Tigerbeat6
Encyclopedia
Tigerbeat6 is a San Francisco and Berlin
based independent and (mostly) electronic record label run by Kid606
. The name reflects Kid606's obsession with cats, which also comes to light in the catalogue numbers, all of which start with MEOW, and is also a loose reference to the top-selling teen magazine, Tiger Beat
. The label's first release was in 2000
and the label has over one hundred releases.
In 2011 Tigerbeat6 is celebrating its 10th anniversary of releasing fiercely independent and uncompromising music, curated by label boss Kid606
. Tigerbeat6 and its sublabels Violent Turd, Shockout and Tigerbass have released well over 200 releases by a truly international cast of exciting and groundbreaking acts, including seminal works from the likes of The Bug, DJ /rupture
, Drop the Lime
, Soundmurderer, DAT Politics
, Kid606
, Mochipet, Blectum from Blechdom
, Cex
, Wobbly, Black Dice
, Max Tundra
, The Soft Pink Truth
, White Williams
, Lesser
, Gold Chains
, Knifehandchop
, Indian Jewelry
, Pimmon
, Phon.o, Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Numbers
, Clipd Beaks and many others.
The wildly varied and disparate discography reads like a clusterfuck of scenes and genres, somehow managing to reject and embrace the extremes of underground and mainstream cultures at the same time. Tigerbeat6 was started in San Diego from the ashes of legendary local label Vinyl Communications, where Kid606 worked at the time, and where he decided to start a label influenced and inspired from Punk’s DIY heyday, post modern classical and Minimalism, HipHop, Japanoise
, early Industrial/Power Electronics, Dancehall
, UK’s legendary Rave
, Ragga
and Techno
cultures, as well as labels like Wax Trax!
, Rephlex
, Earache
, Warp, AMREP, Mille Plateaux
, Chain Reaction, Mute
, SST, DHR
, Touch, A-musik
, Trax and Thrill Jockey
.
Tigerbeat6’s artists broke the shy bedroom producer cliché and toured the world constantly and extensively to put their extensive mark on the burgeoning Glitch
, IDM
, Breakcore
, Plunderphonic, Mashup
, Experimental, Laptop, Bass and Dance/Punk crossover scenes.
Today, the label is as active and hard to pigeonhole as ever, with a lot of new releases from artists both known and unknown, as well as a special 10th anniversary CD+DVD release coming soon.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
based independent and (mostly) electronic record label run by Kid606
Kid606
Kid606 is the stage name of Miguel Trost De Pedro, an electronic musician who was born 1979 July in Caracas, Venezuela, raised in San Diego and later moved to San Francisco...
. The name reflects Kid606's obsession with cats, which also comes to light in the catalogue numbers, all of which start with MEOW, and is also a loose reference to the top-selling teen magazine, Tiger Beat
Tiger Beat
Tiger Beat is an American fan magazine marketed primarily to adolescent girls. It is currently published by Laufer Media, Inc. of Los Angeles, California, which also produces its sister publication, Bop....
. The label's first release was in 2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
and the label has over one hundred releases.
In 2011 Tigerbeat6 is celebrating its 10th anniversary of releasing fiercely independent and uncompromising music, curated by label boss Kid606
Kid606
Kid606 is the stage name of Miguel Trost De Pedro, an electronic musician who was born 1979 July in Caracas, Venezuela, raised in San Diego and later moved to San Francisco...
. Tigerbeat6 and its sublabels Violent Turd, Shockout and Tigerbass have released well over 200 releases by a truly international cast of exciting and groundbreaking acts, including seminal works from the likes of The Bug, DJ /rupture
DJ /rupture
DJ /rupture is the pseudonym of Jace Clayton, a New York-based American DJ and producer. He used to play in the drum and bass collective Toneburst, and DJ'ed in Boston during the late 1990s...
, Drop the Lime
Drop the Lime
Drop the Lime, is an electronic producer and DJ and founder of dance label Trouble & Bass. Drop the Lime's new material and DJ sets also feature live vocals on original compositions....
, Soundmurderer, DAT Politics
DAT politics
DAT politics is a French electronic band created in 1999. Their energetic live shows explain the cult like enthusiasm that surrounds the French electronic combo as they’ve been touring the world extensively over the years...
, Kid606
Kid606
Kid606 is the stage name of Miguel Trost De Pedro, an electronic musician who was born 1979 July in Caracas, Venezuela, raised in San Diego and later moved to San Francisco...
, Mochipet, Blectum from Blechdom
Blectum from Blechdom
Blectum from Blechdom was an experimental electronic music duo, formed in 1998 by Kristin Erickson and Bevin Kelley and disbanded in 2001. Erickson and Kelley met at the Mills College in Oakland, California...
, Cex
Cex
Cex is a musical project run by Rjyan Claybrook Kidwell and started in 1998 at the age of 16. Although Cex and Kidwell are frequently used interchangeably, Cex occasionally expands to several people at sporadic points, such as particular tours or albums...
, Wobbly, Black Dice
Black Dice
Black Dice is an experimental electronic music group currently based in Brooklyn, New York, USA.-Early years:Black Dice formed in spring 1997 soon after guitarist Bjorn Copeland met drummer Hisham Bharoocha and bassist Sebastian Blanck when they were students at the Rhode Island School of Design...
, Max Tundra
Max Tundra
Ben Jacobs, more commonly known by the stage name Max Tundra, is an English multi-instrumental musician, singer and music producer. His work is predominantly electronic music but incorporates non-electronic styles and instruments...
, The Soft Pink Truth
The Soft Pink Truth
The Soft Pink Truth is an experimental house music side-project from Drew Daniel, one-half of experimental electronica duo Matmos. Daniel started the project on a dare from Matthew Herbert that he couldn't produce a house record...
, White Williams
White Williams
White Williams is the music project of Cleveland-based musician Joe Williams.-Background:Williams was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Williams's music career began in 1999 as a fifteen-year-old drummer for Ohio area bands Oblongata , Machete , Mr Mad Man and USA Crypt...
, Lesser
J Lesser
J Lesser is the stage name for Jason Doerck , a musician known for his unrepentant approach to sound creation. Doerck was a member of the defunct laptop group Sagan, alongside Blevin Blectum, Wobbly, and video artist Ryan Junell....
, Gold Chains
Gold Chains
Gold Chains is an electro rap artist from San Francisco, whose real name is Topher Lafata. Gold Chains has performed along with Sue Cie , who is a video artist also from San Francisco area.-Discography:...
, Knifehandchop
Knifehandchop
Knifehandchop is electronic musician Billy Pollard from Toronto, Canada. He started programming electronic beats when he was 18.Knifehandchop takes from many different influences and styles, and mixes them together into a form of bastard pop...
, Indian Jewelry
Indian jewelry
Indian Jewelry is a band from Houston, Texas that is known for its droning vision music and seizure-inducing stage show. Since forming in 2002 the band has gone through several touring incarnations as Hong Kong, the Turquoise Diamonds, BENZENE LOTION RASH, the Corpses of Waco, Electric Fuck All,...
, Pimmon
Pimmon
Pimmon is the recording name of Australian musician Paul Gough. He has released records on labels such as Fat Cat Records, Fällt, Tigerbeat6, Staalplaat and Staubgold, and collaborated with Keith Rowe and Oren Ambarchi, among others....
, Phon.o, Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Numbers
Numbers (band)
Numbers are an American indie rock band from San Francisco, California.Not to be confused with the New York pop band 'Numbers', who recorded in 1979 and 1980...
, Clipd Beaks and many others.
The wildly varied and disparate discography reads like a clusterfuck of scenes and genres, somehow managing to reject and embrace the extremes of underground and mainstream cultures at the same time. Tigerbeat6 was started in San Diego from the ashes of legendary local label Vinyl Communications, where Kid606 worked at the time, and where he decided to start a label influenced and inspired from Punk’s DIY heyday, post modern classical and Minimalism, HipHop, Japanoise
Japanoise
is a portmanteau of the words "Japanese" and "noise": a term applied to the diverse, prolific, and influential noise music scene of Japan. Primarily popular and active in the 1980s and 1990s but still alive today, the Japanoise scene is defined by a remarkable sense of musical freedom...
, early Industrial/Power Electronics, Dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
, UK’s legendary Rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
, Ragga
Ragga
-Origins:Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical...
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...
cultures, as well as labels like Wax Trax!
Wax Trax! Records
Wax Trax! Records was an independent record label in the United States. Wax Trax! began as a record shop in Denver, Colorado opened by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher. They sold the store in 1978 and, in November of that year, opened a new one under the same name at 2449 North Lincoln Avenue in...
, Rephlex
Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records is a record label started in 1991 by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. Rephlex coined the term braindance to describe the otherwise uncategorisable output of Aphex Twin and Rephlex Records...
, Earache
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
, Warp, AMREP, Mille Plateaux
Mille Plateaux
Mille Plateaux is an influential electronica record label founded 1993 by Achim Szepanski in Frankfurt, Germany. It is known for mostly releasing minimal techno, glitch music and other experimental electronic music.-History:...
, Chain Reaction, Mute
Mute Records
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...
, SST, DHR
Digital Hardcore Recordings
Digital Hardcore Recordings is a record label set up in 1994 by Alec Empire, Joel Amaretto and Pete Lawton. Most of the music is recorded in Berlin, though the label is based in London where the records are mastered and manufactured...
, Touch, A-musik
A-Musik
A-Musik is a record label for experimental music, a record distributor and a music store. A-Musik is based in Cologne and was founded by Georg Odijk in 1995. The A-Musik record label also runs sub-labels Fuji Rekodsu and Sieben....
, Trax and Thrill Jockey
Thrill Jockey
Thrill Jockey Records is an American independent record label established in 1992 in New York City by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards.-History:...
.
Tigerbeat6’s artists broke the shy bedroom producer cliché and toured the world constantly and extensively to put their extensive mark on the burgeoning Glitch
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...
, IDM
Intelligent dance music
Intelligent 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...
, 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...
, Plunderphonic, Mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
, Experimental, Laptop, Bass and Dance/Punk crossover scenes.
Today, the label is as active and hard to pigeonhole as ever, with a lot of new releases from artists both known and unknown, as well as a special 10th anniversary CD+DVD release coming soon.