Darla Records
Encyclopedia
Darla Records is an independent record label
founded by James Agren (in October 1993) while he was in New York. Darla Record's first release was a 7-inch by Grifters, an indie rock
/lo-fi band from Memphis
.
, indie pop and rock, and Americana
. Darla is currently focused on ambient
. Darla is a label, distributor and online retailer. Darla Records is home to over 200 exclusively distributed labels including Ad Noiseam, Audio Dregs Recordings, Ici d'Aileurs, Elefant, LTM
, Le Grand Magistery
, Matinee, Ohm Resistance, Siesta and Words On Music.
The label created a series, known as Bliss Out. The series' moniker is a reference to Blissed Out: The Rapture of Rock — a tome authored by Simon Reynolds
, a notable rock music
critic based in Britain. The Little Darla Has A Treat For You semi-quarterly compilation series features artists and labels Darla Records works with closely and is very popular. This series was named after the Little Debbie snack treats.
The label's moniker is not a reference to Darla Hood
, the little girl from the Our Gang
comedies (known as The Little Rascals on television), but comes from a yet-to-be-acknowledged bit of Americana. James noted while record collecting that many regional independent labels in the '50s had women's names and national hits: Laurie, Paula, Sue, Tamla, etc. In the '80s and '90s there were popular indie-pop labels Sarah and Harriet.
Since 1993 Darla has been a label and distributor. Darla became an online retailer in 1996. in 2009 Darla began offering digital downloads from their own website. James Agren and Chandra Tobey run Darla Records from a 1250 sq ft (116.1 m²) barn on their avocado and cherimoya farm in the hills of north San Diego county
.
DARLA
in October 2000. Darla moved in October 2002 to rural north county San Diego
. Darla Records is now in the least populated part of coastal southern California; known for its quality surf, palm and fruit tree nurseries and the best avocados in the world -- Vista, California
.
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 by James Agren (in October 1993) while he was in New York. Darla Record's first release was a 7-inch by Grifters, an indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
/lo-fi band from Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
Background
The music of the artists on the label includes electronicaElectronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, indie pop and rock, and Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
. Darla is currently focused on 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 :...
. Darla is a label, distributor and online retailer. Darla Records is home to over 200 exclusively distributed labels including Ad Noiseam, Audio Dregs Recordings, Ici d'Aileurs, Elefant, LTM
LTM
LTM Recordings is an independent record label founded in Britain in 1983, and best known for high quality, well-packaged reissues of artists and music from 1978 to the present day, as well as modern classical and avant garde composition...
, Le Grand Magistery
Le Grand Magistery
Le Grand Magistery is an independent record label operating out of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan since 1996. They have been home to a number of artists including A Cuckoo, A Girl Called Eddy, Always, Baxendale, The Blood Group, Cinéma Vérité, Computer Perfection, Flare, Kahimi Karie, Le Concorde,...
, Matinee, Ohm Resistance, Siesta and Words On Music.
The label created a series, known as Bliss Out. The series' moniker is a reference to Blissed Out: The Rapture of Rock — a tome authored by Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds is an English music critic who is well-known for his writings on electronic dance music and for coining the term "post-rock". Besides electronic dance music, Reynolds has written about a wide range of artists and musical genres, and has written books on post-punk and rock...
, a notable rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
critic based in Britain. The Little Darla Has A Treat For You semi-quarterly compilation series features artists and labels Darla Records works with closely and is very popular. This series was named after the Little Debbie snack treats.
The label's moniker is not a reference to Darla Hood
Darla Hood
Darla Jean Hood was an American child actress, best known as the leading lady in the Our Gang series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of James Claude Hood and Elizabeth Davner...
, the little girl from the Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
comedies (known as The Little Rascals on television), but comes from a yet-to-be-acknowledged bit of Americana. James noted while record collecting that many regional independent labels in the '50s had women's names and national hits: Laurie, Paula, Sue, Tamla, etc. In the '80s and '90s there were popular indie-pop labels Sarah and Harriet.
Since 1993 Darla has been a label and distributor. Darla became an online retailer in 1996. in 2009 Darla began offering digital downloads from their own website. James Agren and Chandra Tobey run Darla Records from a 1250 sq ft (116.1 m²) barn on their avocado and cherimoya farm in the hills of north San Diego county
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
.
Acts on label
Since its inception, Darla has been host to several notable acts. Musical outfits whose recordings have been released by this label include:
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DARLA
From San Francisco to Sacramento and finally rural San Diego
Before long, Darla outgrew its one-bedroom apartment and 350 sq ft (32.5 m²). ground floor office space. James and Chandra relocated Darla to Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
in October 2000. Darla moved in October 2002 to rural north county San Diego
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
. Darla Records is now in the least populated part of coastal southern California; known for its quality surf, palm and fruit tree nurseries and the best avocados in the world -- Vista, California
Vista, California
Vista is a city in north San Diego County, California. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate...
.