Skin Graft Records (officially capitalized SKiN GRAFT Records) 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 ...

specializing in

no wave No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and r ...

and

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

, originally based in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois. The label is largely responsible for spawning "now wave" genre, an updated version of the late 1970s/early 1980s no wave movement.

History

In 1986, SKiN GRAFT was begun by Mark Fischer and Rob Syers as a small-scale publisher of bizarre

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

s and

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

s. Some of its comics included ''The Kidz'' and ''Cynicalmanson''. The label's first record was released at the end of 1991. Founder Mark Fischer said of the label in 2000, "Skin Graft is a comic book company that puts out records. " The label's

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

is Hot Satan, a simply drawn cartoon devil, usually shown issuing the " heavy metal horns" hand sign. Bands who have recorded for the label include Dazzling Killmen, Koenjihyakkei, Brise-Glace (featuring Jim O'Rourke,), Cheer-Accident, The Strangulated Beatoffs, Zeek Sheck, The Chinese Stars,

The Flying Luttenbachers The Flying Luttenbachers are an American instrumental noise rock band led by multi-instrumentalist, composer, improviser and producer Weasel Walter. The Flying Luttenbachers have created a body of work focused on musical extremity and disson ...

, Lake Of Dracula, Gorge Trio, Colossamite, Shorty, U.S. Maple, ZZZZZ, Made In Mexico,

Melt-Banana Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock and hardcore punk mixed with experimental, electronica and pop-based song structures. Since forming in 1992 the band has released ten albums and toure ...

, Quintron, Flossie And The Unicorns, Yona-Kit, You Fantastic!,

Ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

, Space Streakings,

Zeni Geva Zeni Geva is a Japanese noise rock band featuring singer and guitarist KK Null and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. Formed in Tokyo in 1987, the group's name translates roughly as "money violence" ("Zeni" is an old Japanese term for money, and "Geva" co ...

, AIDS Wolf, Mount Shasta, Arab On Radar,

Yowie The Yowie is one of several names for an Australian folklore entity that is reputed to live in the Outback. The creature has origins in Aboriginal oral history. Etymology and Regional Names * In parts of Queensland, it is known as a ''Quinki ...

, Athletic Automaton, and PRE. In keeping with the label's origins, many SKiN GRAFT musical releases (particularly 7" records and LPs) have included mini comic books as inserts. The label has also used non-traditional packaging with some of their releases. The early vinyl copies of U.S. Maple's first album were packaged in metal sheets, and Colossamite's 1998 untitled EP came packaged with 5-inch

frisbee A frisbee (pronounced ), also called a flying disc or simply a disc, is a gliding toy or sporting item generally made of injection-molded plastic and roughly in diameter with a pronounced lip. It is used recreationally and competitively for ...

s of varying colors. From 1994 to 1998, and in 2002, SKiN GRAFT curated the OOPS(!) Fests, featuring many of its bands, along with sideshows and various styles of impromptu performance art. In the late 1990s, the label purported (as a thinly veiled

hoax A hoax (plural: hoaxes) is a widely publicised falsehood created to deceive its audience with false and often astonishing information, with the either malicious or humorous intent of causing shock and interest in as many people as possible. S ...

) that a European record label named SiN RAFT was illegally issuing bootleg copies of SKiN GRAFT releases.

Roster

* AIDS Wolf * Arab On Radar * Athletic Automaton * AIDS Wolf versus Athletic Automaton * Big'n * Brise-Glace * Cellular Chaos * Cheer-Accident * Child Abuse * The Chinese Stars * Chrome Jackson * Colossamite * Dazzling Killmen *

The Denison/Kimball Trio ''The Denison/Kimball Trio'' (sometimes known as DK3) were a musical duo consisting of American guitarist Duane Denison and American drummer Jim Kimball. Their music was completely instrumental and heavily influenced by jazz, the avant-garde a ...

* Doomsday Student * Flossie and the Unicorns *

* Fruitcake * Gay Beast * Gorge Trio * Holy Smokes * Koenjihyakkei * Korekyojinn * Lake Of Dracula * Lovely Little Girls * Made In Mexico * Mama Tick *

* Mount Shasta * My Name Is Rar-Rar * PRE * Point Line Plane * Quintron * Q Electronics *

* Ruins Alone * Sax Ruins * Satanized * Shakuhachi Surprise * Shorty * Skryptor * Space Streakings * Strangulated Beatoffs * UFO Or Die * Upright Forms * U.S. Maple * Yona-Kit * You Fantastic! * Xaddax *

* Zeek Sheck *

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Record labels established in 1991 American independent record labels Alternative rock record labels Noise music record labels 1991 establishments in Illinois Record labels based in Illinois