Southern Records
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Southern Records is an independent record label closely associated with Crass Records and Dischord Records. It is based in London and has offices in Chicago, Le Havre and Berlin.
Southern was originally a recording studio owned and operated by John Loder. Loder became friends with musician, author and poet Penny Rimbaud and collaborated with him and others in an experimental progressive band called EXIT. Rimbaud later formed anarchist punk band Crass and Southern Studios and John Loder were the obvious choice of venue for the recording of their first album Feeding of The 5000, originally released on Small Wonder Records. When Small Wonder encountered problems manufacturing the release, due to the allegedly blasphemous nature of some of the lyrics, Crass determined they would need to start their own label to take full responsibility and control of their output. Loder facilitated this by acting as the business manager behind the label: arranging manufacture, distribution and accounting.
The success of Crass and their label thrust Loder into the emerging international independent record business, as he formed alliances with small distributors around the world to distribute the band's output. Through this work he came into contact with a handful of like-minded bands and labels that inspired his passion in a similar way as Crass. He in particular formed a lasting partnership with Dischord Records, helping them to release the Minor Threat records in Europe by pressing and distributing them on their own Dischord imprint.
In this way, Southern Records can very much be considered as The House That Crass Built, and/or The House That Dischord Built, for these crucial relationships formed the basis of everything that was to follow.
Source : Allison Schnackenberg, Southern Records London
