Failsafe Records
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Failsafe Records is a record label that was founded in 1984 in Christchurch, New Zealand. They started a long line of releases, including a chain of Compilations that featured many artists (Notably JPSE, Double Happys, Nocturnal Projections and Love's Ugly Children) that later appeared on Flying Nun Records, major labels, or other larger indies.
The label continues to today having recently released a string of 'collected works' discs in its Retrogenic Series, for artists such as Jay Clarkson and Breathing Cage, Pop Mechanix, Beat Rhythm Fashion, Children's Hour, Eight Living Legs, dolphin, and YFC.
Failsafe maintains a website[1] which contains a large music history section on the local and New Zealand wide music scene, mostly centred around the early eighties bands and where they went to.
The label hit a big upsurge in the early 90's with the release of its Avalanche Compilation featuring Loves Ugly Children alongside Pumpkinhead, 147Swordfish (featuring 2 members of Salmonella Dub and David Wernhan who went on to sculpt live sounds for Shihad and S Dub), Lurch, & Supertanker. The label also released work by Christchurch moody pop band Throw, Malchicks, and Squirm, plus its genre encompassing indie guitar disc Good Things.
In 1995 The label went into hibernation before resurfacing in 2001 with releases from Degrees K, Substandard, Eskimo (now Kimo) and Hooster before launching in 2005 its Retrogenic Series of retrospective releases focusing on key overlooked bands from the past 25 years. Wave 2 of the Retrogenic Series is scheduled for 2008. The label continues to work as a completely independent label and distributor.
