver, Colorado. The label was in operation until 1992 when it was purchased by TVT Records.
WTII Records2001Founded by former Wax TraxRecords employee Bart Pfanenstiel and David Schock. Distributed worldwide by MVD (Music and Video Distribution) former distributors include NAIL Distribution a Division of the Allegro Media Group and Planetworks Entertainment.
York House Recordings1979A cassette label founded by David Elliott, who also published a magazine called Neumusik.
Zoth Ommog Records1989see Established by German music producer Andreas Tomalla (aka Talla 2XLC) and later handed over to producer Torben Schmidt. Held under the umbrella of Music Research GmbH along with sister labels New Zone, Metamatic, and others.

See also

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Synthpop in the USA . 2008-05-21 . Forsberg . Niklas . Release Magazine . https://web.archive.org/web/20080703195556/http://www.releasemagazine.net/Spotlight/spotlightussynthpop.htm . 3 July 2008 . dead .
  2. Web site: Salt Lake City Weekly - Music Picks . CityWeekly.net . 2016-10-31.
  3. Web site: History . Side-Line . 20 February 2021.
  4. Sage . Drew . Label Profile: Ant-Zen; Audio & Visual Arts . Culture Shock . 1997 . 1 . 33 . 97 . Genocide Project . 1093-1651.
  5. Dolimont . Séba . Interview: Stefan Alt of Ant Zen . Side-Line . March 1999 . 26 . 60–61.
  6. Web site: Van Isacker . Bernard . Power noise label ant-zen stops producing CDs and goes download only . Side-Line . 16 February 2021 . 7 Jan 2019.
  7. . Daft Records . Music from the Empty Quarter . August 1995 . 12 . 28 . The Empty Quarter . UK . 0964-542X .
  8. . Celtic Circle Collapse . Culture Shock . 1998 . 5 . 9 . 98 . Genocide Project . 1093-1651.
  9. Web site: Stefanori . Valerio . The Intellectual . Alternative Guide . 29 April 2021.
  10. News: Dais Records: the label where Genesis P-Orridge, Iceage, Sasha Grey and Cold Cave meet. Fact Magazine. Feb 7, 2012.
  11. Web site: Sunderland . Celeste . Konnex Records . All About Jazz . 29 April 2021 . 28 November 2009.
  12. Web site: Energy Rekords . 20 February 2021.
  13. Web site: Tesco . Stigmata Magazine . 29 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090609210614/http://www.stigmata.name/tesco.php . 9 June 2009 . dead.
  14. Web site: Kane . Alex . GPC Productions History . 17 February 2021.
  15. Traub . KIm . Valerio . Paul . Interview with GPC Productions . Industrial Nation . Spring 1993 . 1 . 7 . 14 . Iowa City, IA . 1062-449X . Moon Mystique.
  16. News: Matthew. Fritch. Homestead Records: Frontier Days. 2006-08-25. Magnet. 2020-03-01.
  17. Web site: Hospital Productions New York record store closes. The Wire. 4 December 2013.
  18. Delhez . Didier . Interview: Ivan Iusco . Under the Flag . Dec 1996 . 9 . 5–6.
  19. Web site: RAS DVA. 22 Dec 2020. Music Eternal.
  20. Web site: 19 Nov 2014. RAS DVA Records founder Ric Laciak has died. 25 Dec 2020. ReGen Magazine.
  21. News: Neil Cooper, 71, Who Founded A Rock and Reggae Record Label. The New York Times. 23 August 2001.
  22. Web site: McQuaid . Ian . Gone To A Rave #57 - Techno Drome International . Ransom Note . 29 April 2021.
  23. Web site: Webb . Peter . Interview with Tony Wakeford and Reeve Malka . Evening Of Light . 29 April 2021 . February 2008.
  24. Web site: United Dairies . United Dairies . 29 April 2021.
  25. Comer . M Tye . RPM News . CMJ New Music Report . 13 September 1999 . 60 . 635 . 70 . 26 May 2023 . CMJ Network, Inc. . 0890-0795.
  26. Martens . Todd . Meet the Fontana Family . Billboard . 12 March 2005 . 117 . 11 . 65 . 26 May 2023 . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . 0006-2510.
  27. Web site: Interview with VR - Space Junkies Magazine . 2023-05-25 . vanrichter.net.
  28. Profile: VUZ Records . Culture Shock . 1996 . 11 . 2 . Genocide Project . 1093-1651.