C'est la Mort records was a small but influential independent record label

Independent record label

An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 that operated from the home of Woodrow Dumas in Baker

Baker

A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...

, Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

. C'est la Mort specialized in ethereal

Ethereal

Ethereal means pertaining to ether, the air or the sky. It may also refer to:*Essential oil, also called ethereal oil, a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants*Ethereal being, a mystical being...

, ambient

Ambient music

Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...

, dream pop

Dream pop

Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...

 and darkwave

Darkwave

Dark Wave or darkwave is a music genre that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic principles, dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and an undertone of sorrow for some bands...

 bands, and operated from 1985 to about 1994.
According to liner notes included in the Dr. Death Vol. 1 LP compilation record, Woody Dumas began his Dr. Death radio show on KLSU

KLSU

KLSU is the student-run college radio station for Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a radio format of variety music and specialty programming. The radio station is part of the university's Student Media Program and employs students as DJs and management staff...

 in December of 1983. The radio show led to a mail order business known as Deadly Records, and eventually to the label itself. In addition to albums released for individual acts, there were six Dr. Death compilation albums released.

C'est la Mort released a number of albums influential to the Gothic and dream pop

Dream pop

Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...

 genres. Associated bands included: Area, Beautiful Pea Green Boat

Beautiful Pea Green Boat

Beautiful Pea Green Boat consisted of Ian Williams and Heather Wright. Williams is currently in the band , and Wright went on to form the band Doris in 1989...

, East Ash, Heavenly Bodies, Handful of Snowdrops, Controlled Bleeding

Controlled Bleeding

Controlled Bleeding is a prolific experimental music group based in Massapequa, New York. The group was founded by Paul Lemos, the group's only consistent member...

, The Arms of Someone New, Johanna's House of Glamour, Room Nine

Room Nine

Room Nine was a Seattle based rock band active from the early to late 1980s. Contrary to many of the bands in Seattle at the time, Room Nine had a much airier and psychedelic approach to their music...

 and Psyche

Psyche (band)

Psyche are a Canadian dark synthpop band, now based in Germany. They are centered on singer Darrin Huss, who has been the only constant member, with various line-ups including his brother Stephen Huss, later followed by David Kristian, Per-Anders Kurenbach, and Remi Szyszka, all recording albums...

.