Metal has never been an easy genre to digest, let alone sell. Forget ridiculous 80s hairbands which were nothing more than boybands with bleached hair playing really whiney loud music. Real metal is an acquired taste, just like sushi and spandex. [more »]

When a teenager in his hometown of Detroit, a certain Jack White set up Third Man Upholstery, his one-man furnishing operations. Its theme colours were yellow and black, its furniture was scribbled over with Jack’s poetry, and its slogan read, “Your Furniture’s Not Dead”. Rather than being the kind of legit and profit-making business, Third Man Upholstery was more a stylistic statement, allowing Jack to not only go wild on people’s furniture, but to also establish a set of eccentric standards that he’s never forgot. Enter Third man Records….

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In 1997, not much was happening in the local Chinese music scene. During this post-Canto rock era, you could even say that the scene was dead until an indie band from Penang called Chong Yang decided to shake things up. [more »]

Alternative Tentacles was an independent label formed by the outspoken Jello Biafra and his band Dead Kennedys in 1979 to release their first single ‘California Uber Alles’. Initially, the song failed to make an impact back home but became an overnight hit in the UK thanks to promotion by hot label-of-the-moment Fast Product. [more »]

Steve Lawler has always been somewhat of a rebel. At 16 he started tuning into pirate radio stations and shortly after, began organising his own underground raves at the infamous M42 Motorway. [more »]

Formed in 1989, LaFace was a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio ‘LA’ Reid and Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds with Arista Records. They combined their nicknames to create the name of the label. LaFace started out at the perfect time when r ‘n’ b and hip hop was at its peak.

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“…the momentum that drives a subculture is more important than any particular band…” - Jesse Michaels, Operation Ivy

The pop-punk explosion of the 90s has as much to do with Lookout! Records as it did the success of Green Day. Formed in 1987 by Larry Livermore and David Hayes, the Lookout! Records was named after Livermore’s band The Lookouts. Based in Berkeley, California, Lookout captured the sunny lifestyle through thrashy bubblegum pop-punk bands not unlike The Ramones.

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For the past 30 years, 4AD has kept true to the tradition of releasing mind-blowing fringe music, amassing a unique and diverse roster in the process. Hard to believe this is the same indie label that started with just £1000.

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“Don’t do anything by half… When you go to work, work your ass off. When you hate someone, hate them until it hurts.” – Henry Rollins, Black Flag

SST Records sparked the American underground DIY movement and rose from a cashless operation to become THE indie label of the 80s. Expanding from the core of hardcore, it ultimately shaped alt-rock with bands like Hüsker Dü, The Meat Puppets and Sonic Youth. [more »]

One of the biggest electronic music labels around, Germany-based !K7 Records had its humble start in 1985 when owner Horst Weidenmueller founded it as a video production company working on festival documentaries and live videos for bands like Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Mudhoney and other rock acts. Then in 1992 Horst released the first edition of the X-Mix Series, [more »]