Manifold Records
Encyclopedia
Manifold Records is a US
-based record label
and mailorder store specializing in experimental
, ambient
and other hard-to-define audio materials. Begun in 1993
by writer and zine-publisher Vince Harrigan, the label has released works by Gravitar
, Final
(Justin Broadrick
of Godflesh
), Mick Harris
, Lull, Steve Roach, Jeph Jerman, Maeror Tri
, Ultra Milkmaids, Maurizio Bianchi
, Aube
and others.
The label was briefly a critical favorite during the mid-1990s, being at the forefront of a short-lived genre called Isolationism through the label's unusual compilations. These compilations were novel in that they featured traditionally Ambient and New Age artists alongside Noisier, edgier acts and yet seemed to "work" as cohesive documents. The label has also released numerous special-packaging releases; compact discs in metal sheathes, vinyl records attached to saw blades, water-filled plastic sleeves, etc.
The Manifold Records label was never been very prolific or widely distributed, likely due to the unusual nature of much of the material and the labels seeming inability to stay within any genre from release to release. Manifold Records ceased operating a mailorder website in 2007. The Manifold Records label continues, as does limited online sales of releases through other distributors and Ebay.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based 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,...
and mailorder store specializing in 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...
, 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 other hard-to-define audio materials. Begun in 1993
1993 in music
This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992....
by writer and zine-publisher Vince Harrigan, the label has released works by Gravitar
Gravitar
Gravitar is a shoot 'em up arcade game released by Atari, Inc in 1982.It was the first of over twenty games Mike Hally designed and produced for Atari, including Star Wars.-Gameplay:...
, Final
Final (band)
Final is a project of Justin Broadrick, creator of the band Godflesh, which he started when he was just 13 years old. Unlike Godflesh, Final is primarily electronic in nature, taking on a space-like, dark ambient sound....
(Justin Broadrick
Justin Broadrick
Justin Karl Michael Broadrick is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and industrial music.-Biography:Broadrick was born in the council estates of inner...
of Godflesh
Godflesh
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, England. Originally known as Fall of Because, they formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick and G.C. Green and disbanded in 2002. Godflesh's innovative music is widely regarded as a foundational influence on industrial metal and post-metal...
), Mick Harris
Mick Harris
Mick Harris commonly known and credited both as Mick Harris or occasionally M.J. Harris, is an English musician....
, Lull, Steve Roach, Jeph Jerman, Maeror Tri
Maeror Tri
Maeror Tri was an ambient noise and drone music band from Germany founded in the 1980s which consisted of Stefan "Baraka H" Knappe, Martin "GLIT[s]CH" Git and Helge Siehl....
, Ultra Milkmaids, Maurizio Bianchi
Maurizio Bianchi
Maurizio Bianchi is an Italian pioneer of noise music, originating from Milan.-Biography:...
, Aube
Aube
Aube is a department in the northeastern part of France named after the Aube River. In 1995, its population was 293,100 inhabitants.- History :Aube is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
and others.
The label was briefly a critical favorite during the mid-1990s, being at the forefront of a short-lived genre called Isolationism through the label's unusual compilations. These compilations were novel in that they featured traditionally Ambient and New Age artists alongside Noisier, edgier acts and yet seemed to "work" as cohesive documents. The label has also released numerous special-packaging releases; compact discs in metal sheathes, vinyl records attached to saw blades, water-filled plastic sleeves, etc.
The Manifold Records label was never been very prolific or widely distributed, likely due to the unusual nature of much of the material and the labels seeming inability to stay within any genre from release to release. Manifold Records ceased operating a mailorder website in 2007. The Manifold Records label continues, as does limited online sales of releases through other distributors and Ebay.
Manifold artists
- Alan LichtAlan LichtAlan Licht is an American guitarist and composer, whose work combines elements of pop, noise, free jazz and minimalism. He is also a writer and journalist.-Biography:Licht was born in New Jersey in 1968...
- Arto LindsayArto LindsayArthur Morgan Lindsay is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He is a 1974 graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida....
- AubeAube (band)Aube is the name used by Japanese musician for his experimental noise records. He has released many CDs, LPs and cassettes since 1991, and is regarded as one of the most important noise musicians working today. He himself does not like to term his work "music," preferring the term "design": "I...
- Beequeen
- Crawl Unit
- DJ SpookyDJ SpookyPaul D. Miller , known by his stage name DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Washington DC-born electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics or his fans as "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntablist, a producer, a philosopher, and an author...
- FinalFinal (band)Final is a project of Justin Broadrick, creator of the band Godflesh, which he started when he was just 13 years old. Unlike Godflesh, Final is primarily electronic in nature, taking on a space-like, dark ambient sound....
- Gravitar
- Hands To
- Illusion Of Safety
- KK NullKK NullKK Null is a Japanese experimental multi-instrumentalist. He began as a guitarist, but soon added composer, singer, electronic musician and drummer to his list of talents, and also studied with the Butoh workshop....
- Lull
- Maeror TriMaeror TriMaeror Tri was an ambient noise and drone music band from Germany founded in the 1980s which consisted of Stefan "Baraka H" Knappe, Martin "GLIT[s]CH" Git and Helge Siehl....
- Mandible Chatter http://www.mandiblechatter.com/discography.html
- Maurizio BianchiMaurizio BianchiMaurizio Bianchi is an Italian pioneer of noise music, originating from Milan.-Biography:...
- Paul SchützePaul SchützePaul Schütze is an Australian artist resident in London. Over thirty years his work has spanned composition, performance, installation, video, printmaking and photography....
- RapoonRapoonRapoon is a musical project of Robin Storey, a former member of Zoviet France, who has released material on notable independent labels such as Staalplaat, Soleilmoon, Manifold, Beta-Lactam Ring, and Lens Records.- Selected discography :...
- Robert RichRobert Rich (musician)Robert Rich is an ambient musician and composer based in California, United States. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he is widely regarded as a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient, New Age, and even IDM music.-Early life:At an early age he thought he disliked music...
- Scott SolterScott SolterScott Solter is a recording engineer, record producer, mixer, remixer and musician. As a producer and mixer, Solter has worked with numerous indie rock artists, including John Vanderslice, Superchunk, Okkervil River, The Mountain Goats, Erik Friedlander, The Balustrade Ensemble, Pattern is...
- SleepResearch FacilitySleepResearch FacilitySleepResearch_Facility is a dark ambient artist from Glasgow, Scotland, specializing in sleep-conducive beatless ambient music which is both artistic as well as functional.-Overview:...
- Steve Roach http://www.steveroach.com/Music/discography.php?item=106
- Ultra Milkmaids
- Voice Of EyeVoice of eyeVoice of Eye is a Taos, New Mexico based experimental ambient music duo whose members are Bonnie McNaim and Jim Wilson. Formed in 1991 in Houston, Texas, their sound is one that blends electronic soundscapes, drones, and world music, particularly with Middle Eastern overtones, and tends to evoke an...