Modular Recordings
Encyclopedia
Modular Records is an Australia
n record label
. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic
as a joint-venture with EMI
, but is now distributed (and half-owned) by Universal Music in Australia. Modular has released recordings by local artists such as Eskimo Joe
, Ben Lee
, The Avalanches
, Wolfmother
, Cut Copy
, The Bumblebeez, Van She
, Rocket Science
, Ghostwood
, The Presets
and Tame Impala
, as well as local releases of international artists including Yeah Yeah Yeahs
, Chromeo
, Colder
, Klaxons
(The EP Xan Valleys
), Ladyhawke
, New Young Pony Club
, MSTRKRFT
, and Softlightes.
concert promoter Steve Pavlovic
. The label came to prominence in late 1998 with its first two releases, The Living End
's eponymous debut album and Ben Lee
's Breathing Tornados
. Both albums were "roaring successes", The Living End became the second (at the time) highest-selling debut rock album in Australian music history; Breathing Tornados was nominated for the "Album of the Year" ARIA Award. The label's next release the Avalanches
's Since I Left You
(2000) was a huge critical success, earning the group nine ARIA Award nominations.
In 2004, with the emergence of new acts Cut Copy
, The Presets
and The Bumblebeez and the development of regular Modular parties and tours the label began to grow and Modular came to prominence in the Australian scene.
In 2004 an office was established in New York, followed by a London office in 2005.
Van She
, a new wave
electropop four piece from Sydney
were signed in August 2005.http://www.themusic.com.au/im_m/archive/2005/050830-470_eliezer.php Mid 2006 modular signed London’s New Young Pony Club
.
An office in Los Angeles followed in 2007, along with the signing of new acts including Ghostwood
, Plug-In City and The Whitest Boy Alive
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic
Steve Pavlovic
Steve Pavlovic is an Australian music promoter who founded and runs the successful international record label Modular Recordings. Widely known as "Pav", some of his pre-Modular history was documented in The Sell-in, a book about the Australian independent music industry...
as a joint-venture with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, but is now distributed (and half-owned) by Universal Music in Australia. Modular has released recordings by local artists such as Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe is an Australian alternative rock band formed by Stuart MacLeod on guitars, Joel Quartermain on drums and guitar and Kavyen Temperley on bass guitar and vocals, in East Fremantle, Western Australia in 1997....
, Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
, The Avalanches
The Avalanches
The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in 1997 with mainstays Robbie Chater on keyboards, Tony Diblasi on keyboards, bass and backing vocals, and Darren Seltmann on vocals and keyboards. They are known for their live DJ sets and their debut album Since I Left You , which was...
, Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
, Cut Copy
Cut Copy
Cut Copy are an Australian electronic band formed in 2001 by Dan Whitford on vocals, keyboard and guitar. Other members are Tim Hoey on guitar and sampler, Ben Browning on bass guitar and Mitchell Scott on drums. Their second album, In Ghost Colours peaked at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart in...
, The Bumblebeez, Van She
Van She
Van She is an electropop band formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, with Matt Van Schie on bass guitar/vocals, Tomek Archer on drums/sequencer, Michael Di Francesco on synth/guitar and Nicholas Routledge on vocals/guitar...
, Rocket Science
Rocket Science (band)
Rocket Science is an Australian alternative rock band that first came to public attention on national youth radio network Triple J around 2000....
, Ghostwood
Ghostwood (band)
Ghostwood are an Alternative-Indie band formed in Sydney, Australia in 2006. They quickly established themselves on the Sydney indie scene, and signed to Modular Recordings for 1 EP in late 2006....
, The Presets
The Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic duo formed in 2003, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals and keyboards, and Kim Moyes on drums and keyboards. They released their debut album Beams in 2005 to positive critical response. Their 2008 release Apocalypso debuted at number-one on the ARIA...
and Tame Impala
Tame Impala
Tame Impala are a psychedelic rock band from Perth, Australia. They are signed to Modular Records. The band came to prominence in 2010 with the release of their first debut album, Innerspeaker. Their name refers to the impala, a medium sized antelope...
, as well as local releases of international artists including Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...
, Chromeo
Chromeo
Chromeo is an electrofunk duo formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 2004.-History:Chromeo is composed of P-Thugg on keyboards, synthesizers, and talk box, and Dave 1 on guitar and lead vocals...
, Colder
Colder
Colder may refer to:*The superlative of cold.*Colder , French electronic remixer....
, Klaxons
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
(The EP Xan Valleys
Xan Valleys
Xan Valleys is the first extended play released by British indie rock band Klaxons. Released on 16 October 2006, the album was released by Modular Recordings, the band's final release before signing with major label Polydor Records...
), Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke is a 1985 fantasy film directed by Richard Donner, starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film marked the second 20th Century Fox film to be co-produced and co-released by Warner Bros.. The first was The Towering Inferno; this time Warner got the U.S...
, New Young Pony Club
New Young Pony Club
New Young Pony Club are an English electronic band from London, consisting of members from London, Hereford, Cambridge and Bromley. Their influences are prominently from post-punk and New Wave....
, MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT is a Canadian electronic music duo from Toronto, Ontario. The group was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P formerly of the Mississauga, Ontario electropop group Girlsareshort...
, and Softlightes.
History
Founded in 1998 by SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
concert promoter Steve Pavlovic
Steve Pavlovic
Steve Pavlovic is an Australian music promoter who founded and runs the successful international record label Modular Recordings. Widely known as "Pav", some of his pre-Modular history was documented in The Sell-in, a book about the Australian independent music industry...
. The label came to prominence in late 1998 with its first two releases, The Living End
The Living End
The Living End are an Australian rock band from Melbourne, Victoria, formed in 1994. The current lineup consists of Chris Cheney , Scott Owen and Andy Strachan...
's eponymous debut album and Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
's Breathing Tornados
Breathing Tornados
Breathing Tornados is the third album by Australian musician Ben Lee, released in 1998.-Track listing:#"Cigarettes Will Kill You" – 3:50#"Nothing Much Happens" – 3:37#"I Am a Sunflower" – 3:56#"Tornados" – 3:21#"The Finger and the Moon" – 3:42...
. Both albums were "roaring successes", The Living End became the second (at the time) highest-selling debut rock album in Australian music history; Breathing Tornados was nominated for the "Album of the Year" ARIA Award. The label's next release the Avalanches
The Avalanches
The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in 1997 with mainstays Robbie Chater on keyboards, Tony Diblasi on keyboards, bass and backing vocals, and Darren Seltmann on vocals and keyboards. They are known for their live DJ sets and their debut album Since I Left You , which was...
's Since I Left You
Since I Left You
Since I Left You is the debut studio album by Australian music group The Avalanches released on 27 November 2000. Produced by Avalanches members Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann, it was released on Modular Recordings. The album was created in two separate near-identical studios by Chater and...
(2000) was a huge critical success, earning the group nine ARIA Award nominations.
In 2004, with the emergence of new acts Cut Copy
Cut Copy
Cut Copy are an Australian electronic band formed in 2001 by Dan Whitford on vocals, keyboard and guitar. Other members are Tim Hoey on guitar and sampler, Ben Browning on bass guitar and Mitchell Scott on drums. Their second album, In Ghost Colours peaked at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart in...
, The Presets
The Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic duo formed in 2003, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals and keyboards, and Kim Moyes on drums and keyboards. They released their debut album Beams in 2005 to positive critical response. Their 2008 release Apocalypso debuted at number-one on the ARIA...
and The Bumblebeez and the development of regular Modular parties and tours the label began to grow and Modular came to prominence in the Australian scene.
In 2004 an office was established in New York, followed by a London office in 2005.
Van She
Van She
Van She is an electropop band formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, with Matt Van Schie on bass guitar/vocals, Tomek Archer on drums/sequencer, Michael Di Francesco on synth/guitar and Nicholas Routledge on vocals/guitar...
, a new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
electropop four piece from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
were signed in August 2005.http://www.themusic.com.au/im_m/archive/2005/050830-470_eliezer.php Mid 2006 modular signed London’s New Young Pony Club
New Young Pony Club
New Young Pony Club are an English electronic band from London, consisting of members from London, Hereford, Cambridge and Bromley. Their influences are prominently from post-punk and New Wave....
.
An office in Los Angeles followed in 2007, along with the signing of new acts including Ghostwood
Ghostwood
Ghostwood is a supernatural thriller film directed by Justin O'Brien and produced by Ned Dowd. Executive Producers were Mairead Killian, Tom Higgins, John Slazenger and Noel Lourdes.-Synopsis:...
, Plug-In City and The Whitest Boy Alive
The Whitest Boy Alive
The Whitest Boy Alive is a German-Norwegian musical group based in Berlin. The band comprises singer/guitarist Erlend Øye of Kings of Convenience, bassist Marcin Öz, drummer Sebastian Maschat, and Daniel Nentwig on Rhodes piano and Crumar.- History :...
.
Selected discography
- Modular Presents: Leave Them All BehindModular Presents: Leave Them All BehindModular Presents: Leave Them All Behind is a double disc sampling of some of 2005's big names in dance-rock, indie-rock, dance-punk, post-punk and the like. Put together by the Australian label Modular Recordings, the compilation features 32 original and remix versions of tracks by artists such as...
(2005) - Modular Presents: Leave Them All Behind 2Modular Presents: Leave Them All Behind 2Modular Presents: Leave Them All Behind 2 is the 2007 double-disc follow-up to Modular Recordings' well-received 2005 dance-rock compilation Modular Presents: Leave Them All Behind...
(2007) - Modular Presents: Leave Them All Behind 3 (2009)