Gnar Tapes is 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, United States. Gnar Tapes began releasing solely

audio cassette The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...

tapes from many Portland-based artists, though it has branched out to releasing artists from around the world via cassette, vinyl, digital, and compact disc. The label was founded in 2008 by Erik Gage, who was 18 years old at the time, in his hometown of

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. When creating Gnar Tapes, Gage was inspired by DIY tape-culture and based the label's distribution on hand-to-hand trading and

mail art Mail art, also known as postal art and correspondence art, is an artistic movement centered on sending small-scale works through the mail, postal service. It developed out of what eventually became Ray Johnson's New York Correspondence School and ...

. When Gage was in high school, he and his bandmates in White Fang would skip class to intern at

Marriage Records Marriage Records is a small, independent record label formed in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 2001 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The label has released a number of albums by musicians such as Adam Forkner, Dirty Projectors, Little Wings ...

. Gnar Tapes has also worked internationally, releasing tapes from Le Elbow (

Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

), Keel Her ( Brighton, UK), The Future Dead (

Ghent, Belgium Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

), and The Boys Age (

Saitama, Japan is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854 ...

). Most cassettes on Gnar Tapes are limited editions, being released only once. In 2013 the label began co-releasing tapes with

Burger Records Burger Records was an American independent record label and record store in Fullerton, California, United States. The label was founded in 2007 by Sean Bohrman and Lee Rickard, members of the power pop band Thee Makeout Party. The record/vide ...

. The label moved to Los Angeles in late 2014 and opened a retail store in East L.A. in partnership with Burger Records in early 2015 called GNAR BURGER. Also in 2015 Gnar obtained sub-label Marriage Records and its vast back catalogue which includes releases by

Tune-Yards Tune-Yards (stylized as tUnE-yArDs) is the Oakland, California–based music project of Merrill Garbus (vocals, various instruments) and Nate Brenner (bass, various instruments). Garbus's music draws from an eclectic variety of sources and use ...

Dirty Projectors Dirty Projectors is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band is the project of singer-songwriter David Longstreth, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The b ...

Karl Blau Karl Blau is an American indie rock and country vocalist, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, previously based in Anacortes, Washington for over two decades. A member of the Knw-Yr-Own/K Records c ...

amongst others.

Notable releases

* ''Shine Your Light'' by

Gap Dream Gap Dream is an American psychedelic synthpop band founded by Gabe Fulvimar in 2012 in Fullerton, California. As the band’s singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, Fulvimar is the only regular member of Gap Dream and solely responsible for its ...

(co-release w/

) * ''The Memories'' by The Memories * ''Blonde Rats/Fear Melody'' by Lucky Dragons * ''Strawberry Moon'' by

Yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

* ''Disco Worship Mixtape'' by

* ''Gnarcotics Unanimous'' (Gnar Tapes artist compilation, including unreleased tracks by Calvin Johnson and the Hive Dwellers and Alex Bleeker of Real Estate) * ''Demos, Etc.'' by Young Prisms * ''Four Hours (Away)'' by Young Prisms (

cassingle A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was introduced in 1980. History The debut singl ...

, co-release w/

Kanine Records Kanine Records is an independent record label based in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York started at the end of 2002 by Lio and Kay Kanine. Their first release, ''NY: The Next Wave'', was a 20 track compilation featuring mostly unsign ...

) * ''Grease'' by R. Stevie Moore

Partial roster

Adrian Orange Thanksgiving and Adrian Orange & Her Band are the names under which Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon singer/songwriter Adrian Orange (born March 20, 1986) performs. First adopting the "Thanksgiving" moniker around 1999–2000, Orange played expe ...

Bobby Birdman Robert John Kieswetter, better known by his stage name Bobby Birdman, is an American musician. Kieswetter is originally from Nevada City, California, and lives in Los Angeles, California. He has released albums on Hush Records, Not Not Fun, Fryk ...

* The Courtneys * E*Rock * Fat Tony *

Little Wings Kyle Field is an American musician who releases material under the moniker Little Wings. Early life Field was born in Alabama in 1972. As a child, his family relocated to Los Angeles, California, where his father worked as a coach for the UCL ...

* Lucky Dragons *

Mental Theo Theodorus Josephus Jan Nabuurs (born 14 February 1965), better known by his stage name Mental Theo is a Dutch record producer and DJ. He has recorded two studio albums: ''Back Once Again'' (2005) and ''Jumpstyle Madness'' (2007). He also performs ...

* R. Stevie Moore *

Wampire Wampire is an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, started by duo Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps. The band has released 2 full-length albums on Polyvinyl Records; their debut album ''Curiosity'' (released on May 13, 2013) and the follow ...

* White Rainbow *

References

External links

Gnar Tapes Official Website

Altered Zones "Gnarcotics Anonymous"

Fader on Gnar Artist Snow Wite
{{Authority control Companies based in Portland, Oregon American independent record labels 2008 establishments in Oregon

Notable releases

Partial roster

See also

References

External links