Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, of or about Wales
* Welsh language, spoken in Wales
* Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales
Places
* Welsh, Arkansas, U.S.
* Welsh, Louisiana, U.S.
* Welsh, Ohio, U.S.
* Welsh Basin, during t ...
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 ...
formed in
1988
1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
at the
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University () is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across three academic facul ...
by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams. After a handful of low key cassette releases, the label relocated to
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
and became a more serious concern, providing a launch-pad for several popular Welsh artists, including
Llwybr Llaethog
Llwybr Llaethog (Welsh for Milky Way, although the Milky Way has several names in Welsh folklore) are an experimental Welsh language band that effectively mix such varied musical genres as rap, dub, reggae, hip hop, and punk in their music.
Ba ...
,
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian C ...
and
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci () were a psychedelic folk and alternative rock band which formed in Carmarthen, Wales, in 1991. The group performed music in both Welsh and English, and they had eight Top 75 singles on the UK Singles Chart during their ...
. The ''Rough Guide to Wales'' described Ankst as "one of the most prolific, eclectic and innovative" of the 1990s Welsh music labels.
Between 1988 and 1997, the label put out some 80 releases before splitting in
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
into two separate companies. Ankst Management (run by Llwyd and Jones and responsible for
Melys
Melys (English translation:"Sweet") are a Welsh independent rock band from Betws-y-Coed in Conwy, formed in 1996. They sing in both English and Welsh. They have recorded eleven sessions for John Peel on BBC Radio 1, came first in his F ...
,
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian C ...
,
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci () were a psychedelic folk and alternative rock band which formed in Carmarthen, Wales, in 1991. The group performed music in both Welsh and English, and they had eight Top 75 singles on the UK Singles Chart during their ...
,
Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos! are a seven-piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. The band has seen several lineup changes– lead vocalist Gareth David Paisey and guitarists Neil Turner and Tom Bromley are the o ...
,
The Longcut
The Longcut are an English rock band, formed in 2002 in Manchester.
Career
The Longcut formed in Manchester in 2002, while attending the University of Manchester. Originally a four-piece, their vocalist left soon after the band started and th ...
, and, for a time,
Cerys Matthews
Cerys Elizabeth Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s.
Matthews now ...
) and Ankstmusik, the label, that Williams ran from his house in
Pentraeth
Pentraeth () is a village and Community (Wales), community on the island of Anglesey (''Ynys Môn''), North Wales, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL75. The community population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 1,178 ...
on
Anglesey
Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...
, converting the garage into an office and store-room. Ankst remained true to its low-budget not for profit ideals at a time when the ‘Arts’ in Wales fell to corporate control and public funding. In all, the label released over 170 records by a huge assortment of bands and performers, such as
Tystion
Tystion ( English: Witnesses) was a Welsh language hip hop band from Carmarthenshire.
Background
In 1996, MC Sleifar (Steffan Cravos) and G Man (Gruff Meredith) got together and released a few cassettes themselves. A year later they released ...
,
Ectogram
Ectogram were a Welsh people, Welsh band from Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor, Wales.
Ann Matthews and Alan Holmes were previously members of Welsh language post-punk band Fflaps between 1987 and 1993, touring Europe, releasing three LPs, and recordin ...
,
Zabrinski
Zabrinski were an alternative rock band from Carmarthen and Cardiff, Wales. They formed in the late 1990s and released four albums before splitting up in 2007.MC Mabon and Wendykurk.
Ankst moved into film making in the 2000s, releasing the Bafta-winning ''Y Lleill'' in 2005.
Alun Llwyd also co-managed, with Kevin Tame, the Cardiff-based indie label Turnstile, home of
Perfume Genius
Michael Alden Hadreas (born September 25, 1981), better known by his stage name Perfume Genius, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Hadreas's music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn's disease, dome ...
Gruff Rhys
Gruffudd Maredudd Bowen Rhys (; born 18 July 1970) is a Welsh musician, composer, producer, filmmaker and author. He performs solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals, which obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He forme ...
, Cate Le Bon and others. He is now chief executive at PR/distribution labe Pyst
Emyr 'Ankst' Williams died at his home in Pentraeth on 17 January 2023, whilst receiving treatment for cancer. He was 57.
See also
*
Lists of record labels
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Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, ...
* Full list of Ankst releases/artists - https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankstmusik