Favorite non-Jazz record labels

May-12th-2003, 04:15 PM

there are so many good indie labels out there these days and many of them have gotten incredibly diverse so they have a roster that touches on pop, IDM, avant rock, ambient, alt. country, etc etc

my favorites these days seems to be:

Kranky
Constellation
Thrill Jockey
Rune Grammafon
Drag City

how about you? and why? and who? etc etc

Monte Smith · May-12th-2003, 04:43 PM

Document
Yazoo

Jon Abbey · May-12th-2003, 05:10 PM

just took a look at the Kranky catalog, and I have an absurd percentage of the first 40 releases, but I can't say I have any interest in them these days. have you heard the first Magnog release, Achilles? maybe the best thing in the catalog, I always thought godspeed were more of a live band.

also, looking at your label list, I'm curious as to whether you're a fan of the Dirty Three, a band whose work holds up better for me than most of the output of those labels, albeit along roughly similar lines.

Blood and Fire and Strut are both doing superb, consistently reliable work, albeit in reissues.

May-12th-2003, 05:48 PM

jon,
yeah, right on, I'm a Dirty Three fan.
Have not heard the Magnog--should I? Why? etc

some great bands on Constellation out of Montreal too.

Chris Castelle · May-12th-2003, 06:31 PM

Pirhana is a fantastic "world music" label from Germany with great packaging, a great attitude (check out piranha.de ) and a diverse catalog that runs from Jewish and Eastern European music (what I know them for) to African and Latin. Frank London's Brotherhood of Brass releases on Piranha and the Boban Markovic Orchestra Live in Belgrade are highly enjoyable, and, in the case of the Markovic, really important releases. You don't find many recordings of Serbian gypsy brass bands in their native environment.

Jon Abbey · May-12th-2003, 06:35 PM

why should you hear the Magnog? dunno, it has a little more heart and soul than most of the ambient guitarscapes that Kranky's put out, at least that era Kranky, along the lines of Ash Ra Tempel, maybe.

all the Constellation stuff I've heard sounds pretty self-indulgent to me, not my thing.

Sergio Zamora · May-12th-2003, 06:41 PM

Def Jux
Blood and Fire

Pete C · May-12th-2003, 06:45 PM

Besides Piranha, other favorite "world music" labels include

Chhanda Dhara (Indian music)
Network
Hannibal
Nonesuch/World Circuit (Nick Gold productions)
Luaka Bop (I don't like David Byrne, but his company puts out great albums)
Indigo (African music from the same people as Label Bleu)
Putumayo
Buda Musique
Lumiar (Brazilian publisher of songbooks of Brazilian songwriters and accompanying compilation albums)

Jon Abbey · May-12th-2003, 06:57 PM

did you pick up the recent double disc of RJD2 on Def Jux, OZ? I liked Deadringer a lot, but I wasn't sure if I needed a double disc of odds and ends, would love to hear feedback. I have a feeling Def Jux is pretty near the end of their run, I hope I'm wrong...

Sergio Zamora · May-12th-2003, 07:06 PM

I actually have 'Deadringer' in my FE order basket cookie right now, but I might pass 'The Horror' for now.

May-12th-2003, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jon Abbey

all the Constellation stuff I've heard sounds pretty self-indulgent to me, not my thing.

jeeze, Jon, did the founder of erstwhile and most tireless promoter of "eai" actually accuse another label/kind of music of being self-indulgent? I'm sorry but that made me laugh pretty heartily. We clearly have different definitions of self-indulgent.....

Tanager · May-12th-2003, 09:53 PM

The only non-Jazz non-major label I ever really cared about in and of itself was SST, a damned fine label in its day.

Jon Abbey · May-12th-2003, 09:54 PM

jeeze, Jon, did the founder of erstwhile and most tireless promoter of "eai" actually accuse another label/kind of music of being self-indulgent? I'm sorry but that made me laugh pretty heartily. We clearly have different definitions of self-indulgent..... [/QUOTE]

oh man, here we go. yes, constellation is a label set up specifically to document every random gurgle and burp by anyone who's ever shared a communal bowl with any member of godspeed you black emperor!, excuse me if I'm misplacing the exclamation point. there's absolutely no quality control, as it's a label run by a collective of musicians, and not an especially talented bunch. it pretty much defines self-indulgence in my book. please point me to the timeless masterpieces I've overlooked thus far.

I didn't voice my opinion on this until you mentioned them twice. am I not allowed to have an opinion? I've seen godspeed live three times, including from five feet away at their first US show at the Cooler. they actually tapped into something in the zeitgeist in late-'99, pre-millennial dread, and they got another burst after 9/11, but they're totally one-note and it's a pretty fucking boring one by now, TO MY EARS.

as for erstwhile and "eai", I am indeed the most tireless promoter of what I consider to be good music in said field (which has yet to result in selling 1000 copies of any title, for the record). I am also the toughest critic of anything in said field I consider to be below a certain level of excellence, and most of all any erstwhile releases in the works. just because this isn't always a totally public process doesn't mean it's not happening, and I think the label's releases speak for themselves.

how many of the 30 erstwhile releases have you actually heard, and which would you describe as self-indulgent? thanks for your insights in advance.

OZ, Deadringer's very good, a bit like DJ Shadow, but I like that disc more than any Shadow I've heard.

May-12th-2003, 10:09 PM

hey, and I'm as entitled to my opinion too, Jon
How come it's okay for you to express yours with
such uncalled for arrogance, but whenever someone
speaks back to that, you get upset and self-righteous?

I've now listened to my 6th erstwhile release, Wrapped Islands, as you recommended--and I found it having too little Fennesz for my taste. I don't need to "hear" anymore erst.

Seems to me a "music" devoted to recording micro-sound, table-top guitar scratches, stretches of silence, and sine waves, might justifiably be called self-indulgent by some. to quote you, Jon, "it's pretty fucking boring to my ears."

i'm glad you think YOU can decide the timeless masterpieces (and no doubt, they all involve Keith Rowe).

You're allowed to voice your opinion, jon, but why use this harmless thread i started as an opportunity to dismiss the music i like? what are you hoping to accomplish by that? it didn't ask you to do so, there was no challenge mentioned in the beginning of the thread, i just don't get you.

Jon Abbey · May-12th-2003, 10:33 PM

"Seems to me a "music" devoted to recording micro-sound, table-top guitar scratches, stretches of silence, and sine waves, might justifiably be called self-indulgent by some."

interesting. if you have a chance, please forward me a list of which sounds from which instruments are capable of being used in a non-indulgent manner. off the top of my head, I don't think there's a single Erst release containing even two seconds of silence within the music, even dach has consistent room tone. since you seem to have the attention span of a gnat, you wouldn't know that. again, please enlighten me: which of the 6 erstwhile releases you've heard would you describe as self-indulgent?

"You're allowed to voice your opinion, jon, but why use this harmless thread i started as an opportunity to dismiss the music i like? what are you hoping to accomplish by that? it didn't ask you to do so, there was no challenge mentioned in the beginning of the thread, i just don't get you."

I didn't say anything about Constellation until you mentioned it a second time, seemingly directly to me. I then wrote "all the Constellation stuff I've heard sounds pretty self-indulgent to me, not my thing." it's not as if I'm the only one that holds this opinion, I think it's pretty widely held among people who have heard a fair amount of the catalog. if you're into it, that's cool. I was just answering for myself. I'm still waiting to hear from you what the best release in their catalog is.

and I'm not hoping to accomplish anything, my background is as a music fan, I've heard a lot of music, and occasionally I like to join in on the discussion, even if it's not entirely positive. sorry if you take that personally.

"I don't need to "hear" anymore erst."

I commend you on your usage of quotation marks here, very self-aware.

May-12th-2003, 10:40 PM

jon,
if your arrogance and name-calling makes you feel better,
than I hope you're feeling real good right now.

you don't express opinions, you slash and burn and then offer
up your usual sanctimonious spiel with an added dash of syncophancy for all your beloved erst artists.

at this point, i take back everything nice i ever said about you, and will not miss you if you run off crying again.

Pete C · May-12th-2003, 10:48 PM

Can somebody recommend the three or four top room tone players?

Jon Abbey · May-12th-2003, 10:49 PM

" i take back everything nice i ever said about you"

that's fine, you never really meant it anyway. you're extremely hostile just below the surface, on this site and in private e-mail.

you and I have really different tastes in music, it seems pretty obvious by now. I've managed to learn to live with it. sorry if my opinions are expressed too strongly for you, I'm not sure what the point of equivocating even more than I do already would be.

I'm still interested in hearing about:

1) the best record released by your beloved Constellation.

2) which of the six Erst releases you've heard you consider to be self-indulgent (also, please list the others, so I know which ones are OK by you).

Jon Abbey · May-12th-2003, 10:50 PM

ah, mr. cherches has chimed in, with yet another insightful snippet of snideness. thanks for sharing!

Pete C · May-12th-2003, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jon Abbey
would love to hear feedback.

I resisted commenting on that...

May-12th-2003, 11:08 PM

oh, well, another thread spoiled.

Just wanted to hear what labels people love,
but jon had to use it as an opportunity to alienate.

had you put erstwhile as your favorite label,
i wouldn't have shot back with some dismissive and offensive
remark--because it would have been uncalled for and
not at all germane to the thread. your "forceful opinions"
are just more of your inane craving for attention.
this was not a thread that said, 'Jon, please insult labels
other people respect.'

basically, you're not interested in anything but your own
self-indulgent rhetoric, so i'm not going to engage you any
further.

Vince Kargatis · May-13th-2003, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by achilles
oh, well, another thread spoiled.

Which I would lay on you, achilles: Jon criticized a label (a non-personal attack), and then you criticized his opinion (well...implicitly called him a hypocrite - a personal attack). What followed was entirely predictable, particularly with Jon's known strongly reactive proclivities against such.

Some more notable on-topic labels:
Matador (kudos especially to their mp3 page)
Merge
Mud
(why I just listed three Ms I dunno)
DeSoto (only because they released records from two faves: Dismemberment Plan and Burning Airlines)
Ninja Tune's a fun one

Some world music standbys:
Ocora
World Music Library (King Records)

john williams · May-13th-2003, 02:38 AM

Hey Achilles,

I love Constellation and think GYBE are one of the most interesting bands around at the moment. Yeah, they may play "minimally" but its not how many notes you play its how you play them.

I also like Labradford (Mi media naraja) and Low (Things We Lost In The Fire) - both on Kranky.

I also like Nonesuch for their commitment to new "classical".
John Adams
Kronos
Steve Reich
Some Philip glass

Ron Thorne · May-13th-2003, 03:16 AM

For a change of pace:

Deutsch Gramaphone
Angel
RCA Red Label
Smithsonian/Folkways Records

john williams · May-13th-2003, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ron Thorne
Smithsonian/Folkways Records

Yes, I have the Harry Smith's "Anthology of American Folk Music " which I absolutely adore. Its not something I want to hear everday but it still surprises me from time to time. Oh and the packaging and books essays etc. are probably the best I have seen.

Tanager · May-13th-2003, 06:33 AM

I have no idea if they're still in business, but Durham's own Sugar Hill Records...

walto · May-13th-2003, 06:47 AM

Chandos, Erato, DG, Vox, Harmonia Mundi, Wergo, Donemus

john williams · May-13th-2003, 07:56 AM

Wergo is am interesting one. I only know the Ligeti Kammerkonzert/Ramifications/Lux Aeterna/Atmospheres release. However, I decided to give it a spin after Walter mentioned the label. Thanks, Gyorgy had been gathering some undserved dust recently.

Root Doctor · May-13th-2003, 08:21 AM

Arhoolie remains tough to beat, with dozens of essential records in its catalog. Rounder is far less interesting than it once was, but good releases still appear on the roster from time to time. I still buy a fair amount of stuff on Norton, Yep Roc, Hightone, Estrus, Swallow, Maison de Soul, Revenant, and Fat Possum. For reggae, it's Blood and Fire, Trojan, Greensleeves, Hearbeat, and Pressure Sounds.

Uli · May-13th-2003, 08:24 AM

he he he he