Anticon (often styled as anticon.) was an

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 ...

based in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. It was founded in 1998 by seven musicians and manager Baillie Parker. It was collectively owned among six musicians, co-founder Parker, and manager Shaun Koplow. The original musicians signed to Anticon were once referred to as the Anticon collective. Following the death of one of its founding members in 2018, the label dissolved.

History

The label's roster of artists has been described as "the

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

equivalent of

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

" and "

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

hip-hop". Releases feature material created by its members, affiliates, and extended musical family. Although Anticon cohered originally within

alternative hip hop Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip-hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip-hop group ...

circles, Anticon's founders have become only tangentially related to hip hop, and the label has begun releasing music in the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

and

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 came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

genres. Artists signed to Anticon are based in the United States,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The artists within the collective have been known to perform and release music in solo and group form. Artists on the label are known for frequent

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...

, both within and outside of their own collective. However, the Anticon collective has over time evolved into a group of separate artists who, despite sharing a similar progressive and often challenging indie quality, explore different styles of music including electronica and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

. Many of the artists on Anticon are signed to multiple labels, and some have their own small, independent labels through which they have self-released material. Anticon has also organized art exhibitions featuring visual art by several of the artists on the label. On February 9, 2010, co-founder Sole (Tim Holland) left Anticon exclaiming that it is time to try to push forward and find new opportunities. He leaves citing business and ideological differences while maintaining his love for the artists on Anticon. He said, "There are no ill feelings between myself and members of anticon. I will continue to work with many of the artists and will always love them as brothers and consider them allies." He officially renounced his 1/8 of ownership and formal affiliations. On March 30, 2018, founding member Alias died of a heart attack at age 41. In November 2018, the label released a posthumous album from Alias that had been completed with label-mate Doseone prior to his death. The label had been quiet since then, and former co-founder Sole confirmed in July 2021 that the label had "dissolved" sometime after Alias's death.

Owners

* Alias (Brendon Whitney) *

Doseone Adam Kidd Drucker (born April 21, 1977), better known by his stage name Doseone, is an American rapper, producer, poet and artist. He is a co-founder of the indie hip hop record label Anticon. He has also been a member of numerous groups in ...

(Adam Drucker) * Jel (Jeffrey Logan) *

Odd Nosdam David P. Madson (born 1976), better known by his stage name Odd Nosdam, is an American underground hip hop producer, DJ and visual artist. He is co-founder of the record label Anticon. He has remixed tracks by a variety of bands and artists in ...

(David Madson) *

Pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the '' sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British En ...

(James Brandon Best) *

Yoni Wolf Jonathan Avram "Yoni" Wolf (born April 30, 1979) is an American alternative hip hop and indie rock musician and co-founder of the record label Anticon. From 1997 until 2004, Wolf released music under the stage name Why?. In 2004 he transferred ...

* Baillie Parker

Roster

* 13 & God * A7pha * Alias * Alias & Ehren * Alias & Tarsier * Anathallo * Angel Deradoorian * Antonionian * Antwon * Baths *

Beans A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are tradition ...

* Bike for Three! * Bomarr *

Bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...

Buck 65 Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop rapper. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country ...

* Danielson * Darc Mind *

Deep Puddle Dynamics Deep Puddle Dynamics was a collaborative group featuring underground hip hop artists Sole, Doseone, Alias and Slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. T ...

* DJ Mayonnaise * D33j *

* Dosh * Tha Grimm Teachaz * Jel * Josiah Wolf *

* Passage *

Pictureplane Travis James Egedy (born May 1, 1985), better known by his stage name Pictureplane, is an American electronic musician, visual artist and fashion designer based in Brooklyn, New York. He first appeared in the music scene of Denver, Colorado, m ...

* Raleigh Moncrief * Restiform Bodies *

Sage Francis Paul William "Sage" Francis (born November 18, 1976) is an American independent underground rapper from Providence, Rhode Island. He is the founder and CEO of Strange Famous Records. Early life and education Francis was born in Miami, Florid ...

Saroos Saroos is a post-rock trio from Berlin, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen State ...

Serengeti The Serengeti ( ) ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa, spanning the Mara and Arusha Regions of Tanzania. The protected area within the region includes approximately of land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game r ...

* Serengeti & Polyphonic *

Sisyphus In Greek mythology, Sisyphus or Sisyphos (; Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος ''Sísyphos'') was the founder and king of Ancient Corinth, Ephyra (now known as Corinth). He reveals Zeus's abduction of Aegina (mythology), Aegina to the river god As ...

* Sixtoo * SJ Esau * Sole * Sole and the Skyrider Band *

Son Lux Son Lux is an American experimental band. Originally the solo project and moniker of founding member Ryan Lott, the band's first three albums, '' At War with Walls & Mazes'', '' We Are Rising'' and '' Lanterns'', shaped the band's unique soun ...

* Telephone Jim Jesus * Thee More Shallows *

Themselves Themselves, previously known as Them, is an American hip hop duo based in Oakland, California. It consists of Doseone and Jel. They are also part of Subtle and 13 & God. The duo's first studio album, '' Them'', was included on ''Fact''s "100 ...

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

* Why? *

Young Fathers Young Fathers are a Scottish Progressive rap, progressive hip hop group formed in Edinburgh in 2008. Their second EP, ''Tape Two'' (2013), won the Scottish Album of the Year Award. In 2014, they won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize, Mercury Prize ...

License

* Genghis Tron *

Peeping Tom Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. She is mainly remembere ...

* Zach Hill

Collaborators

Moodswing9,

Slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced ...

Ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

Eyedea Micheal David Larsen (November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010), better known by his stage name Eyedea, was an American rapper. He was a battle rap, freestyle battle champion and songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Larsen had appeared as a ...

, DJ Abilities,

Mr. Dibbs Mr. Dibbs (born Bradley Duane Forste) is an American disc jockey, DJ and hip hop production, hip hop producer. He is the Founder of 1200 HOBOS j/graff collective He was also one of the founders of Scribble Jam. Early life Born in Cincinnati ...

, DJ Signify,

DJ Krush , better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a Japanese record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature, and extensive use of jazz and soul samples. Early life Ishi ...

, Controller 7, J. Rawls, Dax Pierson,

Daddy Kev Kevin Marques Moo (born 1974), better known by his stage name Daddy Kev, is an American record producer, DJ, Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, songwriter and executive from Los Angeles, California. He is the owner of Alpha Pup Records and the ...

The Notwist The Notwist are a German indie rock band. Formed in 1989, the band moved through several musical incarnations, despite maintaining a relatively stable line-up. While their early records moved through heavy metal into dark indie rock, their re ...

, Tunde Adebimpe of

TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock music, rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), Dave Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...

Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. He has also fronted and/or played with Tomahawk, The ...

, Jessica Bailiff, Andrew Bird, Andrew Broder of

Fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus and is heavily influenc ...

, Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason of

Múm Múm (stylized in lowercase) () is an Icelandic indietronica band whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. History The band was formed in ...

, Dark Dark Dark, John Herndon of

Tortoise Tortoises ( ) are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for "tortoise"). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like o ...

, Wise Intelligent of

Poor Righteous Teachers Poor Righteous Teachers was a hip hop group from Trenton, New Jersey, founded in 1989. Often referred to as PRT by its fans, Poor Righteous Teachers was known as a socially and politically conscious hip hop group, with musical content inspire ...

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomina ...

, Stefanie Böhm of Ms. John Soda, Anders Holm, Chris Adams of Hood, Circus of Shape Shifters, Scott Matelic, Matth, Megabusive, D-Styles, others.

Projects

The Anticon collective is known for its many musical projects. Not all of these projects are released on the Anticon label. Artists within the Anticon collective have released collaborative albums on different labels or on their own independent labels. Some notable projects of the Anticon collective include the following: * cLOUDDEAD (Doseone, Why?, Odd Nosdam) on Mush Records and Big Dada * Reaching Quiet (Why?, Odd Nosdam) on Mush Records * So-Called Artists (Sole, Alias, DJ Mayonnaise) on Mush Records *

Hymie's Basement Hymie's Basement is an American indie rock duo. It consists of Yoni Wolf and Andrew Broder of Fog (band), Fog. They released one album, ''Hymie's Basement (album), Hymie's Basement'', on Lex Records in 2003. The name ''Hymies Basement'' came from ...

(Why?, Andrew Broder) on Lex Records * Subtle (Doseone, Jel, Dax Pierson, Jordan Dalrymple, Alexander Kort, Marty Dowers) on Lex Records * Greenthink (Doseone, Why?) on A Purple 100 * Presage (Jel, Mr. Dibbs) on Future Primitive Sound * Object Beings (Doseone, Pedestrian & Why?)

Discography

References

External links

*
Anticon
at Discogs {{Authority control Anticon, American independent record labels Record labels established in 1997 Hip-hop record labels Defunct record labels of the United States Record labels disestablished in 2018 1998 establishments in California