FatCat Records is an English

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

based in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. The label's output reaches into many styles including

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...

psychedelic folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music, psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of contemporary folk music, folk, but adds musical el ...

contemporary classical New Classical architecture, New Classicism or the New Classical movement is a contemporary movement in architecture that continues the practice of Classical architecture. It is sometimes considered the modern continuation of Neoclassical archite ...

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

. Notable artists that have released music on the label include

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band from Reykjavík, active since 1994. The band comprises singer and guitarist Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, fr ...

, Múm,

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (musician), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (musician), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin ( ...

, Frightened Rabbit,

Shopping Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A typology of shopper types has been developed by scho ...

, The Twilight Sad,

Vashti Bunyan Vashti Bunyan (born Jennifer Vashti Bunyan, 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. Beginning her career in the mid-1960s, she released her debut album, '' Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discourag ...

and

We Were Promised Jetpacks We Were Promised Jetpacks are a Scottish indie rock band originally from Edinburgh, formed in 2003. The band consists of Adam Thompson (vocals, guitar), Sean Smith (bass) and Darren Lackie (drums). Stuart McGachan (keyboards, guitar) was a mem ...

History

1989–2001

FatCat originally began in 1989 as a

record store A record shop or record store is a retail outlet that sells recorded music. In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, record shops only sold gramophone records, but over the 20th century, record shops sold the new formats that were ...

in Crawley, West Sussex, formed by Alex Knight, Dave Cawley and Andy Martin. It moved to central London in 1990, and originally specialised in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

-based

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

music. The store closed down in 1997, and the record label was born in its place, initially releasing

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

and electronic 12"s. The label moved to Brighton in 2001.

2000s

As well as Sigur Rós, another Icelandic band, Múm, were signed and proved successful for the label. The same year also saw the establishment of the 130701 imprint for the

Set Fire To Flames Set Fire to Flames was a Canadian instrumental music ensemble consisting of thirteen musicians from Montreal, Quebec.

album '' Sings Reign Rebuilder''. A home for "post-classical" music, the imprint was later appended with the signing of pianist / composers, Sylvain Chauveau,

Max Richter Max Richter (; ; born 22 March 1966) is a German-born British composer and pianist. He works within postminimalist and contemporary classical styles. Richter is classically trained, having graduated in composition from the University of Edinburg ...

and Hauschka. In the same period FatCat consolidated its roster with the inclusion of artists like David Grubbs, Giddy Motors, and

Party of One ''Party of One'' is an album by English singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Dave Edmunds, it was released in 1990 by Reprise Records and reissued with altered cover art and two bonus tracks in 1995 by Upstart Records. ''Party of One'' is ...

. The departure of Sigur Rós to EMI in late 2004 lead to the label going back to being entirely independent. In 2005, FatCat expanded its set-up with the establishment of a US office in New York, and with the FatCat Publishing arm. That same year saw the release of

's '' Lookaftering'' album. Besides picking up European licenses in

Vetiver ''Chrysopogon zizanioides'', commonly known as vetiver and khus, is a perennial bunchgrass of the family Poaceae. Vetiver is most closely related to '' Sorghum'' but shares many morphological characteristics with other fragrant grasses, such a ...

and

Blood On The Wall Blood on the Wall is a lo-fi music, lo-fi, Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn-based indie rock band, influenced by bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Pavement (band), Pavement, Pixies (band), Pixies, and Sonic Youth. Band members include siblin ...

, the label also signed singer / songwriter

Nina Nastasia Nina Maria Nastasia ( ; born May 13, 1966) is an American folk singer-songwriter. A native of Los Angeles, she first came to prominence in New York City in 2000 after Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel began giving her debut album, ''Dogs'', airplay ...

, as well as new acts like Tom Brosseau, David Karsten Daniels, No Age, The Rank Deluxe, and Songs Of Green Pheasant around this time. In 2007, FatCat put out the first FatCat DVD release by audiovisual artists

Semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way ...

, who had previously worked on videos for Múm and QT?, as well as taking part in a number of FatCat showcases.

2010s

In 2012, the project of Meghan Remy, U.S Girls released FatCat debut LP

Gem A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, an ...

and later signed to 4AD to release her second album

Half Free ''Half Free'' is an album by U.S. Girls, the solo project of Toronto-based American musician Meghan Remy. It was released on September 25, 2015, through 4AD record label. Inspired by Sebastian Junger’s memoir ''War'' and described by its press r ...

. 2013 saw TRAAMS release their debut FatCat release. In the same year TRAAMS released their debut LP Grin and their follow-up LP Modern Dancing was released in 2015. In 2014 The Twilight Sad released their fourth studio album Nobody Wants To Be Here & Nobody Wants to Leave to critical acclaim and a 10/10 review from

Drowned In Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History '' ...

. In 2015, Scottish composer and musician

C Duncan Christopher Duncan (born 29 July 1989) is a Scottish composer and musician. His compositions have been featured on various television programmes, including '' Waterloo Road'', and have been performed by Icebreaker and the Sirens of Titan choir. ...

released his debut album

Architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

which was later nominated for the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the ...

. In 2016, FatCat signed Tall Ships. Numerous complications after the release of their debut album caused a three-year hiatus. The band returned with their second album Impressions in 2017 and marked a move away from a math-rock sound and towards a more alternative-rock sound. Also in 2016,

Honeyblood Honeyblood is the Scottish indie rock solo project of guitarist and singer-songwriter Stina Tweeddale (born 23 November 1988). It was originally formed as a duo in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2012. History and formation Formation and beginnings S ...

released their second album Babes Never Die and

also released his second album The Midnight Sun, both to critical acclaim. Also in 2016, 130171 released albums by a new roster of artists including Resina, Ian William Craig and Dmitry Evgrafov. Ian William Craig's album '' Centres'' was released to critical acclaim and placements on numerous critics end of year lists including

Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

NY Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

and

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

. In 2017, 130701 released '' Fiction/Non Fiction'', the debut album from Montreal-based composer

Olivier Alary Olivier Alary is a Montreal-based musician and composer who has released his own recordings, as well as composing for film and exhibitions. A native of Toulouse, France, and a former student of architecture, Alary created Ensemble in 1998 as a ...

Series and sublabels

FatCat has several 'series' they release music across: ''Splinter Series'', ''Split Series'', ''8” Series'', and ''E-RMX'', amongst others. They also have a sublabel called 130701, which was set up to release more orchestrated and instrumental material.

Artists

Current roster of artists

* Best Friends * Big Deal * Breton *

* Dead Gaze * Dmitry Evgrafov * Dustin O’Halloran * Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch * Forest Fire * Hauschka * His Clancyness *

* Ian William Craig * Johannes Malfatti * Knightstown *

Maps & Atlases Maps & Atlases is an American indie rock group from Chicago, Illinois, United States, equally influenced by alternative rock, folk and experimental music. In addition, they have been labeled as a math rock band. The band has released three ...

Mazes A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...

Mice Parade Mice Parade is an American shoegaze band from New York City, led by percussionist Adam Pierce. ''Mice Parade'' is an anagram of Pierce's name. Biography Adam Pierce started Mice Parade as a solo project while he also played in groups including ...

* Milk Maid *

* Paws * Resina * Samana *

* Tal National * Tall Ships * The Twilight Sad * TRAAMS *

Alumni

* Amandine *

Aoki Takamasa (sometimes stylized as AOKI takamasa) (born 1976), is a Japanese electronic musician and producer. Biography Aoki Takamasa was born in Osaka in 1976. He began experimenting as a musician in 1993 when he was 17, when he recorded music on a ...

+ Tujiko Noriko * The Balky Mule *

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

mit

Funkstörung Funkstörung (sometimes stylized as Funkstorung) are an electronic music duo from Rosenheim, Germany, consisting of Michael Fakesch and Chris de Luca. History Chris de Luca and Michael Fakesch first met in 1992 at a techno party organised by F ...

Black Dice Black Dice is an American experimental noise music band based in Brooklyn, New York and consisting of brothers Bjorn and Eric Copeland along with Aaron Warren. Formed in 1997, the group was initially inspired by hardcore and noise rock, but subs ...

Blood on the Wall Blood on the Wall is a lo-fi music, lo-fi, Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn-based indie rock band, influenced by bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Pavement (band), Pavement, Pixies (band), Pixies, and Sonic Youth. Band members include siblin ...

Brakes A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Backgroun ...

* Charlottefield * Chib *

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

* David Grubbs * David Karsten Daniels * Di Lacuna * Dorine Muraille * Dr. Smith & Professor Ludlow * Drowsy * Ensemble * Foehn * Fonn * Frightened Rabbit * Get Back Guinozzi! * Giddy Motors * Grain *

Gregory and the Hawk Meredith Godreau is an American singer-songwriter performing under the pseudonym Gregory and the Hawk. Active since 2001, Godreau initially enjoyed independent success with two EPs and a full-length album selling a total of 15,000 copies. Early ...

* Grindverk * HiM * Hondo Straight * Immense * Insync v Mysteron *

Janek Schaefer Janek Schaefer (born 1970) is a British avant-garde artist, musician, composer, and entertainer, known for performing and exhibiting his work around the world with sound and installation art. Schaefer has released 36 albums, runs Lucky Dip Disco, ...

Jóhann Jóhannsson Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...

* Kemialliset Ystävät * Live Human * múm * No Age *

Panda Bear The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes u ...

* Party of One * Pimmon * Process * Programme *

Psychedelic Horseshit Psychedelic Horseshit is an American band from Columbus, Ohio, that plays a microgenre of lo-fi noise pop that they named "shitgaze". History The group was founded by Matt Whitehurst in 2005; he claims the band's name was coined off-the-cuff by Sa ...

* Odonis Odonis * Olivier Alary Ensemble * Our Brother The Native *

Set Fire To Flames Set Fire to Flames was a Canadian instrumental music ensemble consisting of thirteen musicians from Montreal, Quebec.

Silje Nes Silje Nes (born November 25, 1980 in Leikanger) is a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist, singer and sound artist. She has released two albums on British label Fat Cat Records. She released her first album, ''Ames Room'', in December 2007. Nes' second ...

* Songs of Green Pheasant * Sons of the Sun * Storsveit Nix Noltes * Stromba * Sunroof! * Sylvain Chauveau * Ten Kens * Tom Brosseau * The Balky Mule * The Bug * The Dylan Group * The Rank Deluxe * The Realistics * The Twilight Sad *

To Rococo Rot To Rococo Rot were a Berlin-based band who combined electronic and analog elements to create instrumental post-rock music. Pitchfork described the band's sound as "unmistakably digital, yet 100% human." The group was composed of bassist Stefan ...

* Transient Waves * Ultra-red *

* Web *

Welcome A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person. In some contexts ...

* Xinlisupreme

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Record labels established in 1997 Alternative rock record labels British independent record labels Indie rock record labels