Aesop (record label)

Last updated
Aesop
Aesop Logo.jpg
Founded2012
FounderAdam Royal
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Location London
Official website aesoplabel.com

Aesop Label, commonly known as Aesop, is a British independent record label founded and based in Brixton, London. The label was launched in 2012 with a focus on releasing records available on limited runs of 12-inch vinyl as well as being available digitally.

An independent record label is a record label that operates without the funding of major record labels; they are a type of small to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented by trade associations in their country or region, which in turn are represented by the international trade body, the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN).

Brixton District in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London

Brixton is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.

London Capital of the United Kingdom

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with the largest municipal population in the European Union. Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits. The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

Contents

History

Aesop was started by Adam Royal, its inaugural release was 'The Wheel from English musician Sohn, which was also marked his debut release and who later went on to release his debut album with 4AD, [1] the album reached number 31 on the UK Albums Chart. [2] Primarily Aesop has worked with artists making music within the electronic-pop genre, with other releases of note coming from British musician TĀLĀ and her ‘The Duchess’ and ‘Alchemy’ EPs. As of 2015 TĀLĀ has now signed to major label Columbia Records. [3] Aesop released the debut EP from Wayward who later went on to sign with UK label, Black Butter Records. [4] In 2014 Aesop released the debut EP from UK duo Sylas entitled ’Shore’, which also featured production and vocals from the highly acclaimed musician, Brian Eno. [5] In July 2015 Aesop released the debut single from Dutch duo Klyne. [6] Label founder Adam Royal contributed to the HUH. Magazine 'Label Picks' [7] series about how the Sylas release came about.

Christopher Michael Taylor, professionally known as Sohn, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Following the release of the 2012 EP The Wheel by Aesop, he was signed by 4AD. He released his first album, Tremors, on 7 April 2014 followed by Rennen in January 2017.

4AD record label

4AD is a British independent record label, founded by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980. It was originally funded by, and an imprint of, Beggars Banquet.

The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on Fridays. It is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and published in Music Week magazine, and on the OCC website.

Aesop was featured as "Label of the Week" in the 16 April 2014 issue of NME . [8] At the end of 2014 Noisey named Aesop one of their record labels of the year in their article "These Are the British Record Labels That Killed It in 2014". [9]

<i>NME</i> British weekly music journalism magazine

New Musical Express (NME) is a British music journalism website and former magazine that has been published since 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the edition of 14 November 1952. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. During the period 1972 to 1976, it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism, then became closely associated with punk rock through the writings of Julie Burchill, Paul Morley and Tony Parsons. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s, changing from newsprint in 1998.

Artists

Tālā is the stage name of London-based musician Jasmin Tadjiky. She was raised in Kingston, South London, and attended a catholic school in Twickenham until she was 16, when she attended the BRIT School. She started learning to play music with piano lessons, jamming with her sitar- and tabla-playing father. She started making electronic music after being given the Reason music software as a teenager. TĀLĀ is not her real name, but rather chosen for its meaning.

Discography

ArtistTitleTypeRelease dateCat. No.
KlyneParalyzedDigital7 August 2014ASP-008
SylasShore featuring Jelani Blackman and Brian Eno12" EP / Digital24 November 2014ASP-006
TĀLĀAlchemy12" EP / Digital17 November 2014ASP-005
TĀLĀThe Duchess12" EP / Digital2 June 2014ASP-004
WaywardLove Jones12" Single / Digital2 December 2013ASP-003
Gent MasonEden12" EP / Digital7 October 2013ASP-002
SohnThe Wheel12" EP / Digital5 November 2012ASP-001

Art direction

The Aesop logo was designed by British artist David Bray, known for his intricate illustrative style. [10] The logo adorns the A-side centre label of the 12-inch vinyl versions of Aesop releases. A subtle line spanning across the width of the centre label behind the logo is either positioned at 33 or 45 degrees from the top most point of the logo, this dictates at which speed the record should be played at, either 33 or 45 RPM.

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References

  1. ↑ "4AD SOHN Artist Information". 4AD. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Results". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "TĀLĀ: songwriter and producer hitting gold with potent Alchemy". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Wayward Artist Information". Black Butter Records. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Cliff, Aimee. "Brian Eno Says You Need to Listen to Sylas, and So Do We". The Fader. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Cliff, Aimee. "Bask In The Mellow Summer Pop Of Dutch Duo Klyne". The Fader. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Label Picks: Aesop". HUH. Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  8. ↑ "Label of The Week". (April 16th, 2014). NME Magazine, p. 23.
  9. ↑ "These Are The British Record Labels That Killed It In 2014". Noisey. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  10. ↑ Tutor, Zach. "The Fine Art of David Bray". Juxtapoz. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
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