All Saints Records

Last updated

All Saints Records
Founded1991 (1991)
Founder Dominic Norman-Taylor
Distributor(s) Warp Records
Genre Ambient
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Location London, England
Official website allsaintsrecords.bandcamp.com

All Saints Records is a British independent record label. It was established in 1991 by Dominic Norman-Taylor. [1] The label has published ambient music by Brian Eno and Biosphere.

Contents

History

All Saints Records was founded in 1991, named after a street in West London. The first releases were from Opal Records/Land Records which had closed that year as Opal (Brian Eno's management company) wanted to concentrate on artist management rather than being a label. [2] All Saints continued to build upon those initial releases with new acts as well as with artists already associated with the label.

All Saints generally explores the areas where Ambient music embraces other genres of music, but its recent policy of branching out does not seem to have excluded its established artists. Much of the earlier catalogue however is pure ambient. Many of the albums are almost iconic in their stature, such as Biosphere's 1997 Substrata.

The label was distributed by Vital Records and later moved to Pinnacle Records. All Saints Records was almost silent from 2001 to 2004, but it was relaunched after Norman-Taylor returned from a period with the UN and a NGO in a deal with Rykodisc. In 2012 the label signed a co-operative deal with Warp Records.

The artwork of the label's releases plays an important part in its general culture and its interest in the visual as well as the musical is very apparent. For example, the label has released three artworks by Eno, Mistaken Memories of Mediaeval Manhattan, Thursday Afternoon (on a single DVD) and 77 Million Paintings.

Roster

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambient music</span> Music genre

Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody. It uses textural layers of sound that can reward both passive and active listening and encourage a sense of calm or contemplation. The genre is said to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual", or "unobtrusive" quality. Nature soundscapes may be included, and the sounds of acoustic instruments such as the piano, strings and flute may be emulated through a synthesizer.

Intelligent dance music (IDM) is a style of electronic music originating in the early 1990s, defined by idiosyncratic experimentation rather than specific genre constraints. It emerged from the culture and sound palette of electronic styles such as ambient techno, acid house, Detroit techno and breakbeat; it has been regarded as better suited to home listening than dancing. Prominent artists associated with it include Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, Boards of Canada, Amon Tobin, Higher Intelligence Agency, Telefon Tel Aviv, μ-Ziq, The Black Dog, The Future Sound of London, Mouse on Mars, Biosphere, Orbital and Luke Vibert.

Ambient techno is a subgenre of techno that incorporates the atmospheric textures of ambient music with the rhythmic elements and production of techno. It was pioneered by 1990s electronic artists such as Aphex Twin, Carl Craig, The Orb, The Future Sound of London, the Black Dog, Pete Namlook and Biosphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Hassell</span> American trumpeter (1937–2021)

Jon Hassell was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various world ethnic traditions with modern electronic techniques. The concept was first articulated on Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics, his 1980 collaboration with Brian Eno.

<i>Ambient 1: Music for Airports</i> 1978 studio album by Brian Eno

Ambient 1: Music for Airports is the sixth studio album by Brian Eno, released in 1978 by Polydor Records. It is the first of Eno's albums released under the label of ambient music, a genre of music intended to "induce calm and a space to think" while remaining "as ignorable as it is interesting". While not Eno's earliest entry in the style, it is credited with coining the term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biosphere (musician)</span> Norwegian electronic musician

Geir Aule Jenssen is a Norwegian electronic musician and composer who records as Biosphere. A resident of Tromsø within the Arctic Circle, Jenssen is well known for ambient and ambient house pieces, often inspired by Arctic or mountain settings, and his use of loops and peculiar samples from science fiction and natural sources. His 1997 album Substrata was voted by the users of the Hyperreal.org website in 2001 as the best all-time classic ambient album. He has also composed several film scores.

<i>Selected Ambient Works Volume II</i> 1994 studio album by Aphex Twin

Selected Ambient Works Volume II is the second studio album by Aphex Twin, the pseudonym of the British electronic musician Richard D. James. It was released on 7 March 1994 through Warp. Billed as a follow-up to James' debut Selected Ambient Works 85–92, the album differs in sound by being largely beatless ambient music. James said that it was inspired by lucid dreaming, and likened the music to "standing in a power station on acid."

Ambient house is a downtempo subgenre of house music that first emerged in the late 1980s, combining elements of acid house and ambient music. The genre developed in chill-out rooms and specialist clubs as part of the UK's dance music scene. It was most prominently pioneered by the Orb and the KLF, along with artists such as Global Communication, Irresistible Force, Youth, and 808 State. The term was used vaguely, and eventually fell out of favor as more specific subgenres were recognized.

<i>Discreet Music</i> 1975 studio album by Brian Eno

Discreet Music is the fourth studio album by Brian Eno, and the first released under his full name. The album is a minimalist work, with the titular A-side consisting of one 30-minute piece featuring synthesizer and tape delay. The B-side features three variations on Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel, performed by the Cockpit Ensemble and conducted by Gavin Bryars.

Roger Eugene Eno is an English ambient music composer. He is the brother of Brian Eno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cluster (band)</span> German musical duo

Cluster were a German musical duo consisting of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius, formed in 1971 and associated with West Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scenes. Born from the earlier Berlin-based group Kluster, they relocated in 1971 into the countryside village of Forst, Lower Saxony, where they built a studio and collaborated with musicians such as Conny Plank, Brian Eno, and Michael Rother; with the latter, they formed the influential side-project Harmonia. After first disbanding in 1981, Cluster reunited several times: from 1989 to 1997, and from 2007 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmonia (band)</span> German band

Harmonia was a West German musical "supergroup" formed in 1973 as a collaboration between members of two prominent krautrock bands: Cluster's Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius joined by Neu! guitarist Michael Rother. Living and recording in the rural village of Forst, the trio released two albums—Musik von Harmonia (1974) and Deluxe (1975)—to limited sales before dissolving in 1976. AllMusic described the group as "one of the most legendary in the entire krautrock/kosmische scene."

<i>Another Day on Earth</i> 2005 studio album by Brian Eno

Another Day on Earth is the twenty-second solo studio album by Brian Eno, released on 13 June 2005 in the UK and Europe through Hannibal Records, and on 14 June 2005 in the US. The album predominantly recorded and mixed on Macintosh software, using Logic Pro, over a period of four years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laraaji</span> American multi-instrumentalist playing piano, zither and mbira (b. 1943)

Laraaji is an American multi-instrumentalist specializing in piano, zither and mbira. His albums include the 1980 release Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, produced by Brian Eno as part of his Ambient series.

<i>Words for the Dying</i> 1989 studio album by John Cale

Words for the Dying is the twelfth solo studio album by the Welsh musician John Cale, released in 1989 by record labels Opal and Warner Bros.

<i>Music for Films III</i> 1988 studio album by various artists

Music for Films III is the third entry in Brian Eno's "Music for Films" series. It was the first in the series to include music from artists other than Brian Eno, including Roger Eno, Michael Brook, Laraaji, and Harold Budd, among others, with Brian Eno involved with the production of all tracks.

Hugo Largo was an American musical group formed in 1984, known for their unique lineup: two bass guitars, a violin and singer/performance artist Mimi Goese. Their sound has been characterized as art rock, dream pop, ambient and avant-rock.

<i>Kite Stories</i> 1999 studio album by Brian Eno

Kite Stories is the eighteenth solo studio album from Brian Eno, released in 1999 by Opal Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Eno</span> British musician (born 1948)

Brian Peter George Eno, also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambient music and electronica, and for producing, recording, and writing works in rock and pop music. A self-described "non-musician", Eno has helped introduce unconventional concepts and approaches to contemporary music. He has been described as one of popular music's most influential and innovative figures. In 2019, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music.

<i>(No Pussyfooting)</i> 1973 studio album by Fripp & Eno

(No Pussyfooting) is the debut studio album by the British duo Fripp & Eno, released in 1973. (No Pussyfooting) was the first of three major collaborations between the musicians, growing out of Brian Eno's early tape delay looping experiments and Robert Fripp's "Frippertronics" electric guitar technique.

References

  1. More Dark Than Shark,
  2. RA News, 'Greater Lengths release'