DRO Records

Last updated
DRO
Parent company Warner Music Group
Founded1982
Founder Aviador Dro
Distributor(s)Pancoca (1982–1983)
Grabaciones Accidentales (1983–1984)
Genre alternative rock
Country of origin Spain
Location Madrid

DRO Records (often referred to simply as DRO) was a Spanish independent record label founded in 1982 by members of the band Aviador Dro. It is one of Spain's first independent record labels. During the 1980s DRO was an important label for independent artists in Spain, especially in Madrid.

Contents

Name

DRO is an acronym which stands for Discos Radioactivos Organizados (English: Organized Radioactive Records). [1] In the 1990s, the multinational label Eastwest Records acquired DRO. Following the acquisition the label was renamed DRO EastWest.

History

DRO Records was founded in Spain in 1982 by members of the band Aviador Dro. [2] The label, which was one of the earliest independent labels in Spain, was created in order to give the band the resources to publish their music after being rejected by major labels. [1] At the time, alternative music was emerging in Spain, especially around Madrid. DRO and other independent labels helped alternative artists distribute their music to wider audiences in the 1980s. [3] Because of its role as a label for important artists during this time, the label has been called a pioneer of Spanish independent music. [4] Many of the most successful Spanish artists of the 1980s were signed to DRO. [5]

In 1983, following the collapse of DRO's distributor, Pancoca, the independent label Grabaciones Accidentales (GASA) began handling DRO's distribution. GASA was absorbed into DRO in the following year. [6] DRO also acquired another independent label, Twins, in 1989. [1]

The DRO-GASA group was ultimately acquired by Warner Music Group in 1993 due to financial pressures. [1] The label current operates as DRO EastWest, SA.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dover (band)</span> Spanish rock band

Dover was a Spanish rock band founded in Madrid in 1992. The group was composed of the sisters and group leaders Cristina Llanos (vocals) and Amparo Llanos, drummer Jesús Antúnez and bassist Samuel Titos. They recorded eight albums, selling around two million copies. They are known for their second album Devil Came to Me, which led them to international fame. In 2006, their sixth album, Follow the City Lights caused controversy as the style of the group changed from alternative rock to electronic pop. The band won, among other things, the revelation group awards at the 1997 Premios Ondas and the award for best Spanish artist at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards. The band was disbanded in 2016 by Amparo Llanos, who has since begun another project without her sister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extremoduro</span> Spanish hard rock band

Extremoduro was a Spanish hard rock band from Plasencia, Extremadura. The band is led by Roberto Iniesta, also known as "Robe", who is often referred as "El rey de Extremadura". The name Extremoduro is a pun on the band's home region in western Spain, Extremadura, and roughly translates as "extremely tough", "rough edge" or, more literally, "hard extreme".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska (singer)</span> Spanish-Mexican singer

Olvido Gara Jova, known professionaly as Alaska, is a Mexican-Spanish singer, songwriter and actress. Dubbed the "Queen of La Movida", Alaska has been widely recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation. Alaska moved from Mexico to Spain in 1973 with her family. In Spain, she joined the group Kaka de Luxe as a guitarist, until 1979, when she became the vocalist and composer of Alaska y los Pegamoides, a group with which she reached her first number one thanks to "Bailando", acquiring great recognition nationally and in some Spanish-speaking countries. From 1983 onwards, she was the vocalist and composer of Alaska y Dinarama; a band with which she continued to release albums that reached widespread popularity. Many of her songs have reached number one in the music charts of several countries around the world; her biggest hits include songs such as "Perlas ensangrentadas", "Rey del Glam", "Cómo Pudiste Hacerme Esto a Mí", "Ni Tú Ni Nadie", "A Quién Le Importa", "La Funcionaria Asesina", "Mi Novio Es Un Zombi" and "Quiero Ser Santa".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviador Dro</span> Spanish synthpop/electronic music band

Aviador Dro, short for El Aviador Dro y sus Obreros Especializados, is a synthpop and electronic music band from Spain, formed in Madrid in 1979.

Un Pingüino en mi Ascensor is a Spanish music band.

<i>La Movida Madrileña</i> Countercultural movement during the Spanish transition after Francisco Francos 1975 death

La Movida Madrileña, also known as La Movida, was a countercultural movement that took place mainly in Madrid during the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. The movement coincided with economic growth in Spain and a widespread desire for the development of a post-Francoist identity. The Concierto homenaje a Canito, which took place on February 9, 1980, is traditionally considered the beginning of La Movida Madrileña.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enigma Records</span> American record label

Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eskorbuto</span> Spanish punk rock band

Eskorbuto was a Spanish punk rock band from Santurtzi, Greater Bilbao, Basque Autonomous Community, that formed in 1980. They have been one of the most influential bands for Spanish and Latin American punk rock. They are known for their strong attitude and crude lyrics. They were one of the first bands to perform punk with lyrics in Spanish. Eskorbuto is a modified word taken from escorbuto . Along with the band La Polla Records, Eskorbuto has been very influential in the Spanish rock and punk scene.

Restless Records is a record label that was started in El Segundo, California in 1986 by Enigma Records and primarily released alternative, metal, and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records. Restless also had a fully owned subsidiary, Pink Dust Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barón Rojo</span> Spanish heavy metal band

Barón Rojo is a Spanish heavy metal band from Madrid that achieved international success in the 1980s. The band is led by siblings Carlos and Armando de Castro, previously from the band Coz, and is considered one of the most important representatives of Spanish hard rock. Barón Rojo in Spanish means "red baron", the name of the band being an homage to Manfred von Richthofen; the 1981 eponymous song "Barón Rojo" is about him. In 2017, they were ranked number 18 on Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Spanish Rock Bands".

OBK is a Spanish synthpop music group from Barcelona (Spain) composed of Jordi Sánchez and Miguel Arjona. The group was famous for introducing the electronic music in Spain in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esplendor Geometrico</span> Spanish industrial band

Esplendor Geométrico is a Spanish industrial band. The band was formed in the early 1980s by Arturo Lanz, Gabriel Riaza, and Juan Carlos Sastre, who had all been members of El Aviador Dro y sus Obreros Especializados. They took the name "Geometric Splendor" from Geometric and Mechanical Splendor and the Numerical Sensibility, a text of the Italian futurist, F.T. Marinetti.

Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez is a Spanish conductor and composer. With Germanic education, he is known for his ability not to need a score when conducting and for his rigour when he interprets works always respecting the composers' intentions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quique González (singer)</span> Spanish singer-songwriter

Enrique González Morales, better known as Quique González, is a Spanish singer-songwriter known throughout the continent for his approachable and natural writing style. González was born in Madrid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosendo Mercado</span> Spanish rock singer and songwriter (born 1954)

Rosendo Mercado Ruiz is a Spanish rock singer and songwriter. He was a member of bands Ñu and Leño, and is a prominent exponent of the so-called urban rock in Spain.

DROsoft was a Spanish computer and video game software distributor headquartered in Madrid. The company was founded in 1985 out of DRO Records, Spain's first independent record label. It is considered to have played a part in the golden age of Spanish software, having been described as one of the "principal distributors" of the age.

Miguel Ángel Coria Varela was a Spanish composer of classical music. His early work showed affinities to the music of Anton Webern, but he became increasingly influenced by Impressionism. From 1973 he entered his post-modern period where his compositions were marked by "attempts to evoke the spirit of the music of the past, but without literal allusions". In addition to his instrumental music, he also composed an opera, Belisa, which premiered at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in 1992. Coria served as the Administrative Director of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the 1980s and was a co-founder of ALEA, Spain's first laboratory for electronic music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Te Quiero (Ricardo Arjona song)</span> 2012 single by Ricardo Arjona

"Te Quiero" is a Latin pop song by Guatemalan recording artist Ricardo Arjona, released on 5 July 2012 as the third single from his 13th studio album, Independiente (2011). The song was written by Arjona, who produced it with longtime collaborators Dan Warner and Lee Levin under their stage name Los Gringos. Additional recording work was handled by Peter Wallace, Matt Rollings, Carlos "Cabral" Junior and Isaías García.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grabaciones Accidentales</span> Spanish independent record label

Grabaciones Accidentales, SA is a Spanish independent record label founded in 1981 by Paco Trinidad with members of the bands Esclarecidos and Décima Víctima. In addition to publishing albums by the founding members, the label was responsible for releases by other Spanish artists and the distribution of releases by some foreign artists.

Hispavox S.A. was a major Spanish record company founded on June 27, 1953, that ran independently until 1985 when it was acquired by EMI. Their studios were located in Madrid, and were known among fans as Sonido Torrelaguna. EMI owned the Hispavox record label, manufactured for other labels and distributed in Spain foreign labels. The Hispavox name is retained by Warner Music Group after its acquisition of Parlophone Music Spain in 2013.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Manrique, Diego (12 January 1993). "Warner adquiere la discográfica independiente española DRO". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. Godes, Patricia; Arenas, Miguel Ángel (March 1983), "Independientes (II)", Rock Espezial (in Spanish), no. 18, p. 45
  3. Hamilton M. Stapell (28 September 2010). Remaking Madrid: Culture, Politics, and Identity After Franco. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 101. ISBN   978-0-230-11304-6.
  4. Nieto, Antonio (18 June 2013). "La música 'indie' encumbra a Xoel López". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  5. Sílvia Martinez; Héctor Fouce (18 July 2013). Made in Spain: Studies in Popular Music. Routledge. p. 192. ISBN   978-1-136-46005-0.
  6. Rodríguez, Jesús; Arenas, Miguel Ángel (November 1984), "Los Esclarecidos, Pop ambiental", Rockdelux (in Spanish), no. 1, p. 22