Aphonia Recordings
Encyclopedia
Aphonia Recordings is an independent record label founded by Ben L. Robertson and Andrew Senna in Seattle, Washington
in 2006. Mostly regarded as an outlet for digital releases of experimental and ambient music it also has released more pop oriented artists such as Desolation Wilderness and Slim Twig
, both of which have gone on to sign with major labels. They continue to be one of the few active experimental labels in the Pacific Northwest
.
met in high school and soon thereafter began playing music together. Although their collaborations remained intermittent through their teenage years they would later find themselves both studying experimental music composition at The Evergreen State College
in Olympia, Washington
. They received school credit for organizing and promoting a showcase of experimental works at The Evergreen State College, citing this experience as one that led them to produce shows and promote artists in the future.
copy protection. While most of their catalog is available in digital only format on their website, the iTunes Music Store and Amazon, they also have limited physical releases, usually hand made by the artists themselves in very limited runs.
The label only signs their artists to single release deals preferring to allow their artists freedom to release on other labels. In addition, operating their own online store front makes the percentage of profit from the retail price unusually high, especially for a label releasing esoteric and niche market music. Both have expressed their desire to cut down on what they see as waste byproducts of the music industry, i.e. plastic for CDs, plastic jewel cases, fuel for transportation and distribution.
The label is also a supporter and sponsor of many Pacific Northwest experimental and fringe festivals including the Olympia Experimental Music Festival
in Olympia, Washington
, the Occultural Music Festival and most recently the Carousel Festival, both based in Seattle, Washington. Many on the labels roster of artists perform at these festivals.
and the Seattle Weekly
regularly cover and review the labels showcases and festival sponsorship efforts. In addition to initial interest by the alternative press in Seattle, the label also enjoys regular listings in regional news outlets, such as the Tacoma News Tribune. As alumni of The Evergreen State College, Robertson and Senna were also profiled in the Spring 2009 Evergreen Magazine. Their artists releases have been reviewed by Foxy Digitalis, Heathen Harvest, The Wire UK, Textura and Cyclic Defrost among others.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in 2006. Mostly regarded as an outlet for digital releases of experimental and ambient music it also has released more pop oriented artists such as Desolation Wilderness and Slim Twig
Slim Twig
-Biography:Slim Twig is the stage and screen persona created by Max Turnbull. He was born in 1988, the son of Toronto-based filmmakers, Ross Turnbull and Jennifer Hazel and graduated from the Claude Watson School of the Arts in 2006. In 2008, Slim was called “an icon-in-the-making...” and named...
, both of which have gone on to sign with major labels. They continue to be one of the few active experimental labels in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
Formation
Robertson and Senna both grew up in Spokane, WashingtonSpokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
met in high school and soon thereafter began playing music together. Although their collaborations remained intermittent through their teenage years they would later find themselves both studying experimental music composition at The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
. They received school credit for organizing and promoting a showcase of experimental works at The Evergreen State College, citing this experience as one that led them to produce shows and promote artists in the future.
Unique business model
Senna and Robertson forged a unique business model capitalizing on the low overhead associated with digital only releases. According the label's website, by designing their own website from which music fans could purchase digital only releases they became one of the first labels to offer a truly independent online store with no DRMDigital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
copy protection. While most of their catalog is available in digital only format on their website, the iTunes Music Store and Amazon, they also have limited physical releases, usually hand made by the artists themselves in very limited runs.
The label only signs their artists to single release deals preferring to allow their artists freedom to release on other labels. In addition, operating their own online store front makes the percentage of profit from the retail price unusually high, especially for a label releasing esoteric and niche market music. Both have expressed their desire to cut down on what they see as waste byproducts of the music industry, i.e. plastic for CDs, plastic jewel cases, fuel for transportation and distribution.
Showcases and Festivals
Through organizing live performances for their artist's the label continues not only to distribute music but provide a venue for it as well. Not long after its formation, Aphonia Recordings became an organizational member of Gallery 1412, a non-profit corporation operating in Seattle's Central District. The label, as a member of the organization, held well over 20 showcases, benefits and shows at the venue. The label has made live recordings of the shows available through a podcast, mainly created and written by Senna. However, this limited format has given way to more substantive explorations of particular artists through narrative storytelling and interpretive analysis of the artist's work.The label is also a supporter and sponsor of many Pacific Northwest experimental and fringe festivals including the Olympia Experimental Music Festival
Olympia Experimental Music Festival
The Olympia Experimental Music Festival, also known for a time as The Olympia Festival of Experimental Musics, has been produced annually in Olympia, Washington since 1995. Organizers have included festival founder L. Jim McAdams, Arrington de Dionyso , Aerick Duckhugger, and Domenica Clark...
in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, the Occultural Music Festival and most recently the Carousel Festival, both based in Seattle, Washington. Many on the labels roster of artists perform at these festivals.
Success in the press
While steadily releasing music since its inception a great deal of press attention has been paid on the young label. Both of Seattle's weekly independent newspapers The Stranger (newspaper)The Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
and the Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly is a freely distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as The Weekly...
regularly cover and review the labels showcases and festival sponsorship efforts. In addition to initial interest by the alternative press in Seattle, the label also enjoys regular listings in regional news outlets, such as the Tacoma News Tribune. As alumni of The Evergreen State College, Robertson and Senna were also profiled in the Spring 2009 Evergreen Magazine. Their artists releases have been reviewed by Foxy Digitalis, Heathen Harvest, The Wire UK, Textura and Cyclic Defrost among others.
List of artists who have worked with Aphonia Recordings
- Agnes Szelag
- Amy DenioAmy DenioAmy Denio is a Seattle -based multi-instrumental composer of soundtracks for modern dance, film and theater, as well as a songwriter and music improviser. Often called an unclassifiable avant-garde jazz musician, she is also deeply inspired by world music. She is probably best known as a...
- Andrew Senna
- Ben L. Robertson
- Bill Horist
- Daedelum
- Darwinsbitch
- Denis & Denyse
- Derek M. Johnson
- Desolation Wilderness
- Dokuro
- Emily Pothast
- Gabriel Will
- Giant Expanding Pictures
- KRGA
- Jackie An
- L.A. Lungs
- Mangled Bohemians
- Marriage + Cancer
- Matt Shoemaker
- Mood Organ
- Myello Electronics
- Nucular Aminals
- Paintings for Animals
- Planar Defecs
- Rachel CarnsRachel CarnsRachel Carns is a queer musician, composer, artist and performer currently living in Olympia, Washington, U.S.. Raised in small-town Wisconsin, she went on to study painting and drawing at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, where she completed her B.F.A. in 1991...
- Slim TwigSlim Twig-Biography:Slim Twig is the stage and screen persona created by Max Turnbull. He was born in 1988, the son of Toronto-based filmmakers, Ross Turnbull and Jennifer Hazel and graduated from the Claude Watson School of the Arts in 2006. In 2008, Slim was called “an icon-in-the-making...” and named...
- Unicorns in the Snow
- Warren Lee