Crammed Discs

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Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released around 400 albums and 300 singles, working with artists from all over the world (from Western Europe and the US to the Balkans and North & Central Africa, from South America to the Middle East and Japan).

Contents

Crammed Discs is run by Marc Hollander (A&R) with Hanna Gorjaczkowska (artist development, marketing, distribution & art direction) and Vincent Kenis (producer, director of the Congotronics Series).

Marc Hollander and Crammed Discs received the WOMEX award in 2004 at the World Music Expo international music trade fair, for being "one of the seminal players on the world music field". [1] However, the label has always systematically worked with electronic music, indie pop and rock artists, and "doesn't see itself as a world music label: it just happens to enjoy working with artists from around the world, some of whom sing in languages other than English" (as stated in the label's manifesto). [2] Crammed has been described as "one of the most boldly eclectic independent labels around" (Pitchfork), [3] as "innovative and groundbreaking" [4] and "visionary", [5] a.o. for steadily avoiding to confine its roster "to one, potentially homogeneous category" and encouraging artists with plural identities to create new forms of music. [6]

In 2011, Crammed Discs celebrated its 30th anniversary by setting up the Congotronics vs Rockers project, a "superband" including ten Congolese and ten indie rock musicians (including members of Konono No1, Deerhoof, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Kasai Allstars, Skeletons, Juana Molina and Vincent Kenis), who collaborated to create a common repertoire and performed at 15 major festivals and venues in ten countries. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

From 2008 to 2014, the following artists have joined the Crammed Discs roster: Chicago band Allá, indie pop act Lonely Drifter Karen (from Vienna and Barcelona), London-based Moroccan electronic artist U-cef, Congolese band Staff Benda Bilili, musician/composer/producer Mocky, Belgian band Hoquets, Belgo-Congolese rapper Baloji, Belgian-Colombian band La Chiva Gantiva, French-American artist Maïa Vidal, US bands Skeletons & Megafaun, South African/Dutch band SKIP&DIE, Belgian band Amatorski, Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, Argentinian artist Juana Molina and Ghanaian/Swiss band OY.

The label's latest signings (2016-2023) are Parisian electronic music collective Acid Arab, Portuguese singer & musician Lula Pena, young French-Welsh band Fauna Twin, French experimental pop band Aquaserge, Matias Aguayo & The Desdemonas, the new rock band founded by the German-Chilean electronic music producer, Berlin-based Spanish experimental musician Don The Tiger, French-Chilean band Nova Materia, Lagos/London project Ekiti Sound, Ugandan/British band Nihiloxica, Californian musician Scott Gilmore, producer Pascal Gabriel and his new Stubbleman project, and Palestinian techno duet Zenobia.

Sub-labels

Because of the diversity of the label's output since its early days in the 1980s, its founders chose to create several sub-labels. [12] This policy was discarded during the latter part of the 1990s, because Crammed felt that genre-blending had finally become acceptable. [13]

Crammed also had several specialized and one-artist sub-labels:

Currently the only subsiding Crammed Discs imprints are Congotronics and Made To Measure. Congotronoics is not a sub-label per se, but a collection of releases by Congolese bands who play their own respective styles of electrified traditional music (such as Konono No1 and Kasai Allstars). [21] The series is curated and produced by Vincent Kenis. As for the Made To Measure composers' series, it is being discreetly revived since 2013 (after having remained inactive for 18 years), as 6 new volumes have recently come out.

Discography (albums)

1980


1981


1982


1983


1984


1985


1986


1987


1988


1989


1990


1991


1992


1993


1994


1995


1996


1997


1998


1999


2000


2001


2002


2003


2004


2005


2006


2007


2008


2009


2010


2011


2012


2013


2014


2015


2016


2017


2018


2019


2020


2021


2022


2023


2024


Crammed Samplers

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

Crammed Discs artists (past and present)

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References

  1. ↑ "The WOMEX 2004 Award". Womex.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  2. ↑ "Manifesto on the Crammed website". Crammed.be.dd5126.kasserver.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-30. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  3. ↑ "Pitchfork". Pitchfork. 2007-04-25. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  4. ↑ "Radio Nova". Nova.fr. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  5. ↑ "Les Inrockuptibles". Lesinrocks.com. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  6. ↑ Snell, Heather. "Pop Matters". Pop Matters. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  7. ↑ Caspar Llewellyn Smith (2011-07-13). "The Guardian". London. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  8. ↑ "The Quietus". The Quietus. 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  9. ↑ Male, Howard (12 July 2011). "The Arts Desk". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  10. ↑ "Pitchfork". Pitchfork. 2011-03-28. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  11. ↑ "Les Inrockuptibles". Lesinrocks.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  12. ↑ "Marc Hollander's Womex Award acceptance speech". Womex.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-20.
  13. ↑ "Interview in Belgian daily Le Soir". Blog.lesoir.be. 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  14. ↑ "Made To Measure web page". Crammed.be. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  15. ↑ "SSR web page". Crammed.be. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  16. ↑ "Language web page". Crammed.be. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  17. ↑ PAUL AMES Associated Press 2007-06-18 05:17 PM (2007-06-18). "Associated Press". Taiwannews.com.tw. Retrieved 2013-04-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "Ziriguiboom web page". Crammed.be. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  19. ↑ "Selector web page". Crammed.be. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  20. ↑ "Artist Details: CRAMMED DISCS". Crammed.be. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  21. ↑ "The Congotronics web page". Crammed.be. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
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