Best Record Labels
 

Kind of surprised that we don't have a thread for this yet. Title says it all: what are your favourite record labels? Doesn't have to be an explicit record label, labels who only put out digital releases are fine too. I'll even allow it if you want to share some awesome music curation Youtube channels. Post em if you got em.

Sublime Frequencies is a favourite of mine. Founded by Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls and Hisham Mayet, the label explores new and traditional sounds with a heavy bent toward Southeastern Asian, African, and Middle Eastern music. They just have too much awesome music to explore.



A newer one from Poland, Instant Classic, lives up to its name with some really great post-rock/prog/psychedelic releases. Favourite artists: Merkabah, Alameda 5, Innercity Ensemble, Stara Rzeka.

Whatever you want.

Astralwerks has put out a ton of classic electronic albums. Metal Blade was great back in the 80's and 90's, but they've really gone to **** these days.

If you're including youtube channels, Thebestdream I had is an excellent channel that posts a ton of obscure 60's and 70's bands. Discovered many great heavy psych/metal bands from there: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQh...5BemCTp5nv8CwA

FMP
ReR Megacorp
Cuneiform
AltrOck
Rune Grammofon
ugExplode
Soleil Zeuhl
Discus
PSF
Incus
Eminem
GROB
Clean Feed
Otoroku
Ambiances Magnetiques
Trost Records
Les Disques Victo
Tzadik
Erstwhile
Smalltown Supersound/Superjazz
Pica Disc
PNL
Brø
ESP Disc
RareNoise
Oklahoma Disc
High Focus
hatOLOGY
NoBusiness
(Editions) Mego
Bocian Records
Discordian Records
psi
Black Truffle
Table Of The Elements
Okka Disc
CIMP
FMR Records
Improvised Music From Japan
Magaibutsu

If you're interested in improvised music and weird rock/prog those are for you.
There's also one Hip-Hop label hidden in there.

Late high school early college years in my life SST records meant so much to me

Deutsche Grammophon

Amphetamine Reptile has some great noise releases. ECM has some really interesting jazz.

Cleopatra Records. Lots for me to love under that label.

ECM is incredibly trustworthy

https://poshisolation.bandcamp.com/ - lo fi post punk/fuzzy warm power electronics/raw black metal

https://bandcamp.fallenempirerecords.com/ - 100% cream of the crop forward thinking black/death metal. Never a dull release. Always mind blowing

https://artascatharsis.bandcamp.com/ - what don't they have tbh

Ninja Tune is an easy one. Not as good as it used to be but still aight. Warp still makes good stuff too.

Other good ones:

Jazzland, Bugge Wesseltoft's label
Przesada, an up-and-coming Polish label that Frown might like
Beatservice, which is basically done now but made released some interesting things back in the day
In the Fishtank, sublabel of Konkurrent was a cool project while it lasted

If I think of any more I'll post 'em.

LAFMS

A label I've discovered only recently with my 好きじゃないと言えない listening project. There aren't that many releases overall, but what they did was weird, experimental, and groundbreaking in many ways. Try the first three releases on that list.

Anti-
Antilles
Arista
Asylum
Beggars Banquet
Blast First
Blue Note
Bluesway
Celluloid
Chess
Columbia
Command
Constellation
CTI
DGC
Dischord
Drag City
ECM
Editions EG
Elektra
EMI
Epic
Epitaph
Flensor
Flying Dutchman
Flying Fish
Folkways
Gold Standard Lab
Harvest
Hydra Head
IRS
Impulse!
Island
Kranky
Kudu
Marlin
Matador
Merge
Prestige
RCA
Relapse
Reprise
Rhino
Robotic Empire
Rounder
Sargent House
Savoy
Secretly Canadian
Sire
Skye
SST
Sub Pop
Supply and Demand
Syntonic
Takoma
Temporary Residence Limited
Thrill Jockey
Topshelf
Touch and Go
United Artists
Vanguard
Verve
Virgin
Warp
Young God

I'm sure I missed a sh*t ton.

The Big Loud/Atlantic company is the one that changed my life because they are who signed my most favorite singer. I love Mason Ramsey so much! :) :) :)

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

Blue Arrow Records--an offshoot of a Cleveland record store, has been Jonathan Richman's label for the past several years. They have also released albums by Bad Luck Jonathan (a side project of The Mekons' Jon Langford) and lots of other people.

Merge Records and Matador Records are also labels that release a lot of good stuff.

Best? Off the top of my head I would say Sun and Stiff.