West Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 1996 |
Founder | Siarhiej Jasiučenia [1] |
Status | inactive |
Genre | various |
Country of origin | Belarus |
Location | Minsk |
Official website | westrecords.by |
West Records is a record label in the Republic of Belarus. [2]
The company is engaged in production and promotion of the releases of Belarusian bands and performers. Many of the most popular Belarusian records of the 2000s, including the domestic tribute to Depeche Mode, albums of J:морс, Тяни-Толкай, Atlantica, Alexey Khlestov , Нестандартный вариант , IQ48 , N.R.M., Krambambula, beZ bileta, Hair Peace Salon with Jitters, [3] [4] Open Space, and many others, were released on the label. At the same time, the label aims to present the widest possible range of Belarusian music, from ska to opera, in its catalogue. [5] [6]
West Records is also a distributor of world-famous labels, such as Sony BMG, Universal, [7] EMI, across the territory of Belarus. The company distributes the licensed products of all major Russian companies, including Мистерия звука , Монолит , Мегалайнер, CD Land , Никитин, and many others.
As Belorusskaya Gazeta’s Jeliena Ankudo reported in 2003, the State Control Committee of the Republic of Belarus imposed a fine of more than $600000 on the company for violations in its financial and economic activities. [8]
In 2010 the label together with the portal TUT.BY produced the show «Russian : Шоу Лауринаса и Мусиэгле» with the participation of Belarusian show business personalities. [9] [10]
According to the presented results of the editorial awards by the music portal Experty.by, West Records was named the best record label of the year three times in a row (in 2008, 2009 and 2010). [11] [12] [13]
In 2010 Oleg Klimov, ex-chief editor of Muzykalnaya Gazeta, as a columnist over at naviny.by named the label, in whose catalogue mediocre albums are rare, “outstanding.” [9]
Basóvišča is the festival of Belarusian alternative and rock music, which is annually conducted by the Belarusian Association of Students since 1990.
Parason is a rock band from Belarus, one of the winners of Basovišča in 2006. Leader of Parason is Andre Karp. Being interviewed by Muzykalnaya Gazeta in 2006, Aleh Vial, frontman of Hair Peace Salon, admitted that the band is close to his one in terms of musical style.
beZ bileta is a Belarusian alternative rock band from Minsk active since 1998.
Open Space is a pop rock and indie rock band from Minsk, Belarus. Formed in 2006 with an English repertoire and a few Belarusian songs, they later adapted mostly Russian lyrics. The band has released two full albums and several EPs and singles, but in recent years the musicians play together mostly as a cover band. Since 2017, frontman Vitaliy Matievskiy has focused on his synth-pop duo Days of Days, and since 2018 he also writes music for his solo electronic music project MATIVI.
Muzykalnaya Gazeta was a Belarusian weekly newspaper covered music and show business.
Hair Peace Salon is a power pop band from Minsk, Belarus, influenced by Britpop bands and British indie rock. Hair Peace Salon's music is notable in Belarus rock music by its use of English lyrics. The group was founded in 1998, and they have released one full-length album Gentleman, and numerous singles and EPs. In 2013, the members took a break when frontman and co-founder Aleh Vial created another band, Bristeil.
Gentleman is the first studio album by the Belarusian indie rock and power-pop band Hair Peace Salon, released on March 21, 2012. The CD contains 10 tracks recorded in the period 2009–2012. All songs were written by Aleh Vial and Konstantin Karman.
Jitters was a rock band from Minsk, Belarus, which played mostly rock and post-grunge. The band was formed in 1998 and released the album Split Before, Together Now, as well as several EPs. In 2007, Jitters broke up and its members joined other groups: Konstantin Karman teamed up with Hair Peace Salon, and Ivan Barzenka and Pavel Kudrin joined beZ bileta.
Pressure is the second album of the Belarusian rock band Open Space recorded at the Minsk studios "Sunflowers," "fOrZ," and "Granny Records."
Hover is an EP by Belarusian rock band Hair Peace Salon recorded at the Gennadiy “Gena Dee” Syrokvash’s X-NOISE Factory studio and released in 2005. All of songs were performed in English.
Split Before, Together Now is a split album by Belarusian rock bands Hair Peace Salon and Jitters released on the initiative of the West Records label on October 25, 2007. The disc consists of two EPs: Gipsy by Hair Peace Salon and Pick Me Up by Jitters.
Tuzin.fm is a private non-profit Belarusian web-portal, which was created in 2003 to cover musical creativity in Belarus. Among its objectives, the site promotes music written in Belarus and motivates to listen to Belarusian songs as large an audience as possible. It initiates and implements music projects and is the information partner of the most significant events of the Belarusian independent music scene. Independently determining its information policy, the nature and content of the information, advertising, audio, and video materials, in 2009 the mass media had more than 50 thousand monthly visitors who downloaded more than 80 thousand songs.
Experty.by is a web-portal dedicated to music in Belarus, as well as the associated music awards of the same name of Belarusian music critics. Moreover, the portal acts as a coorganizer of another awards, the Rock Profi awards.
Rock-kola was a Belarusian rock festival held annually from 1990 to 2007 in Polotsk and Novopolotsk. At the Rock Coronation 2004–2005, it won in the category of “Festival of the Year.”
XLAM: Luchshaya Belarusskaya Alternativa is a compilation album by Belarusian alternative bands released by the portal Xlam.by on the label GO-Records on June 11, 2006.
Rusya is a Belarusian vocalist of the band Indiga, a "rock-princess" according to the results of the tenth Rock Coronation. She is additionally the vocalist of the band Šuma and also takes part in the bands such as Akana-NHS.
Volha Samusik was a Belarusian rock singer and journalist.
Be Free was a Belarusian rock festival that took place in Ukraine since 2007. Bands from Poland, Ukraine, and France participated in the festival too.
Pick Me Up is an EP by the Belarusian rock band Jitters recorded at Vyacheslav Bankevich's studio in Baranavichy and self-released on June 1, 2006. All songs were written by Konstantin Karman in the English language. The presentation of the mini-album was held on October 25, 2006, at the Minsk club “Russian: ЁЁ.” In 2007, the EP was re-released as part of the split-album Split Before, Together Now by the band's Hair Peace Salon and Jitters.