Wierd Records
Encyclopedia
Wierd Records is an American independent record label
, founded in New York City by Pieter Schoolwerth in 2006. "Wierd" is also the name for an associated weekly DJ night started at Southside Lounge in Brooklyn in 2003, but having been held at Home Sweet Home for the last three years. Schoolwerth has also performed with Power Electronics outfit Bloodyminded since the mid 90s and previously a member of Crash Worship
.
Associated groups include Martial Canterel, Led Er Est, Xeno & Oaklander, Blacklist
, Frank (just Frank), Plastic Flowers
, and Opus Finis.
The groups are also linked to developments in the visual arts; Schoolwerth is a noted conceptualist
painter. Liz Wendelbo, a member of Xeno & Oaklander, is also a filmmaker, positing "cold cinema" as filmmaking that "predicates resistance to cinema as a virtual medium."
, minimal synth, and dream pop
, and from synthesizer-based groups described as "minimal electronics" (similar to synthpunk
or minimal electronica). The label is especially associated with a revival of the French coldwave
style. The label positions itself as eccentric, marginal, and somewhat psychedelic, and in opposition to the mainstream goth subculture
. Schoolwerth declares that "we don’t use the term goth. It has a derogatory connotation. It’s degenerated into some kind of ironic B-horror film thing. It’s lost its elegance, sophistication, and most importantly, its pretentiousness."
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:...
, founded in New York City by Pieter Schoolwerth in 2006. "Wierd" is also the name for an associated weekly DJ night started at Southside Lounge in Brooklyn in 2003, but having been held at Home Sweet Home for the last three years. Schoolwerth has also performed with Power Electronics outfit Bloodyminded since the mid 90s and previously a member of Crash Worship
Crash Worship
Crash Worship or ADRV was a San Diego based experimental-aktionist-industrial-noise performance group formed in 1986. Most renowned for its live shows in which three stand-up percussionists hammered out concussive poly-rhythms to abstract mutated guitar, synthesizers, effects and dualling vocalists...
.
Associated groups include Martial Canterel, Led Er Est, Xeno & Oaklander, Blacklist
Blacklist (band)
Blacklist is a band from Brooklyn, New York composed of Josh Strawn , Ryan Rayhill , Glenn Maryansky , and James Minor . They are one of the flagship bands of painter Pieter Schoolwerth's Wierd Records imprint...
, Frank (just Frank), Plastic Flowers
, and Opus Finis.
The groups are also linked to developments in the visual arts; Schoolwerth is a noted conceptualist
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
painter. Liz Wendelbo, a member of Xeno & Oaklander, is also a filmmaker, positing "cold cinema" as filmmaking that "predicates resistance to cinema as a virtual medium."
Style
The label takes inspiration from European permutations of post-punkPost-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, minimal synth, 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...
, and from synthesizer-based groups described as "minimal electronics" (similar to synthpunk
Synthpunk
Synthpunk is a music genre combining elements of electronic music and punk rock. The term was coined by Damian Ramsey in 1999 as an attempt to retroactively identify a small sub-genre of punk music from 1977 to 1984 that involved musicians playing synthesizers in place of electric...
or minimal electronica). The label is especially associated with a revival of the French coldwave
Coldwave
Coldwave, also written as Cold Wave, is the French variant of Dark Wave, gothic rock and post-punk music, primarily spread in France, South Belgium and Romandy.- History :...
style. The label positions itself as eccentric, marginal, and somewhat psychedelic, and in opposition to the mainstream goth subculture
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
. Schoolwerth declares that "we don’t use the term goth. It has a derogatory connotation. It’s degenerated into some kind of ironic B-horror film thing. It’s lost its elegance, sophistication, and most importantly, its pretentiousness."
External links
- "Hey Spooky Guy, Give Us Some Halloween Tunes" Pieter Schoolwerth's playlist for ViceVice (magazine)VICE is a free magazine and media conglomerate founded in Montreal, Quebec and currently based in New York City.Vice is available in 27 countries...
- Review of Wierd Compilation Volume II, by Kristen Sollee of The Big Takeover
- Review of Wierd Compilation Volume II, by Doug Mosurock of Dusted Magazine
- The Fader Freak Scene #46, by Jamie Johns, November 2, 2009