Labradford
Encyclopedia
Labradford is a U.S. post-rock
musical group from Richmond, Virginia
, founded in 1991. They have released six full albums from 1993 to 2001. Though not officially disbanded, its members have since been active with separate projects.
Robert Donne, guitarist
/vocalist Mark Nelson, and keyboardist
Carter Brown. Their music style is experimental ambient
and post-rock
, although their first releases were much more related to dark drone rock
.
After a début single in 1992, they were signed by Kranky Records
(which has remained their home since) who issued their début album Prazision LP in 1993. The group's music mostly drifts on the guitar effects and the keyboard passages, with the vocals, when present, in the background.
In 1999, they started a tour with Godspeed You! Black Emperor
and their Festival Of Drifting series, which featured appearances from Pole
, Robin Guthrie
, Matmos
, Papa M, and Sigur Rós
.
Though the group has not officially disbanded, they have not released another album since 2001's critically acclaimed Fixed::Context, and the band members have apparently moved away from their former base of Richmond, Virginia
. Robert Donne
has joined the slow-core group Spokane, and is currently joining Gregor Samsa
for their European tour. Mark Nelson continues to release records on Kranky
under the name Pan American
.
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
musical group from Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, founded in 1991. They have released six full albums from 1993 to 2001. Though not officially disbanded, its members have since been active with separate projects.
Biography
Founded in 1991, Labradford consists of bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Robert Donne, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
/vocalist Mark Nelson, and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Carter Brown. Their music style is experimental 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 :...
and post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
, although their first releases were much more related to dark drone rock
Drone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
.
After a début single in 1992, they were signed by Kranky Records
Kranky Records
Kranky is an independent record label, located in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke.The bands it houses are noted for combining experimental and often electronic influences with elements of more traditional rock structures, and many of the artists on Kranky...
(which has remained their home since) who issued their début album Prazision LP in 1993. The group's music mostly drifts on the guitar effects and the keyboard passages, with the vocals, when present, in the background.
In 1999, they started a tour with Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
and their Festival Of Drifting series, which featured appearances from Pole
Pole (musician)
Pole is the artistic name of Stefan Betke, a German electronic music artist commonly associated with the glitch genre as well as dubtronica.-History:Pole took his name from a Waldorf 4-Pole filter which he accidentally dropped and broke in 1996...
, Robin Guthrie
Robin Guthrie
Robin Guthrie is a musician best known as co-founder of the Cocteau Twins. During his career Guthrie has played guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and other musical instruments, in addition to programming, sampling and sound processing...
, Matmos
Matmos
Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore signed to the Matador Records label. M. C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but they frequently include other artists on their records and in their performances, including...
, Papa M, and Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
.
Though the group has not officially disbanded, they have not released another album since 2001's critically acclaimed Fixed::Context, and the band members have apparently moved away from their former base of Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. Robert Donne
Robert Donne
Robert Donne has played bass or baritone guitar with Breadwinner, Labradford, Gore De Vol and Spokane, and is a founding member of Cristal.-References:...
has joined the slow-core group Spokane, and is currently joining Gregor Samsa
Gregor Samsa (band)
Gregor Samsa is a band from Virginia formed in 2000 and fronted by Champ Bennett. It takes its name from the main character of Franz Kafka's novella The Metamorphosis....
for their European tour. Mark Nelson continues to release records on Kranky
Kranky Records
Kranky is an independent record label, located in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke.The bands it houses are noted for combining experimental and often electronic influences with elements of more traditional rock structures, and many of the artists on Kranky...
under the name Pan American
Pan American (band)
Pan American is an American experimental electronic music ensemble. It is the alter ego of Mark Nelson, vocalist and guitarist for the band Labradford, who first began recording under the name in 1997....
.
Full albums
- 1993: Prazision LP
- 1995: A Stable ReferenceA Stable ReferenceA Stable Reference is the second album by Virginian post-rock band Labradford, released on the May 26, 1995.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Ned Raggett awarded the album 4 stars stating "The biggest change on Reference has remained a near-constant ever since, namely, the removal of lyrics and...
- 1996: LabradfordLabradford (album)Labradford is third album by Virginian post-rock band Labradford, released in 1996.-Track listing:#Phantom Channel Crossing 4:43#Mid-Range 6:29#Pico 5:46#The Cipher 3:11#Lake Speed 6:46#Scenic Recovery 4:51#Battered 7:57-Links:...
- 1997: Mi Media NaranjaMi Media NaranjaMi Media Naranja is the fourth album by Virginian post-rock band Labradford, released in 1997.-Track listing:...
- 1999: E Luxo SoE Luxo SoE Luxo So is the fifth album by Virginian post-rock band Labradford, released in 1999. The titles of the album's six songs are made up of the recording and production credits.-Track listing:...
- 2001: Fixed::Context
Other releases
- 1992: "Everlast", U.S. 7", Retro 8 (now collected on Prazision LP: A-side since the 1993 CD, B-side since its 2007 remaster)
- 1995: "Julius", U.S. 7", Merge
- 1996: "Scenic Recovery", UK 10", Duophonic
- 1996: The Kahanek Incident, Vol. 3, U.S. 12" (split with Stars of the LidStars of the LidStars of the Lid is a duo specializing in drone-based ambient music. They list among their influences minimalist and electronic composers such as Arvo Pärt, Zbigniew Preisner, Gavin Bryars, and Henryk Górecki, as well as Talk Talk , post-rock artists Labradford, and ambient innovator Brian...
), Trance Syndicate - 2000: Ene, 10" LP split with Surfers of Romantica, Eerie Materials
Compilation appearances
- 1992: Repugnating The Wombat US CS Retro 8
- 1994: Dixie Flatline (Wilson Interrupt Mix), Skyliner (live) US CD Radioactive Rat
- 1994: Ambient 4: Isolationism Air Lubricated Free Axis Trainer UK 2CD Virgin AMBT 4
- 1994: The Church Song (remix of a Jim O'Rourke track) US CD Astralwerks ASW6153
- 1995: Excursions In Ambience IV: The Fourth Frontier
- 1996: Newman Passage, Pico / Elec. Security UK CD Blast First bffp141cde
- 1996: Volume 16, The Window UK CD Volume 16 VCD16
- 1996: Monsters, Rugrats and Bugmen, sedr 77 UK 2CD Virgin ambt111
- 1998: The Wire Tapper 2 [given away free with The Wire issue 177, November 1998] V (Harold Budd Remix) UK CD WIRECD002
- 1999: Drifing A.F.U. [limited edition CD given away free at Labradford's Second Festival of Drifting, 1999]
- 2000: The Wire Tapper 5 [given away free with The Wire issue 193, March 2000] So Remix (Matmos Remix), UK CD WIRECD005
External links
- Labradford at BrainwashedBrainwashed (website)Brainwashed is a not-for-profit online music publication offering news and reviews of eclectic music. Over fifty people contribute to the archives of Brainwashed. Brainwashed hosts websites for many bands, artists and record labels...
(official website) - Labradford at KrankyKranky RecordsKranky is an independent record label, located in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke.The bands it houses are noted for combining experimental and often electronic influences with elements of more traditional rock structures, and many of the artists on Kranky...
- Labradford at Piero ScaruffiPiero ScaruffiPiero Scaruffi received a degree in Mathematics in 1982 from University of Turin, where he did work on the General Theory of Relativity. For a number of years he was the head of the Artificial Intelligence Center at Olivetti, based in Cupertino, California. He has been a visiting scholar at...