Aesop Label, commonly known as Aesop, is a British
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 and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...
founded and based in
Brixton
Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The label was launched in 2012 with a focus on releasing records available on limited runs of 12-inch vinyl as well as being available digitally.
History
Aesop was started by Adam Royal, its inaugural release was The Wheel'' from English musician
Sohn, which was also marked his debut release and who later went on to release his debut album with
4AD
4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...
, the album reached number 31 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
. Primarily Aesop has worked with artists making music within the electronic-pop genre, with other releases of note coming from British musician
TĀLĀ and her ‘The Duchess’ and ‘Alchemy’ EPs. As of 2015 TĀLĀ has now signed to major label
. Aesop released the debut EP from Wayward who later went on to sign with UK label,
Black Butter Records
Black Butter Records is a British record label based in London, England. Founded in 2010 by Olly Wood, Henry Village and Joe Gossa, the self-funded start-up went on to become an established tastemaker label, and one part of a camp of music-rela ...
. In 2014 Aesop released the debut EP from UK duo Sylas entitled ’Shore’, which also featured production and vocals from
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...
. In July 2015 Aesop released the debut single from Dutch duo Klyne. Label founder Adam Royal contributed to th
HUH. Magazine'Label Picks' series about how the Sylas release came about.
Aesop was featured as "Label of the Week" in the 16 April 2014 issue of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''. At the end of 2014
Noisey
''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...
named Aesop one of their record labels of the year in their article "These Are the British Record Labels That Killed It in 2014".
Artists
*
Sohn
*
TĀLĀ
Discography
Art direction
The Aesop logo was designed by British artist David Bray, known for his intricate illustrative style.
The logo adorns the A-side centre label of the 12-inch vinyl versions of Aesop releases. A subtle line spanning across the width of the centre label behind the logo is either positioned at 33 or 45 degrees from the top most point of the logo, this dictates at which speed the record should be played at, either 33 or 45 RPM.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
British independent record labels
Record labels established in 2012