Zoom Lens was an independent Los Angeles-based record label founded and operated by Faye Yim from 2009 to 2022. The label was created "in order to explore the implications of popular culture on the human condition and the duality artistic expression discovered through an intersection of both local and international sounds."

History

In 2009, Zoom Lens was founded by Faye Yim, who was at the time "fascinated with Japanese harsh noise and film" and sought out to release music due to the influence of the

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experimental music scene. The first Zoom Lens release was an album by Yim under the name of Yuko Imada entitled "Ome," which came packaged as a

CD-R CD-R (Compact disc-recordable) is a digital optical disc storage format. A CD-R disc is a compact disc that can be written once and read arbitrarily many times. CD-R discs (CD-Rs) are readable by most CD readers manufactured prior to the int ...

contained in a DVD case soaked in the artist's own blood. In January 2015, Zoom Lens had its first video broadcast on national television through

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

with

Meishi Smile Meishi Smile is a Los Angeles based band formed by producer, vocalist, and songwriter Faye Yim (born Garrett Yim). The name Meishi Smile was first used in 2010. The project has elements of noise music, J-pop and shoegaze. Career In 2014, the ...

and their video "AJS." On March 15, 2016, Zoom Lens had its first official SXSW showcase. On February 22, 2022, the end of Zoom Lens was announced from a message on the label's site, while a new label and art collective, Meta Physica, was announced by Yim.

Sound

Zoom Lens' sound had been categorized as "unpredictable", exploring sounds ranging from

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It ...

, noise music, chiptune,

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

and other forms of

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

. The sound of Zoom Lens had been described as "broadening definitions of punk," as well as "dreamy indie with 8-bit and rave euphoria."

Imagery

Aesthetics

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has noted Zoom Lens as "one of the most aesthetically compelling labels in existence.". Many of Zoom Lens' images revolved around the concept of burnt photography. This practice was first put to use for an EP by Party Girl released in 2011. The imagery was said to be providing feelings about the disconnection towards memories, a commentary on "silver age" Japanese idol music (or

Kayōkyoku is a Japanese pop music genre, which became a base of modern J-pop. ''The Japan Times'' described ''kayōkyoku'' as "standard Japanese pop" or " Shōwa-era pop". ''Kayōkyoku'' represents a blend of Western and Japanese musical scales. Music i ...

) and the over-saturation of the digital music market. This theme was also explored in Zoom Lens merchandise. In 2014, a shirt based on a manipulated image of

Yukiko Okada was a Japanese singer and actress, active in the mid-1980s. After winning a nationwide television show at age 15 in 1983, she debuted as an idol in 1984. Her death by suicide two years later led to a number of copycat suicides, a phenomenon tha ...

was released on Zoom Lens' official site, with a banner reading "burn a face of forgotten idols to obfuscate the memories of the truth you lost." In a

Red Bull Music Academy The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals that was founded in 1998 by Red Bull GmbH. The main five-week event is held in a different city each year. The public portion of its program is a festi ...

interview, Yim noted that they had felt a sadness in Okada's music and story, and "wanted to show people that Okada was a real person with real feelings, and that we all have such humanity." Music critic Adam Harper has noted some of the imagery as "a conscious attempt at confronting and defamiliarising the visual objectification of women (and its consequences)."

Influences

East Asian and global influence

The label had been referenced as one of "the best places for Japanese-inspired indie pop in the online underground," and it hosted a variety of online shows with Japanese venue 2.5D.

had also noted Zoom Lens' international roster, which "encompasses artists from Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and the US." and "

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cultural and continental canyons through our digital world." While Yim had identified Zoom Lens as something far more encompassing beyond their own personal views they have noted much of the label was established due to the influence of being a fourth generation Japanese (or

Yonsei (Japanese diaspora) is a Japanese diasporic term used in countries, particularly in North America and in Latin America, to specify the great-grandchildren of Japanese immigrants (Issei). The children of Issei are Nisei (the second generation). Sansei are the thir ...

) and Chinese American, expressing that their identity felt rather unusual, lonely and that Japanese culture in America is still seen as taboo. The label had ultimately sought out for the artists to "represent themselves for who they are, not just for the assumptions people make about their country." Despite heavy East Asian influence, Yim had said that the label was also about being unashamed of who you are and sharing the weight of existence.

Artists

Former

*BEDSPACER *Kenneth Takanami *bod ��家巷*The Bilinda Butchers *Ceramiks *LLLL *

Mark Redito Mark Redito, formerly known as Cocolulu and Spazzkid, is a Filipino musician based in Los Angeles, California. Early life Mark Redito was born in Manila, Philippines. Career In his teenage years, Mark Redito was part of the Philippine punk an ...

MEISHI SMILE Meishi Smile is a Los Angeles based band formed by producer, vocalist, and songwriter Faye Yim (born Garrett Yim). The name Meishi Smile was first used in 2010. The project has elements of noise music, J-pop and shoegaze. Career In 2014, the ...

*mus.hiba *oh my muu *Reinabe *Plaster Cast *Tallinn *Thought Tempo *Xyloid *U-Pistol / Moon Mask *Yoshino Yoshikawa

Discography

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Record labels established in 2009 American independent record labels