photo: Du Ping Lo

TEN FAVOURITE LABELS 2018

From 2005 to 2015, textura published an annual article that celebrated ten labels whose output dazzled us during the year in question. A simple question was used as a criterion for making the selections: “Which labels' material excited us most this year?” Though last year's list appeared as part of the 2017 roundup, we've decided to present the feature once again as a stand-alone in order to bring greater attention to labels deserving of recognition. The areas of stylistic concentration in some cases might differ, but certain things are common to all, superior musical quality and an innovative, forward-thinking sensibility among them. For each label's section, recent releases are displayed accompanied by links to textura's reviews (in a small number of cases, reviews are forthcoming so links will be added once they're published). textura sincerely thanks the generous individuals who contributed text to the article on behalf of their respective labels.

HIDDEN SHOAL HUBRO INNOVA NEW AMSTERDAM NEW FOCUS RECORDINGS ØRA FONOGRAM PARMA SCHOLE SLOWCRAFT RECORDS SPOTTED PECCARY

HIDDEN SHOAL

Recent releases: Chloë March's Blood-Red Spark; Slow Dancing Society's The Torchlight Parade (two volumes); Todd Tobias and Chloë March's Amialluma.

Year founded: In 2006 by Cam Merton, Stuart Medley and Malcolm Riddoch (Tim Clarke from Melbourne came on board in 2007).

Based in: Perth, Western Australia and Melbourne, Victoria, with an international roster.

Managed by: Cam Merton and Tim Clarke.

Identifying characteristics of a Hidden Shoal release: The principal idea behind the label was to create a catalogue and roster that echoes our own diverse musical tastes. We love abstract experimental work as much as luscious dream-pop and inventive indie-rock. We felt it would be duplicitous, and constraining, to lock Hidden Shoal into any kind of singular, artificially contrived focus. Despite the catalogue being reasonably broad in terms of genres and styles, we do, however, strive to weave an undeniable thread through it. We've basically attempted to create a label that people like ourselves would seek out for new and engaging music across genres--like a wonderfully curated record store. The hope is that people will investigate new releases by Hidden Shoal regardless of the artist, discovering new favourites along the way.

Proudest accomplishments: Essentially, keeping at it for twelve-plus years feels like an accomplishment in itself. Along the way we've developing a catalogue of work we are hugely proud of, plus we've cultivated a family of artists around us who we dearly love and respect. We're incredibly excited by the connections we've fostered, culminating in projects such as this year's collaboration between Todd Tobias and Chloë March, Amialluma. Modern independent labels at their best are communities of like-minded artists, working together to further their respective and collective causes.

website: HIDDEN SHOAL

HUBRO

Recent releases: Hilde Marie Holsen's Lazuli; Møster!'s States of Minds; Geir Sundstøl's Brødløs.

Year founded: Located in Haugesund, Norway, Hubro was founded in 2009.

Managed by: Andreas R Meland.

Identifying characteristics of a Hubro release: Hubro is dedicated to releasing music from the vital Norwegian jazz and improvised music scene and cherishes the album as a physical object. The profile is quite open and diverse, and Hubro also strives to keep things interesting, musically speaking. All of the releases' covers are created by the design group Yokoland.

Proudest accomplishment: Staying in business for nine years, without having to compromise.

website: HUBRO

INNOVA

Recent releases: New Music Detroit's Smoke: Music of Marc Mellits; The Crossing's Zealot Canticles (Lansing McLoskey); NOTUS's Of Radiance & Refraction.

Year founded: Innova was founded in 1982 as a program of the American Composers Forum in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Managed by: Philip Blackburn, director; Chris Campbell, operations director; Tim Igel, publicist.

Identifying characteristics of an Innova release: Innova Recordings serves the needs of visionary composers and performers by offering artistic and technical guidance throughout the recording and publication process; amplifying the reach of new musical ideas through access to our marketing and distribution networks; and by actively working together to maximize professional impact. Together we champion a curated body of original and compelling American musical voices to the listening public. Innova is dedicated to forward-looking (and -hearing) work that pushes and challenges the boundaries of contemporary music. The label's releases are less dictated by record-bin-constraints or typical notions of marketability but by the integrity of the work, its originality, conceptual richness and technical quality, and the artist's willingness to be involved in the release. We are the label of rigorous non-conformists.

Proudest accomplishments: Serving hundreds of composers, performers, and ensembles in the realization of their published work, helping them put their best foot forward, and bringing to light over 650 albums (and counting) that together make up a significant chronicle of American musical life. Supporting artists' careers with visibility, radio play, reviews, licensing, and passing on 100% of sales income to artists (currently over $1M). Offering stability and a uniquely artist-friendly business model that ensures the work will be around for years to come.

website: INNOVA

NEW AMSTERDAM

Recent releases: The Hands Free's The Hands Free; Robbie Lee and Mary Halvorson's Seed Triangular; Aizuri Quartet's Blueprinting.

Year founded (and founded by): 2008 by William Brittelle, Judd Greenstein, and Sarah Kirkland Snider.

Based in: New York, NY.

Managed by: William Brittelle, Co-Artistic Director; Judd Greenstein, Co-Artistic Director; Sarah Kirkland Snider, Co-Artistic Director.

Laura Kaae, Label Manager; Michael Hammond, Label Director; Molly Joyce, Digital Content Manager; Curt LeClair, Booking Manager; Erika Rush, Director of Accounts and HR; Jill Strominger, Director of Communications and Interim Managing Director.

Identifying characteristics of a New Amsterdam release: NewAm releases feature virtuosity in performance and composition, topnotch recording, and music that does not adhere to traditional and outdated genre distinctions.

Proudest accomplishments: Celebrating ten years and helping 100-plus artists who might have otherwise been unsupported to build sustainable careers. We've helped bring 100-plus recording projects and 250-plus live performances to life, and this year have even doubled our ability to release albums through our new digital-only Windmill Series at a time when other labels are cutting back or folding. We are currently working on ways to help our artists even more through education and partnership initiatives, so we are proud to be in a position where we can continue to grow and serve artists despite a rocky and ever-changing musical landscape.

website: NEW AMSTERDAM

NEW FOCUS RECORDINGS

Recent releases: Frederic Hand's Samatureya; Ken Thomson's Sextet; Jacob Greenberg's Hanging Gardens (Debussy, Berg, Webern, Schoenberg).

Year founded: Hazy start date in late 2003/early 2004, founded by guitarist Dan Lippel and composer Peter Gilbert.

Based in: New York City.

Managed by: Dan Lippel, Marc Wolf, and Neil Beckmann. While he doesn't work on the label side, engineer/composer Ryan Streber, proprietor of Oktaven Audio, is so integral to the identity of the label because of his wonderful engineering work on so many of our recordings that it would be a major omission not to mention his contribution. We also distribute a few sub-labels with a handful of great musicians doing amazing work: SEAMUS Records, directed by Scott Miller, distributes recordings for the Society of Electro-Acoustic Music of the United States through us; TUNDRA is the in-house record label for the International Contemporary Ensemble, and Jacob Greenberg is its director; Olde Focus Recordings is our early music catalogue, curated by Kivie Cahn-Lipman; and Furious Artisans is Marc Wolf and engineer Jeremy Tressler's audiophile label.

Identifying characteristics of a New Focus Recordings release: There are different kinds of scenarios for a New Focus release so it's hard to target one identifying characteristic, but what we have been going for since the beginning is albums that are cohesive artistic statements, from the repertoire to the performance approach to the notes to the design. So we're seeing projects through that lens whether or not they are projects that are initiated from inside the label or something coming to us as a submission. We also prioritize premiere recordings and have made that a guiding principle while the catalogue has grown.

Proudest accomplishments: Just being able to keep doing this for fifteen years so far. This label is 100% driven and organized around the music being made by the musicians of our community. The idea when we started it was to have a forum to release the work we were pouring our hearts into, and our goal is simply to continue to be able to sustain it so the recordings have a home and interested listeners can find it.

website: NEW FOCUS RECORDINGS

ØRA FONOGRAM

Recent releases: Jo David Meyer Lysne & Mats Eilertsen's Meander; MMO-Ensemble's Any Day Now; Wako's Urolige Sinn.

Year founded: 2005 by Jostein Ansnes, but not active before 2008. Refreshed in 2017 by Kjetil Mulelid with a strong focus on jazz/folk/classical music from young Nordic artists.

Based in: Trondheim (Norway)/Copenhagen (Denmark) in a close collaboration with the music studio Øra Studio (Trondheim). Managed by pianist Kjetil Mulelid and co-managed by Jo Ranheim.

Identifying characteristics of an Øra Fonogram release: Øra is a label that really defines and represents the Scandinavian sound of new music within the genres of jazz, contemporary music, alternative pop, and music for children with a connection to the well-acknowledged Øra Studio in Trondheim. The close connection to the Øra Studio makes all the Øra releases sound very good and also connected with equal consideration about how they should sound.

Proudest accomplishments: Working with some of the best Nordic musicians and artists around. It's also very cool that some of our albums have been nominated for and won Spellemannprisen, the Norwegian Grammy award, including: Marianne Baudouin Lie and Trondheim Sinfonietta's Khipukamayuq; Tullkattesnutene's Vi vil ut på byen; Trondheim Sinfonietta's Så rart; and Gjermund Larsen's Trønderbarokk. On the horizon are new albums by Karl Bjorå's Aperture, Masåva, and more.

website: ØRA FONOGRAM

PARMA

Recent releases: Sara Hahn's I Close My Eyes in Order to See; Han Bakker, Shirley Mier, Jan Järvlepp, and Clive Muncaster's Legends & Light; Mark John McEncroe's My Symphonic Poems: Orchestral Images.

Details: Since its founding in 2008 by CEO Bob Lord, PARMA Recordings has provided a turnkey solution for every aspect of music production, including project planning, logistics, contracting, studio recording, audio post, graphic design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, licensing, publishing, and intellectual property management.

Identifying characteristics of a PARMA release: PARMA remains the industry leader for the recording and release of new composition. From the first interaction with our A&R team through recording, design, and promotion, the artist becomes a valued member of the PARMA family. Above all else, PARMA is committed to creating perfect sound. Promising that what reaches the listener's ear is exactly as the artist intended, PARMA's Audio Team is consistently lauded for their excellence in recording.

Proudest Accomplishments: PARMA has worked with masterful musicians and composers in our first ten years, including Steve Gadd, Chick Corea, Lewis Spratlan, CeCe Winans, and many more. We've also had the privilege to work with many great artists who are not household names (yet!) and present their music to the world. After the Cuban travel ban was lifted in 2015, PARMA founded Ansonica Records, a label that records exclusively in Cuba, with a focus on “presenting finely crafted contemporary music from across the globe.”

PARMA continues to grow internationally. In 2018 PARMA has taken three ensembles on tour across China with performances in rural areas and major cities. The tour included performances featuring several composers representing the PARMA family of labels: Navona Records, Big Round Records, Ansonica Records, and Ravello Records.

Future: PARMA Recordings began in 2008 with humble origins—just a few people in a tiny office, growing over a decade into one of the largest independent classical labels with worldwide reach. We have accumulated a stellar slate of composers, soloists, and ensembles, a wide array of awards and accolades, and organized international tours for our artists with increasing frequency. As PARMA dives headfirst into our second decade, we look to the horizon for more tours, cross-media collaborations, concert placements for our publishing catalog, and robust release slate for 2019. With music this terrific, the momentum is just beginning...

website: PARMA

SCHOLE

Recent releases: Akira Kosemura's In The Dark Woods; Tim Linghaus's Memory Sketches; Jochen Tiberius Koch's Walden.

Year founded: Founded in 2007 by Akira Kosemura and Shin Kikuchi.

Based in: Tokyo, Japan.

Identifying characteristics of a Schole release: Schole releases several types of music, including modern classical, acoustic, and electronica. But our greatest interest is in listening to music where we can sense the originality of the musician and also sense the musician's sensitivity to silence. We embrace the beautiful harmony of the musician's creativity.

Proudest accomplishments: We are very proud to have received many positive reviews from around the world, from the BBC, FIP, and also publications like FACT Magazine and Rolling Stone. Recently, Akira Kosemura composed music for the American TV series Love Is __ and the soundtrack was admired around the world.

website: SCHOLE

SLOWCRAFT RECORDS

Recent releases: Alapastel's Hidden For The Eyes; Anne Garner's Lost Play; Neotropic's The Absolute Elsewhere.

Year founded: By James Murray in 2011.

Based in: London, UK.

Managed by: James Murray.

Identifying characteristics of a Slowcraft Records release: Initially established to release Anne Garner's music, Slowcraft Records has become a platform for much of James Murray's solo work since 2012, and the label recently expanded to release exceptional, frequently unclassifiable music from new and established artists working in both instrumental and lyrical realms. We offer carefully curated limited editions presented in deluxe, handcrafted packages for people who treasure beautiful artifacts that complement rather than distract from the artist's work.

Proudest accomplishments: Exposure is important whether it comes from a small blog, a long established supporter like textura, or an international print magazine getting behind the label for the first time. Our two new signings were both featured in Bandcamp “best of” genre articles, the Neotropic album was enthusiastically reviewed in a recent edition of The Wire magazine, and we've had BBC radio airplay for all of our artists to date. The reception of a record closes the circle, as the words we see published and the private feedback we receive from new and returning listeners confirm that our efforts are worthwhile.

website: SLOWCRAFT RECORDS

SPOTTED PECCARY

Recent releases: Jeff Greinke's Before Sunrise; Sverre Knut Johansen's The Vast Expanse; Madhavi Devi's The Truth of Being.

Year founded: Spotted Peccary Music was started in 1986 in Tucson, Arizona, not so much as a label, but as the recording project BRAIN LAUGHTER founded by Howard Givens, Teeto Cheema, Debra Musgrave, Nancy Thorington, and Alon Feder, which resulted in the label's first full-length release, In The Land Of Power. From 1990 on, the label continued to add releases and expand on its musical offerings, while relocating operations to Encinitas, California and evolving the staff and ownership to be primarily Howard Givens, Deborah Martin, and Jon Jenkins. Led by these fundamental artists, many more releases were added, ultimately including the absorption of the ambient label Lotuspike and two of its staff, Ben Cox and Daniel Pipitone, as well as the addition of Andrew Miles (DeeperNET) to the staff roster. The label now operates out of Portland, Oregon with satellite operations in Encinitas and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Based in: Portland, Oregon.

Identifying characteristics of a Spotted Peccary release: An artist-owned label since its inception, Spotted Peccary Music has focused on music primarily of the more traditional non-dance ambient, ambient electronic, and space electronic styles that often include acoustic elements, and orchestrated compositions that may reach into New Age or deep-listening cinematic modalities. As such, the sound quality and the visual presentation of its releases is as significant as the diversity of its artists, both compositionally and geographically.

Proudest accomplishments: Although there have been many acclaimed releases over the years, it is the collective presentation of all of the artists and titles on Spotted Peccary Music that defines the growth and integrity of the artistic vision behind the label, a label that has become acknowledged as a leader in the arena of ambient-electronic music and has served as an inspiration to other labels and artists in this relatively small niche of the music industry.

website: SPOTTED PECCARY

November 2018