Rephlex Records | |
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Founded | 1991 |
Defunct | 2014 |
Genre | Electronic, IDM, ambient techno, experimental |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Location | Cornwall, then London |
Rephlex Records was a record label launched in 1991 in Cornwall by electronic musician Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin) and Grant Wilson-Claridge. [1] The label coined the term braindance to describe the output of Aphex Twin and fellow artists. [2]
In 1989, Grant Wilson-Claridge met Richard D. James (a.k.a. Aphex Twin) DJing at The Bowgie, a club located just along the coast from Newquay, Cornwall. According to Wilson-Claridge, back in 1989, "the Bowgie was the best club ever...this was before Newquay turned into the Cornish Ibiza" and it was very difficult to hear new and interesting music. Wilson-Claridge and James used to DJ on alternate weeks. When he noticed that James was playing his own tapes rather than records, Wilson-Claridge suggested that they press up some records. In the beginning, committing Aphex Twin recordings to vinyl was a way of making music the duo's friends wanted to hear. Due to their geographical dis-location they did not have access to the music they wanted to hear and so they decided to create their own, and Rephlex as a label was born. [3] Although the label was founded in 1991 in Cornwall, it moved the year after to London. [4]
On a post to an internet newsgroup in 1992, the label stated that its intent was to "promote Innovation in the dynamics of Acid" – a much loved and misunderstood genre of house music" and to "demonstrate to the rest of the world that British dance music can be entirely original". [5]
Rephlex has released the music of many electronic artists, among them Mike Paradinas, DMX Krew, Luke Vibert, Aleksi Perälä and Squarepusher. The label has also remastered and re-released the early works of 808 State [6] and the Future Sound of London, and relaunched the career of electronic duo producers Black Devil with a re-release of their first record.
In 2014, James announced the closing of Rephlex Records. [7] He stated that the closure was "something that needed to be done a long time ago. Me and my friend would have drifted apart, but actually the label did keep us together. It got to a point where I’d actually rather be his friend than be in business with him." [7]