Best of 2015: Top 10 labels

Labels are the focus as we run down the ten operations that made a difference this year.

The chance to look back over a year’s worth of output and assess which labels truly stood out has proved to be one of the most enjoyable exercises when it comes to compiling and writing these annual lists. Despite the ever fluctuating nature of the music industry and the fractious state of pressing plants, running a record label seems as tempting as ever with plenty of new operations popping up over the course of the year. When compiling this list however, it became clear the labels which truly stood out were those that have developed their own personality and aesthetic. Some will make sense, others may be seen as wildcards, but all of them reflect who we feel really excelled in 2015.

10. Tectonic

Ten years is a milestone for any label, providing an apt opportunity to reflect on what has changed and what has been maintained since its inception. What’s noticeable about Pinch’s dubstep institution Tectonic is the clarity of vision in its signings, and how that has evolved without losing sight of the original spirit in which it was created. Tectonic’s inclusion in this years list however is far from a heritage celebration, but rather a reflection of just how relevant the label continues to be.

The year started out with the joined forces of Pinch himself with Adrian Sherwood on the Late Night Endless album, cementing their pre-existing collaboration in an intergenerational experiment that succeeded where it might so easily have failed. Indeed albums came to define the scale of Tectonic’s operations this year, with Mumdance & Logos’ Proto, Ipman’s Depatterning and Acre coming in at the last minute with the excellent Better Strangers. Aside from the diversity of the sounds, these latter signings also reflected Pinch’s sensitivity to his Cold Recordings sister label as a testing ground for new, adventurous club sounds.

There was still plenty of space for dancefloor wreckers as well, from Wen’s Finesse EP to Walton’s Bulldoze, both reflecting the growing experimentation of some of the most vital instrumental grime producers. Pinch and Mumdance also had plenty to say with the two singles they released this year, building on the mission statement they laid out in their B2B mix in 2014. In essence, the past 12 months were a continuation of the same agenda Tectonic has always pushed; chest rattlin’ bass-oriented dance music chasing the unpredictable frontier first visible in dubstep’s infancy. It is however the volume and ambition of its choices that made it such a strong contender.

Essential Listening:

Wen – Finesse EP
Ipman – Depatterning
Acre – Better Strangers

9. ESP Institute

With the addition of a couple wild card entries thrown into the mix this year, everything ESP Institute put out in 2015 was hot. Mark E’s debut on the label in February marked the only instantly recognisable name to grace ESP Institute over the course of the year, and it’s clear the unique network surrounding Andrew ‘Lovefingers’ Hogge has helped further develop the label’s character. Now in its fifth year of operation, ESP Institute seems to have expanded musically far beyond the horizontally inclined sounds you might presume of a label that has previously worked with Tornado Wallace, Young Marco, Soft Rocks and Pharaohs.

ESP Institute have proved they aren’t afraid to offer the world obscure one-off projects either, with highlights of the past being music by Sea Power & Change, Melbourne’s Michael Ozone, Jonny Nash & Kyle Martin’s Land Of Light collaboration, and this year: Karamika. George Thompson and Gordon Pohl’s hook up delivered a dusty 12-track album of ambient, slo-mo techno and other murky numbers that sounded as if they’d been inspired by a ‘70s space western film composer ahead of their time. It was Powder’s Highly EP which captured the hearts of our editorial though, with EBM chuggers like “Lost Of Light” as fulfilling as the tropical and neon-lit atmospheres of “Busy Port”, while the EP’s title-track is positively Gigi Masin. Commenced back in 2013, 33.10.3402’s suite of Mecanica 12”s reached its conclusion with two records in 2015 that have us eager to hear more from this mysterious Serbian artist. The introduction of Moscoman, Ian Blevins and the aforementioned Kyle Martin’s Vactrol Park only add to the label’s momentum going into 2016.

Essential listening:

Powder – Highly
Karamika – Karamika
33.10.3402 – Mecanica III

8. Blackest Ever Black

How best to sum up Blackest Ever Black’s 2015? An ever-developing reflection of the tastes of founder Kiran Sande would probably be best way to describe it. 2015 marked the label’s fifth year so there is the temptation to frame narratives around this anniversary; but beyond events at London’s ICA and Berlin’s Berghain, Blackest Ever Black didn’t seem too consumed by the idea of celebrations. Instead it set about unleashing a typically wide selection of 12”s, albums, compilations, reissues and cassettes, introducing new faces as well as welcoming back artists that have become synonymous with the Blackest Ever Black cause.

In a nod to his admiration for the Hidden Hawaii label and Bristol’s Young Echo collective, Sande sought out Felix K and Ossia resulting in a pair of quite distinct 12”s, Tragedy Of The Commons and Red X. Dance music for the post-apocalyptic dancehalls. The various contributions of Regis – forever an inspiration on BEB – were collated on the Manbait compilation, whilst a curious pocket of Australians in Berlin was profiled with the gloriously smudged sonics of F Ingers and Tarquin Manek. Both the past and future of Tropic of Cancer was celebrated this year too, with the Stop Suffering 12″ suggesting Camella Lobo’s project is developing new levels of ethereal power. There is plenty more we could talk about here in regards to Blackest Ever Black’s 2015 output, and surely this proves why they deserve to belong on this list.

Essential Listening:

F Ingers – Hide Before Dinner
Tropic Of Cancer – Stop Suffering
Ossia – Red X

7. Honest Jon’s

It can be hard to know where to start with a label as voluminous as long-standing London operation Honest Jon’s. In a year that saw the more adventurous corners of the electronic music fraternity embracing worldly sounds with ever more enthusiasm, the unique tastes of Ladbroke Grove’s finest seemed to provide a perfect meeting point for a stunning array of artists. Of course the reissue game is still a strong one for HJ’s, but there was more than enough new material this year to ensure they deserved a place on this list. Returning visitors Moritz Von Oswald Trio made a strong statement with the magnificent Sounding Lines album, Tony Allen’s limber drumming firmly in place. Elsewhere regular features Wareika Hill Sounds dispatched their drum section to collide with Tapes for a single that seemed almost ubiquitous in the latter part of the year.

There were also some intriguing new connections forged that seemed to further the reach of Honest Jon’s amongst this buoyant scene of rhythmically enhanced electronic music. Dresvn landed on the label relatively recently with their First Voyage 12” while Laurel Halo’s In Situ album made a thoroughly deserved splash. In a demonstration of the increased exposure of the Sex Tags Mania gang, DJ Sotofett managed to land in many bags with his Drippin’ For A Tripp LP, typifying the notion that Honest Jon’s has become a trusted outlet for artists who choose their labels carefully. Often manifesting in specialised or one-off projects, this platform for wild cultural and creative crossover is proving to be a great facet for musical progression.

Essential Listening:

Laurel Halo – In Situ
Moritz Von Oswald Trio – Sounding Lines
Tapes meets The Drums Of Wareika Hill Sounds – Datura Mystic

6. Future Times

Future Times label has always been one of our favourites at Juno Plus, and they’ve gradually come to represent a leading force in dance music positivity under the ever-enthusiastic stewardship of Andrew Field-Pickering and this year was their best yet. Good labels are judged so on the quality of the music they release, but the truly great aspire to something more to push things forward. The man also known as Max D said it best himself in an interview this year, stating “a lot of people are getting into that zone where they’re really trying to stretch out what it means to be part of underground electronic music.”

Future Times were certainly leading this charge in 2015. The third edition of the label’s Vibe series was the most ambitious yet, canvassing an international cast of like-minded artists – some well-known, others unheard of – for a 15 track summation of the Future Times ethos. Beyond that, Jack J delivered one of the year’s most ubiquitous tracks in “Thirstin’”, a most apt title given the collective desire to own the 12”, and new faces were welcomed in the shape of Shanti Celeste, Mosey, and Japa Habilidoso. The latter’s Funk Do Sindicalismo 12” described as “the most punk shit that FT has so far had the pleasure of releasing.” With a third Max D album due on the label next year along with more welcome surprises, it feels like things will indeed be better in Future Times.

Essential Listening:

Shanti Celeste – Being
Various Artists – Vibe 3
Japa Habilidoso – Funk Do Sindicalismo

5. Mannequin Records

If Mannequin Records and Dark Entries were to be personified as professional arm wrestlers and challenged to a dual, that’s one hell of a flex. Both labels pump out reissues with passion, and whilst you could say Alessandro Adriani and Josh Cheon have similar tastes, there is rarely much contention in terms of crossover between their respective labels. This year, though, both indulged in reissuing music by German post punky, new wave outfit No More, with Mannequin scoring big with their license of Suicide Commando. Founder Alessandro Adriani is tireless in his solo pursuit of bringing widely unknown music, often from Turin, to the greater consciousness of music lovers like us and you reading this now. This year alone Mannequin brought to wider recognition Italo curios Effetto Joule, the rare tape music of early-’80s Turin act Carmody and similar fare in the Der Zeltweg – Italian Tapes Industrial Music 1982-1984 compilation.

To cherry pick highlights of Mannequin’s 2015 discography we’ll start with their reissue of Expansión Naranja, a somewhat forgotten collaboration between Coil and Mexican leftfield duo Ford Proco. Thanks to Mannequin, we discovered the collaboration’s chance meeting at a performance by The Orb in LA lead to both this music and a said opportunity to appear an Ice-T music video. Mannequin also engineered some brutal 12” releases featuring the editing skills of Beau Wanzer and Doug Lee’s An-i project, as well as excellent records from contemporary acts like of Maoupa Mazzocchetti and Sean Pierce of ASSS. Their archival flair was on full display with the exhaustive and enlightening retrospective detailing just how important the mid ‘80s music of Bourbonese Qualk has been on what has followed.

Essential listening:

Maoupa Mazzocchetti – Untitled
Ford Proco & Coil – Expansión Naranja
No More – Suicide Commando

4. Editions Mego

It’s no secret Editions Mego are relentlessly prolific in their output, however releasing a tonne of music year after year is far from what denotes a label worthy of recognition. So what did Peter Rehberg do this year above others to see his label planted squarely in this list? For starters, unlike many other platforms to reach 20-years-old, no anniversary compilation was in sight, with the label taking to the stage to celebrate instead, with label showcases held at all matter of festivals ranging from smaller, cultural events like Portugal’s Madeiradig to the mega hangers of Barcelona’s Sónar. Editions Mego did, however, indulge in reissuing General Magic & Pita’s Fridge Trax Plus, the album which inaugurated the label all the way back in 1995, and 20 years on Ramon Bauer and Andreas Pieper (General Magic) and Peter Mieninger’s (Pita) white goods have never sounded so fresh.

Besides giving Russell Haswell’s “Tongue Dancer ‘85” an indulgent single-sided 12” release, it was all about albums for Editions Mego this year, all of which were on point. Anthony Child’s modular synth and field recording fusions of Electronic Recordings From Maui Jungle Vol. 1 will still be fresh in the ears of many reading this, and it’s an album that embraces the Buchla 200 head on without going overboard on the birdsong and sound of water. Thomas Brinkmann’s What You Hear (Is What You Hear) was criminally overlooked – we implore you to listen to “Agent Orange” – while Christina Nemec (who moonlights in Shampoo Boy with Peter Rehberg) delivered an album of ruffian, industrial-tipped ambience in Empty Airport. Furthermore Editions Mego released a live recording of Voices From The Lake playing Rome’s MAXXI museum of contemporary art, Donato Dozzy’s voice-based Sintetizzatrice album with Anna Caragnano, and Pan Sonic legend Ilpo Väisänen’s I-LP-O In Dub collaboration was nothing short of unique. Of course, there’s a lot more to be mined too.

Essential listening:

Thomas Brinkmann – What You Hear (Is What You Hear)
Chra – Empty Airport
Anthony Child – Electronic Recordings From Maui Jungle Vol 1

3. Antinote

From a critical standpoint, it can be tricky to repeatedly cover the same musical operations, but in some instances it’s just impossible to ignore the quality of a label’s work year on year. 2014 was undoubtedly strong for Zaltan’s Antinote label as it picked up the pace and widened the net to embrace a richer tapestry of sounds, but 2015 has been positively rampant. There was a coming-together of the core artists that defined the label early on, from the original Antinoter Iueke returning with more of his archival tape gems through to Geena further exploring his playful hardware house music with the Pure Ground Research 12”. Syracuse developed ever further with the plush synth-pop delights of the Liquid Silver Dream mini-album and Nico Motte, who still continues to furnish the Antinote records with his wonderful sleeve design, also found the time to deliver a fine album Life Goes On If You’re Lucky just before the year was out.

What was noticeable about Antinote’s continued excellence this year was the expansion of the roster with curios both new and old, largely existing outside of the familiar bulge of artists on the circuit. D.K. was as ‘overground’ as it got, as the artist’s Love on Deliver 12″ came ahead of his alias 45 ACP landing on L.I.E.S. but elsewhere the names were pleasingly unfamiliar. Domenique Dumont charmed everyone into submission while Inoue Shirabe got heads firmly nodding with two 12” singles, and Leonardo Martelli brought an exciting twist on electro traditions with his own offering. Crucially, all these stylistically diverse creators slotted perfectly into the loosely defined but utterly recognisable Antinote aesthetic. When you consider Paki Visnadi’s ambient pieces designed for professional dance schools slotted in logically alongside everything else, that’s no mean feat.

Essential Listening:

Domenique Dumont – Comme Ça
Leonardo Martelli – Menti Singole
Iueke  Tape 5

2. Planet Mu

Label anniversaries sort of demand a compilation-shaped celebration, and Planet Mu duly lived up to such expectations with the self-explanatory 20th Anniversary Compilation that landed in September. You could argue they exceeded such expectations given that it featured a hefty 50 tracks that canvassed the majority of artists and styles Planet Mu has been championing since 1995, along with a 40-odd page book penned by Rory Gibb. Yet aside from some associated live events, Planet Mu’s 20th year of business remained on a similar course plotted previously; namely, to deliver some high grade album projects that proved the enthusiasm of Mike Paradinas and his label associates remains resolutely undimmed.

And what an array of albums Planet Mu treated us too. John T Gast’s Excerpts proved a most welcome surprise when it was announced by Planet Mu and was ultimately one of the albums of the year for us, along with Jlin’s appropriately titled Dark Energy. On this album, the Indiana-based musician channelled all her negative energies into positively bending new shapes out of footwork’s stylistic elements. Despite the inherent darkness, it was a bright and vibrant listen. Planet Mu’s long term championing of footwork also gave us a new album from RP Boo, whilst also taking in albums from Ekoplekz, Luke Vibert, and Drew Lustman. The year ended for them with Kila, an album-shaped Mu debut for Herva which tapped into the label’s fine heritage for IDM and frazzled braindance. Here’s to another 20 years Planet Mu!

Essential Listening:

John T Gast – Excerpts
Jlin – Dark Energy
Herva – Kila

1. Further Records

Even before the Mexican food was wolfed down, pizza topping dropped on our creased shirts and escaped beer wiped away from the corner of mouths during the early November meetings to decide these lists, one decision was unanimous. Further Records had label of the year in the bag. Headed by Chloe Harris and Mark Cul, the year of Further wasn’t just recognised for its daring and prolific output, but moreover, for the way in which all matter of stylistic corners where covered when releasing music. Had we not known it was a small independent, albeit boutique label from Seattle, Further feels as rogue as a money-loaded major splurging on an experimental sub-label with all the benefits of having absolute artistic freedom.

This year Further may have released albums by venerated artists like Rrose and Donato Dozzy – both their releases off hook in terms of conceptualism – the label was equally happy to source its music via SoundCloud demos from budding producers like Paris and Melbourne dwellers Nautil and Mosam Howieson. The diversity of the label’s chosen format went from cassette albums by obscure duo Porcje Rosołowe and the anonymous Spacement, to vinyl reissues of Chloe Harris’ Dose tape as Raica. Of course, there’s more; Further also put out a 2xCD of a 2013 live set by Dave Moufang and Jordan Czamanski recorded in Seattle (excerpts from the night given a 12” release too) and on top of that inspired listens came from Jonas Reinhardt’s Palace Savant album, influenced by the foundations of a cathedral in Prague, and one of the two LPs Strategy put out this year.

Cast your eyes over the Further back catalogue and it’s clearly a label run by people with their ears to the ground and Harris and Cul have spawned an operation with a history worthy of accolades. This year it felt as their contribution was the most vital yet.

Essential Listening:

Raica – Dose
Rrose Plays James Tenney – Having Never Written A Note For Percussion
Moufang & Czamanski – Live In Seattle