The Sterile Records
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...
was formed in London in
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
by
Nigel Ayers
Nigel Ayers (born 1957 in Tideswell, Derbyshire) is an English multimedia artist.Fernando Cerqueira, '' Antibothis Occultural Anthology Vol.3 p.72''
(Thisco Portugal, 2010), His sound art has included numerous audio releases and live performa ...
and
Caroline K
Caroline Kaye Walters (1957 – 12 July 2008), known as Caroline K, was an English singer, songwriter and artist/producer. She was a founding member of the UK based experimental/ industrial music group Nocturnal Emissions in the 1980s. She co- ...
of the post-
industrial music group
Nocturnal Emissions
Nocturnal Emissions is Nigel Ayers's sound art project that has released numerous records and CDs in music styles ranging from electro-acoustic, musique concrète, hybridised beats, sound collage, post- industrial music, ambient and noise mus ...
. With a background in the
mail art
Mail art, also known as postal art and correspondence art, is an artistic movement centered on sending small-scale works through the postal service. It initially developed out of what eventually became Ray Johnson's New York Correspondence Scho ...
networks, their intention was to create and promote a new form of music. Sterile Records’ approach was a combination of the experiments of
musique concrète
Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic, wit ...
and
Fluxus
Fluxus was an international, interdisciplinary community of artists, composers, designers and poets during the 1960s and 1970s who engaged in experimental art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finished product. Fluxus ...
combined with the critical eye of
conceptual art
Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called inst ...
and the spontaneity and energy of
punk rock. The dark humour of
industrial music and the incomprehensible nonsense of various
ultra-left
The term ultra-leftism, when used among Marxist groups, is a pejorative for certain types of positions on the far-left that are extreme or uncompromising. Another definition historically refers to a particular current of Marxist communism, wher ...
ist political fractions were an essential part of the mix.
Sterile Records used both commercial and non-commercial media to deliver
anti-capitalist
Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. In this sense, anti-capitalists are those who wish to replace capitalism with another type of economic system, such as ...
messages, multi-coloured noise and
information overload
Information overload (also known as infobesity, infoxication, information anxiety, and information explosion) is the difficulty in understanding an issue and effectively making decisions when one has too much information (TMI) about that issue, ...
. Growing from
cassette culture
The cassette culture (also known as the tape/cassette scene or cassette underground) refers to the practices associated with amateur production and distribution of music and sound art on compact cassette that emerged in the mid-1970s. The casset ...
, output included
records
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
and
videotapes
Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassett ...
.
Caroline K
Caroline Kaye Walters (1957 – 12 July 2008), known as Caroline K, was an English singer, songwriter and artist/producer. She was a founding member of the UK based experimental/ industrial music group Nocturnal Emissions in the 1980s. She co- ...
left the label in 1983.
The October 2011 edition of Record Collector magazine published an article about the significance of cassette culture in the UK and listing 21 rare but sought after cassette releases, including "Standard Response".
In
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
the label was effectively dissolved as Ayers turned his attention to setting up the
Earthly Delights company.
Discography
Cassettes:
Various ''Standard Response'' SRC 1 (1979)
Tape zine compilation featuring: Leif Thuresson, Moving Finger, Lieutenant Murnau, S.M. Andrews, Cultural Amnesia, Organbank, The Nocturnal Emissions, MB, Murderwerkers, Johnny Alien, Loss of Head
The Pump ''Just Want to Dance'' SRC 2 (1980)
The Nocturnal Emissions ''Deathday'' SRC 3 (1980)
S.P.K. ''Live at the Crypt'' SRC 4 (1981)
The Nocturnal Emissions ''Whisky'' SRC 5 (1982)
Lustmord ''Lustmordekay'' SRC 6 (1983)
Nocturnal Emissions ''Diskinesia'' SRC 7 (1983)
Various ''Alchemy'' SRC 8 (1983)
Soundtrack from the Twinvision video featuring: Portion Control
SPK, Mark Pauline, P & R Rupenus, Andrew Hickinbotham, Test Dept, Robert,
Die Todliche Doris, Nocturnal Emissions, Art Core, Walter Gramming, La Loora,
Lustmord
Nocturnal Emissions ''Live at the ICA'' SRC 9 (1985)
Various ''A Joyful Noise'' SRC 10 (1990)
Tape zine compilation featuring: Deerpark, Fear of Thought, Blackhouse, Psyclones and Pacific 231, Nocturnal Emissions, Spanner thru ma Beatbox, Sue Ann Harkey, Xaliman and the Orchestrange, Equivalent Insecurity, Front Line Assembly, Club Dill Dough, Collectif et Cie, The Haters, FLETI, Plant Bach Ofnus, Webcore, Schuster
Vinyl:
The Nocturnal Emissions ''Tissue of Lies'' EMISS001 LP (1980)
The Nocturnal Emissions ''Fruiting Body'' ION2 LP (1981)
MB (Maurizio Bianchi) ''Symphony For a Genocide'' SR2 LP (1981)
Lustmord ''Lustmord'' LP SR 3(1983)
The Nocturnal Emissions ''Drowning in a Sea of Bliss'' SR4 LP (1983)
Nocturnal Emissions ''Befehlsnotstand'' SR5 LP (1983)
Nocturnal Emissions ''Songs of Love and Revolution'' SR6 LP (1985) with guest vocalist
Ian Bone
Ian David Bone (born 28 August 1947 in Mere, Wiltshire) is an English anarchist and publisher of anarchist newspapers and tabloids, such as ''Class War'' and '' The Bristolian''. He has been involved in social campaigns since the 1960s, includ ...
Nocturnal Emissions ''No Sacrifice'' 12 inch SR7 EP (1984)
Various ''Here We Go'' SR8 LP (1985)
''A celebration of the UK Coal Miners' Strike 1984-1985''
Compilation featuring: The Larks, Fallout, Assassins, The Band of Holy Joy, Bourbonese Qualk, Many Happy Returns, Nocturnal Emissions, Language, Max Closure and the Graves, The Hafler Trio, Lustmord, Annie Anxiety and the Asexuals
Nocturnal Emissions ''Shake Those Chains Rattle Those Cages'' SR9 LP (1985)
Konstruktivits ''Glenascaul'' LP SR10 (1985)
Controlled Bleeding ''Headcrack'' LP SR11 (1986)
Various ''Earthly Delights - a Sterile Sample'' SR12 LP (1986)
Compilation featuring: Eversione, Nocturnal Emissions, D-Box, Konstruktivits, Whores of Babylon, Reg Sailyne, Sebastian Hellfire, Pornosect, Y.T. Looter, Moonchildren,
R & D 28
Artists
*
Annie Anxiety
*
Bourbonese Qualk
Bourbonese Qualk are an experimental music group which existed from 1980 to 2003. The group were participants in the early 80s industrial & experimental music tape scene. Writing for CMJ, Martin Aston characterized Bourbonese Qualk as "post-punk, ...
*
Controlled Bleeding
Controlled Bleeding was an experimental music group based in Massapequa, New York, United States. The group was founded by Paul Lemos, the group's only consistent member. Most of Controlled Bleeding's released recordings feature two main collabor ...
*
Cultural Amnesia
Cultural Amnesia (CA) are an English post-punk music group, first active between 1979 and 1983 as participants in the so-called cassette culture of the late 1970s and early 1980s in the UK. During this first period the band released three cas ...
*
The Hafler Trio
The Hafler Trio is an English conceptual, performance and sound art collaborative between Andrew M. McKenzie, the only permanent member, and guest sound artists, performers, and/or musicians. The project has seen the release of numerous album ...
*
Konstruktivits
Konstruktivits is a British industrial band. Formed in 1982, they were mostly active in the 1980s, with recording activity continuing until today.
The band was formed by Glenn Michael Wallis from his previous band Heute, a krautrock-influenced ...
*
Lustmord
Brian Williams is a Welsh industrial musician, sound designer and film score composer. He is often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord. His experimental work has been described as "not t ...
*
Maurizio Bianchi
Maurizio Bianchi (born 4 December 1955 in Pomponesco in the Province of Mantua) is an Italian pioneer of industrial music, originating from Milan.
Biography
1979–1983
Bianchi was inspired by the music of Tangerine Dream, Conrad Schnitzler and ...
*
Nocturnal Emissions
Nocturnal Emissions is Nigel Ayers's sound art project that has released numerous records and CDs in music styles ranging from electro-acoustic, musique concrète, hybridised beats, sound collage, post- industrial music, ambient and noise mus ...
*
SPK (band)
SPK were an Australian industrial music and noise music group formed in 1978. They were fronted by mainstay member, Graeme Revell on keyboards and percussion. In 1980 the group travelled to the United Kingdom where they issued their debut al ...
See also
*
List of record labels
File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg
File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
File:Bingola1011b.jpg
Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...
*
Cassette Culture
The cassette culture (also known as the tape/cassette scene or cassette underground) refers to the practices associated with amateur production and distribution of music and sound art on compact cassette that emerged in the mid-1970s. The casset ...
References
* Record Collector magazine October 2011
Accessed 20 January 2008in ''
Sounds'' Magazine 1983
Extended discographyCaroline K at Discogs.comCaroline K at Last FM
External links
Discography at DiscogsMusicBrainzentries fo
and
Nocturnal Emissions
{{Authority control
British record labels
Record labels established in 1979
Record labels disestablished in 1986
Industrial record labels
Cassette culture 1970s–1990s