Bad Sekta
Encyclopedia
Bad Sekta is an independent English
record label
founded in Halstead
in 2005
, with a mission statement
to release new music and video by underground
& experimental
electronic music
artists.
Founded by Will Druett (Phuq
) (heavily assisted by British
audiovisual artist Shortfacedbear), since 2007 Bad Sekta has been operated in partnership with Tom Whiston (formerly recording as Machinochrist), consistently releasing a high quality variety of artists, both established & previously unknown.
The first release for the label (catalogue number BAD001) was a compilation
CD, Various Autists 2
, in a limited edition of 400, financed by a small inheritance received by Phuq
.
Distributed mainly for free via free parties
& club nights, some were sold or given away with orders of later releases. This release was well received amongst the breakcore
, experimental and free party
communities and was followed by a series of limited edition
CDs and DVDs (generally in editions of 123).
Since their inception, Bad Sekta has enjoyed a close relationship with London
-based internet radio stations Ill FM and Pitchless Radio. Artists from the Bad Sekta roster regularly make appearances on the shows and, completing the circuit, members of the Ill FM and Pitchless crews have come to release music via the label.
Bad Sekta have received regular airplay globally on radio stations such as the Decibel Breach show on Resonance FM
and KSER FM in the USA.
Over the last few years the label has been concentrating on expanding its catalogue by releasing a multitude of handmade 8 cm CD and free MP3
albums, compilations & EPs, with an emphasis on putting out new music & broadening its output to include genres such as dubstep
, noise
and techno
.
In 2010 the label moved to London
, establishing the "Bad Sekta HQ" & announcing several new projects utilising various 'interesting' formats (e.g. a limited edition cassette packaged with a specially designed newspaper).
In July 2011 a new semi-autonomous 'Bad Sekta Berlin' was announced, following Tom Whiston's relocation to said city.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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,...
founded in Halstead
Halstead
Halstead is a town and civil parish located in Braintree District of Essex, England, near Colchester and Sudbury. It has a population of 11,053. The town is situated in the Colne Valley, and originally developed on the hill to the north of the river...
in 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
, with a mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
to release new music and video by underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
& experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
artists.
Bad Sekta showcases experimental electronic music from genres that have grown and developed out of the free party scene. Fusing elements of Drum’n’Bass, Techno, Hardcore and Industrial, as well as a hefty dose of experimentation; non-commercial styles of music have been able to flourish in the free party environment and Bad Sekta aims to bring some of these artists to the ear of those who’d normally pass them by.
- Jessica Bateman, IP 1 Magazine (2007)
Founded by Will Druett (Phuq
Phuq
Phuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
) (heavily assisted by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
audiovisual artist Shortfacedbear), since 2007 Bad Sekta has been operated in partnership with Tom Whiston (formerly recording as Machinochrist), consistently releasing a high quality variety of artists, both established & previously unknown.
It’s a real pleasure to do something with so many different talented people & in our small way create something good that showcases some really overlooked talent in the UK electronic scene. I could diverge into a rant here about how Last Boss is the great undiscovered breakcore Ubermensch or the genius of the Hekate sound etc. but to be honest listening to them will do more to convince you of that than my words.
- Tom Whiston, interviewed by Connexion Bizarre (2010)
The first release for the label (catalogue number BAD001) was a compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
CD, Various Autists 2
Various Autists 2
Various Autists 2, released by Bad Sekta in 2005, was the first release from the UK-based electronic music label. It was also their first compilation release.-Track listing:#1 DJ Ultimate Kevin - "Crakndope"#2 Sot - "Calibos Lord of the Rodney Marsh"...
, in a limited edition of 400, financed by a small inheritance received by Phuq
Phuq
Phuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
.
I started the label in late 2005 (our “official” birthday is November 23rd), with a £1000 inheritance I received from a family friend. Mainly I wanted to expose people to some of my friends who were (cliché alert) producing some wicked & interesting tracks that were not really being heard by as many listeners as they deserved to be. This “core” of acts originally included various incarnations of myself (Phuq), Dave Stitch, DJ Ultimate Kevin, Fzv, Knaebot, Lastboss, Shortfacedbear, Zeropointenergy & others.
- Will Druett, interviewed by Connexion Bizarre (2010)
Distributed mainly for free via free parties
Free party
A free party is a party "free" from the restrictions of the legal club scene, similar to the free festival movement. It typically involves a sound system playing electronic dance music from late at night until the time when the organisers decide to go home. A free party can be composed of just one...
& club nights, some were sold or given away with orders of later releases. This release was well received amongst the breakcore
Breakcore
Breakcore is a style of electronic music largely influenced by hardcore techno, drum and bass and Intelligent dance music. Its sound is largely characterized by a high-tempo, well-timed mingling of distorted kick drums , break beats arranged from samples of the Amen break, and audio samples from a...
, experimental and free party
Free party
A free party is a party "free" from the restrictions of the legal club scene, similar to the free festival movement. It typically involves a sound system playing electronic dance music from late at night until the time when the organisers decide to go home. A free party can be composed of just one...
communities and was followed by a series of limited edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
CDs and DVDs (generally in editions of 123).
Since their inception, Bad Sekta has enjoyed a close relationship with London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based internet radio stations Ill FM and Pitchless Radio. Artists from the Bad Sekta roster regularly make appearances on the shows and, completing the circuit, members of the Ill FM and Pitchless crews have come to release music via the label.
Bad Sekta have received regular airplay globally on radio stations such as the Decibel Breach show on Resonance FM
Resonance FM
Resonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station run by the London Musicians' Collective .The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and over 300 volunteer technical and production staff.Until September 2007, ResonanceFM...
and KSER FM in the USA.
Over the last few years the label has been concentrating on expanding its catalogue by releasing a multitude of handmade 8 cm CD and free MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
albums, compilations & EPs, with an emphasis on putting out new music & broadening its output to include genres such as dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, noise
Noise
In common use, the word noise means any unwanted sound. In both analog and digital electronics, noise is random unwanted perturbation to a wanted signal; it is called noise as a generalisation of the acoustic noise heard when listening to a weak radio transmission with significant electrical noise...
and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
.
In 2010 the label moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, establishing the "Bad Sekta HQ" & announcing several new projects utilising various 'interesting' formats (e.g. a limited edition cassette packaged with a specially designed newspaper).
In July 2011 a new semi-autonomous 'Bad Sekta Berlin' was announced, following Tom Whiston's relocation to said city.
Notable artists from past and present
|
Sublabels
- Bad Sekta Berlin - Berlin-based sublabel, established in 2011 & under the direction of Tom Bad Sekta.
- Elfkore - A free, MP3 only netlabelNetlabelA netlabel is a record label that distributes its music through digital audio formats over the Internet...
.
Other projects
- Twenty-Third - Named in reference to the 23 Enigma, a publishing wing of Bad Sekta was started in 2009, specialising in small-run editions of esoteric & undergroundUnderground musicUnderground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
zines & books.
EPS / Albums
- PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- K Muzak (Volume 1) (BADltd002, 2006) - Lastboss - Nishizono Shinji (BADltd003, 2006)
- Cleggfu - Teeth (BADltd004, 2006)
- PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- Ill Fm K Liveset Bizness (BADltd006, 2006) - Intonamori - Ear Weevils 1 (BADmpfree002, 2006)
- Cleggfu - Horses Hit (BADltd005, 2007)
- PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- Aaaargh! (BADmpfree003, 2007) - Lastboss - Xin Who? (BADltd007, 2007)
- PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- Conspiracykore (BADmpfree005, 2009) - Dave StitchDave StitchDave Stitch is the recording pseudonym of UK-based electronic music artist David Brookes-History:Brookes was born in Colchester, Essex in 1979. His twin brother Peter was born with Cerebral Palsy due to complications at birth and died in 2002...
- Rave New World (BADmpfree007, 2009) - PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- The Sh*t Out of Your Mum (BADmin001, 2009) - PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- Asphyxiation (BADmin003, 2009) - Usedtobecool - The Independent Fallacy (BADmpfree008, 2009)
- PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- More Missed Worlds (BADmin005, 2009) - Wave Chaser - Philosophic Moments (BADmpfree009, 2009)
- PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- The Sh*t Out of Your Mum (BADmpfree010, 2009) - PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- Asphyxiation (BADmpfree011, 2009) - PhuqPhuqPhuq is an English producer of "Wonk" - an experimental blend of Breakcore / Gabber / IDM and various other styles of electronic music.Born in 1983 in Essex, UK, he is currently based in London....
- More Missed Worlds (BADmpfree012, 2010) - Wave Chaser - Midnight Butterfly (BADmpfree013, 2010)
- Dave StitchDave StitchDave Stitch is the recording pseudonym of UK-based electronic music artist David Brookes-History:Brookes was born in Colchester, Essex in 1979. His twin brother Peter was born with Cerebral Palsy due to complications at birth and died in 2002...
- I Think Therefore I Can (BADmpfree015, 2010) - Ronin - Repeat Offender EP (BADmpfree016, 2011)
- Lastboss - (zhi) (BADmpfree017, 2011)
- The Abominable Mr Tinkler presents: F-lithium - Ether Way You Lose (BADmpfree018, 2011)
- Lastboss - (yami) (BADmpfree019, 2011)
- Ascetic - Holy Mountain (BADmpfree020, 2011)
Compilations
- Various - Various Autists 2Various Autists 2Various Autists 2, released by Bad Sekta in 2005, was the first release from the UK-based electronic music label. It was also their first compilation release.-Track listing:#1 DJ Ultimate Kevin - "Crakndope"#2 Sot - "Calibos Lord of the Rodney Marsh"...
(BAD001, 2005) - Various - MPFree #1 (BADmpfree001, 2006)
- Various - Memetrix (BADltd008, 2007)
- Various - We Are Legion (BADmpfree004, 2008)
- Various - Community (BADmpfree006, 2009)
- Various - Bad Sekta Sampler 2009 (BADmin002, 2009)
- Various - 5 Years (BADmpfree014, 2010)
See also
- List of record labels
- List of electronic music record labels
- List of independent UK record labels
- Electronic musicElectronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
- Experimental musicExperimental musicExperimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
- Braindance
- BreakcoreBreakcoreBreakcore is a style of electronic music largely influenced by hardcore techno, drum and bass and Intelligent dance music. Its sound is largely characterized by a high-tempo, well-timed mingling of distorted kick drums , break beats arranged from samples of the Amen break, and audio samples from a...
- Drum and bassDrum and bassDrum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
- DubstepDubstepDubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
- GabberGabberGabber , is a style of electronic music and a subgenre of hardcore techno. "Gabber" is a slang word of Yiddish origin that means "mate", "buddy" or "friend"....
- Glitch (music)Glitch (music)Glitch is a term used to describe a genre of electronic music that emerged in the mid to late 1990s. The glitch aesthetic is characterized by a deliberate use of glitch based sonic artifacts that would normally be viewed as unwanted disturbances reducing the overall sound quality and are thus...
- Intelligent dance musicIntelligent dance musicIntelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
- Noise (music)
- Sonic art
- Techno
External links
- Badsekta.com – Official site
- Myspace.com/badsekta – Official Myspace
- Elfkore.tk – Nonprofit, Mp3-only sublabel
- Bad Sekta channel at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Bad Sekta at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
.com