Projekt Records

Last updated
Projekt Records
Projektlogo.png
Founded1983 (1983)
Founder Sam Rosenthal
Distributor(s) Entertainment One Distribution
Genre Gothic rock, dark wave, ethereal wave, neoclassical dark wave, dream pop, shoegaze, ambient, dark cabaret
Official website www.projekt.com

Projekt Records is an independent record label established by Sam Rosenthal in 1983, [1] the label focuses on darkwave, ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, ethereal, dream-pop, and dark cabaret releases.

Contents

History

Projekt was founded in 1983 by Sam Rosenthal, as a record label concentrated on releasing dream-pop, neoclassical, ambient, gothic rock and shoegaze bands, including Rosenthal's own group, Black Tape for a Blue Girl. [2]

Projektfest

Projekt Records also presents Projektfest, a semi-annual festival of gothic and ethereal music, primarily featuring Projekt artists. In 1996, Projektfest ran for two days in Chicago. In 1997, Chicago hosted the festival again, followed a few weeks later by another day of performances in Mexico City. In 1998, Projektfest ran a series of four one-day events in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City. The 2002 Projektfest was held over three days in Philadelphia, at the Trocadero Theatre and other sites. Projekt hosted Projektfest'07 as part of the Blacksun Festival in New Haven, Connecticut, in August. Projektfest'10 was held on July 30 & 31, 2010. [3] Projektfest'11 was held on November 12, 2011, at The Middle East nightclub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, featuring Voltaire, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, and Weep. [4]

Notable artists

Current

Past

Related Research Articles

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Dark wave is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, romantic and bleak, with an undertone of sorrow. The genre embraces a range of styles including cold wave, ethereal wave, gothic rock, neoclassical dark wave and neofolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Tape for a Blue Girl</span> American dark wave band

Black Tape for a Blue Girl is an American dark wave band formed in 1986 by keyboardist/songwriter Sam Rosenthal, the founder of Projekt Records.

Lycia is an American dark wave band formed in 1988 in Tempe, Arizona. The main personnel of the band are Mike VanPortfleet, Tara VanFlower and David Galas. Although only achieving minor cult success, the band is notable for being one of the ground breaking groups in darkwave and ethereal wave styles. Their 1995 album The Burning Circle and Then Dust received some attention for the power pop hit song "Pray" and "remains a high point of American dark rock", according to AllMusic. Lycia's music is characterized by rich soundscapes and layers of echoed guitars, dark and ethereal keyboards, doomy drum machine beats, VanPortfleet's melancholic, whispered vocals and Vanflower's vivid voice. Trent Reznor and Peter Steele are some of their more well-known fans.

<i>Remnants of a Deeper Purity</i> 1996 studio album by Black Tape for a Blue Girl

Remnants of a Deeper Purity is the sixth studio album by the darkwave band Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released on June 7, 1996, by Projekt Records. A cassette version was released in 1997 on Poland's Black Flames Productions. In 2007, a 10th-anniversary edition of the album was released, with a bonus disc, including the With My Sorrows EP from the same era.

Ethereal wave, also called ethereal darkwave, ethereal goth or simply ethereal, is a subgenre of dark wave music that is variously described as "gothic", "romantic", and "otherworldly". Developed in the early 1980s in the UK as an outgrowth of gothic rock, ethereal wave was mainly represented by 4AD bands such as Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, and early guitar-driven Dead Can Dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ego Likeness</span> American band

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<i>The Rope</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Black Tape for a Blue Girl

The Rope is the debut album by the darkwave band Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released on vinyl in 1986 by Projekt Records. Later cassette and CD versions were released.

<i>Before the Buildings Fell</i> 1986 studio album by Sam Rosenthal

Before the Buildings Fell a solo album by dark ambient artist Sam Rosenthal, a member of Black Tape for a Blue Girl and founder of Projekt Records. It was released in 1986 by Projekt Records and reissued on CD in 2000 with enhanced content.

<i>Ashes in the Brittle Air</i> 1989 studio album by Black Tape for a Blue Girl

Ashes in the Brittle Air is the third album by the gothic darkwave band Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released in 1989 by Projekt Records and contains one of their best known songs, "Across a Thousand Blades" sung by Oscar Herrera.

<i>The First Pain to Linger</i> 1996 EP by Black Tape for a Blue Girl

The First Pain to Linger is a book with a maxi-CD by the darkwave band Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released in 1996 by Projekt Records. It is also the title of a novella by Sam Rosenthal that accompanies the album. The songs are different mixes and compilation tracks recorded between 1990 and 1995, in conjunction with the This Lush Garden Within and A Chaos of Desire albums.

<i>As One Aflame Laid Bare by Desire</i> 1999 studio album by Black Tape for a Blue Girl

As One Aflame Laid Bare by Desire is the seventh studio album by the Darkwave band Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released in 1999 by Projekt Records. It owes some artistic inspiration to Marcel Duchamp.

This Ascension is a gothic/ethereal band from Santa Barbara, Southern California that formed in 1988. They released four albums and two 7" vinyl singles on their label Tess Records, between 1989 and 1999. They also released a best of compilation: "Deeper and Further Away" on Projekt Records in 2014.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurelio Voltaire</span> Cuban-American musician

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<i>Halo Star</i> 2004 studio album by Black Tape for a Blue Girl

Halo Star is the ninth studio album by the Darkwave band Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released in 2004 by Projekt Records. It includes one of the band's most popular songs, "Knock Three Times," which later appeared on the popular 2005 Projekt Presents: A Dark Cabaret compilation, remixed as "Knock Three Times ." The album features the core line-up of Sam Rosenthal, Elysabeth Grant, Bret Helm, Michael Laird & Lisa Feuer. It was the last album to feature this version of the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Rosenthal</span>

Sam Rosenthal is an American musician, composer, artist, and novelist. He is the founder and leader of the band Black Tape for a Blue Girl and the Projekt Records record label. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his son and cat. Rosenthal was interviewed in August 2016 for an NPR piece about the DMCA. "It's a really unreasonable expectation," he says, "that I would have the time to chase all day when I should be running a business and making music."

<i>10 Neurotics</i> 2009 studio album by Black Tape for a Blue Girl

10 Neurotics is the tenth studio album by the darkwave/dark cabaret band Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released September 22, 2009 by Projekt Records in America, and September 25, 2009 by Trisol Records in Germany.

Weep is an American rock band from New York City whose music combines elements of ethereal wave, gothic rock, shoegaze, post-punk and synthpop. Formed in 2008 by singer and guitarist Eric "Doc" Hammer, the band's lineup also includes bass guitarist Fred Macaraeg, keyboardist Alex Dziena and drummer Bill Kovalcik. Their debut EP, Never Ever, was released in 2008 by Hammer's Astro-Base Go company and Projekt Records, followed by the full-length albums Worn Thin (2010), Alate (2012) and Weep (2014).

References

  1. "40 albums that honor Projekt Records' 40 years of Darkwave, goth and more - Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  2. Craig Hayes, Popmatters, 2013
  3. "Projektfest'10 - July 30 - Philadelphia, PA". www.projekt.com. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  4. "Projektfest'11 - Saturday November 12 2011". www.projekt.com. Retrieved 2023-06-11.