Dependent Records
Encyclopedia
Dependent Records is a German
independent record label
that mainly focuses on aggrotech, electro-industrial
and futurepop music. The label was founded in January of 1999
after the demise of the Off Beat label by former Off Beat A&R
manager Stefan Herwig along with Eskil Simonsson (Covenant
), Johan Van Roy (Suicide Commando
), Bryan Erickson
(Velvet Acid Christ
) and Ronan Harris
(VNV Nation
).
Stefan Herwig has been quoted as saying that "The strategy of mass release campaigns of most of the companies around, hurt the market significantly, and created a confusing flood of mediocre products" and that "Dependent considers the artists to be an integral part of the label, consulting them on some of the most basic and fundamental issues" and that Dependent would have a philosophy of "quality before quantity".
Artists that have released music through Dependent Records include Velvet Acid Christ
, Suicide Commando
, VNV Nation
, Covenant
, Klinik
, Seabound
, Apoptygma Berzerk
, Dismantled
, Ivory Frequency, Pride & Fall
, mind.in.a.box
, Rotersand
, Flesh Field
, Fractured
, Auto Aggression and Girls Under Glass
.
Dependent announced at the start of 2007 that the label would close its doors to new artists and shut down once contractual obligations had been fulfilled, citing ongoing concerns with piracy
. This announcement took the form of an essay in both German and English in the booklet to 'Dependence: Next Level Electronics Volume 2', a compilation featuring work by fourteen artists signed to the label, in which Stefan Herwig stated, '...we estimate that illegal downloads of Dependent albums outnumber legal purchases by a factor of three or even five to one'.
After the label closed down, a person claiming to be Stefan Herwig uploaded the whole back catalogue to The Pirate Bay
, one of the major BitTorrent trackers
. Herwig denied being responsible for this which makes it all seem to be a hoax spread by Torrentfreak.
On May 15, 2009, Herwig announced that Dependent Records would reopen in the summer or fall of that year, partnering with the US-based Metropolis Records
, citing fan support and the role of labels as "quality filters" for the vast number of new bands.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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 mainly focuses on aggrotech, electro-industrial
Electro-industrial
Electro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and post-industrial that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep, complex and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups,...
and futurepop music. The label was founded in January of 1999
1999 in music
-Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia....
after the demise of the Off Beat label by former Off Beat A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
manager Stefan Herwig along with Eskil Simonsson (Covenant
Covenant (band)
Covenant is a band from Sweden whose music comprises a mixture between electropop and electronic dance music. The band is composed of Eskil Simonsson, Daniel Myer and Joakim Montelius...
), Johan Van Roy (Suicide Commando
Suicide Commando
Suicide Commando is a Belgian electro-industrial act created by Johan van Roy in 1986.- History :Johan van Roy, Suicide Commando's only member, began experimenting with electronic music in 1986. Three years later he released his first tape under the moniker Suicide Commando, and made an appearance...
), Bryan Erickson
Bryan Erickson (musician)
Bryan Erickson is known primarily for his involvement with the electronic music bands Velvet Acid Christ and Toxic Coma. Erickson also goes by the stage names of "hexfix93" and "Disease Factory"...
(Velvet Acid Christ
Velvet Acid Christ
Velvet Acid Christ is an electro-industrial band based in Denver, Colorado. The band was formed in 1990, gaining limited popularity in Europe's underground nightclub scene during the mid-1990s before expanding into other markets in the goth and industrial subcultures...
) and Ronan Harris
Ronan Harris
Ronan Harris is a member of the act VNV Nation, along with Mark Jackson. For live shows the band are joined by 2 keyboard players. Ronan is credited with the songwriting, production, lyrical, and vocal aspects of the band's music...
(VNV Nation
VNV Nation
VNV Nation are a British/Irish electronic music band originally from Dublin, Ireland and Essex, United Kingdom and now based in Hamburg, Germany. They combine elements of electro-industrial, trance, synthpop and electronic body music . The members are Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson...
).
Stefan Herwig has been quoted as saying that "The strategy of mass release campaigns of most of the companies around, hurt the market significantly, and created a confusing flood of mediocre products" and that "Dependent considers the artists to be an integral part of the label, consulting them on some of the most basic and fundamental issues" and that Dependent would have a philosophy of "quality before quantity".
Artists that have released music through Dependent Records include Velvet Acid Christ
Velvet Acid Christ
Velvet Acid Christ is an electro-industrial band based in Denver, Colorado. The band was formed in 1990, gaining limited popularity in Europe's underground nightclub scene during the mid-1990s before expanding into other markets in the goth and industrial subcultures...
, Suicide Commando
Suicide Commando
Suicide Commando is a Belgian electro-industrial act created by Johan van Roy in 1986.- History :Johan van Roy, Suicide Commando's only member, began experimenting with electronic music in 1986. Three years later he released his first tape under the moniker Suicide Commando, and made an appearance...
, VNV Nation
VNV Nation
VNV Nation are a British/Irish electronic music band originally from Dublin, Ireland and Essex, United Kingdom and now based in Hamburg, Germany. They combine elements of electro-industrial, trance, synthpop and electronic body music . The members are Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson...
, Covenant
Covenant (band)
Covenant is a band from Sweden whose music comprises a mixture between electropop and electronic dance music. The band is composed of Eskil Simonsson, Daniel Myer and Joakim Montelius...
, Klinik
Klinik
Klinik, , is an industrial music band from Belgium, originally formed around 1982 by electro-synthpop practitioner Marc Verhaeghen, who is the only constant member.-History:...
, Seabound
Seabound
Seabound is a synthpop/futurepop duo from Germany. Their lyrics are in English and for the most part explore the human psyche and the way that everyday events can affect a person psychologically. Hence the band's slogan; "Seabound: Journey Into Your Mind."...
, Apoptygma Berzerk
Apoptygma Berzerk
Apoptygma Berzerk is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synthpop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselves as "futurepop". Apop has won awards and top-10 spots in Germany and Scandinavia...
, Dismantled
Dismantled
Dismantled is an electronic music artist from the United States.-History:Dismantled is the product of an experiment that began in late 2000 by Gary Zon, who was attempting to create something similar to Front Line Assembly's sound...
, Ivory Frequency, Pride & Fall
Pride & Fall
Pride & Fall is a futurepop act from Stavanger, Norway, formed in 2000 by Sigve Monsen and Svein Joar A. Johnsen.-History:The band came into being when Sigve and Svein wanted to pursue a more electronic and club-oriented sound than what they were doing in their goth/Darkwave project 'An Evening...
, mind.in.a.box
Mind.in.a.box
mind.in.a.box is Austrian electronic music band which includes Stefan Poiss , Roman Stift , Gehard Höffler and Adam Wehsely-Swiczinsky . Their "technopop" sound can be described as a cross between futurepop and progressive trance.mind.in.a.box is currently working on their 5th studio LP, which...
, Rotersand
Rotersand
Rotersand is a German electronic music act, formed in September 2002 by musician/producer Gun and singer Rascal with dance music producer/DJ Krischan J.E. Wesenberg joining them shortly after...
, Flesh Field
Flesh Field
Flesh Field was an electronic/industrial band formed in 1996 by Ian Ross in Columbus, Ohio. The name Flesh Field is an unofficial term Ian Ross came up with to describe the psychological defense mechanisms of rape victims.-History:...
, Fractured
Fractured
Fractured is an Industrial band created by Canadian Nick Gorman in 2003. Formed in Toronto, his self produced release CD-R demo titled Contami-Nation caught the attention of European label Dependent who signed them. After the release of the demo Gorman was joined by Famine and in 2006 released...
, Auto Aggression and Girls Under Glass
Girls Under Glass
- Biography :1986Girls Under Glass were founded by Thomas Lücke , Hauke Harms and Zaphor aka Volker Zacharias as an offshoot of the gothic rock formation Calling Dead Red Roses.1987...
.
Dependent announced at the start of 2007 that the label would close its doors to new artists and shut down once contractual obligations had been fulfilled, citing ongoing concerns with piracy
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
. This announcement took the form of an essay in both German and English in the booklet to 'Dependence: Next Level Electronics Volume 2', a compilation featuring work by fourteen artists signed to the label, in which Stefan Herwig stated, '...we estimate that illegal downloads of Dependent albums outnumber legal purchases by a factor of three or even five to one'.
After the label closed down, a person claiming to be Stefan Herwig uploaded the whole back catalogue to The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay is a Swedish website which hosts magnet links and .torrent files, which allow users to share electronic files, including multimedia, computer games and software via BitTorrent...
, one of the major BitTorrent trackers
BitTorrent tracker
A BitTorrent tracker is a server that assists in the communication between peers using the BitTorrent protocol. It is also, in the absence of extensions to the original protocol, the only major critical point, as clients are required to communicate with the tracker to initiate downloads...
. Herwig denied being responsible for this which makes it all seem to be a hoax spread by Torrentfreak.
On May 15, 2009, Herwig announced that Dependent Records would reopen in the summer or fall of that year, partnering with the US-based Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the post-industrial field such as electro-industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and gothic musical genres....
, citing fan support and the role of labels as "quality filters" for the vast number of new bands.