Waxploitation Records

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Waxploitation was founded in 1996 by music industry entrepreneur Jeff Antebi, as a home for innovative artists in music. Waxploitation is a record label, artist management company and music publisher, but none of those distinctions quite covers it.

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[edit] Waxploitation

Waxploitation has been the longtime artist management company for Danger Mouse, as well as Gnarls Barkley, the multi-platinum, two-time Grammy Award winning collaboration of Cee-Lo Green and Danger Mouse. In addition, the company manages Dangerdoom, the MF DOOM and Danger Mouse collaboration in conjunction with Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

Waxploitation manages Danger Mouse’s remarkable career as a producer, which includes the Grammy Award-winning Gorillaz Demon Days album and acclaimed releases from The Black Keys, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, Sparklehorse, The Rapture, Martina Topley-Bird and Shortwave Set. Danger Mouse first achieved global notoriety for his infamous Grey Album. He is currently producing the new album by Beck.

Waxploitation handles publishing catalogs with classics including Young MC's 'Bust a Move', Tone Loc's 'Wild Thing' and 'Funky Cold Medina,' as well as Beastie Boys' seminal album Paul's Boutique and songs by the Pharcyde and Brand New Heavies, among many others. The company also works with new artists including Black Moth Super Rainbow.

[edit] Waxploitation Early Years

Waxploitation was founded by breaking with the decades-old tradition of managing ‘producer/engineers’ and began to manage artists as record producers - a not-so-subtle distinction at the time.

Waxploitation began handling the burgeoning producer careers of artists including Ministry's Al Jourgensen, Butthole Surfers' founder (and Sublime producer) Paul Leary, Nine Inch Nails co-founder Chris Vrenna, Josh Wink, KutMasta Kurt and Digable Planets' King Britt, to name a few - a roster which worked with an array of artists including U2, R.E.M., Beck, Super Furry Animals, Elliott Smith, Built To Spill, Depeche Mode, Will Oldham, MF DOOM, Erykah Badu, The Black Keys, Old Dirty Bastard, Smashing Pumpkins, Gorillaz, Bright Eyes, Nelly Furtado, and Weezer among many others.

The Waxploitation Records label released it's first album in 1997 with Strictly Ballroom’s Hide Here Forever, the first band for Jimmy Tamborello who later went on to form Dntel and The Postal Service. Later releases include the Being Black soundtrack (2003) with songs from Will.i.am, Jurassic 5 and Blackalicious, KutMasta Kurt’s RNO (2004) featuring the Beastie Boys, Linkin Park and Mos Def, as well as two critically hailed albums by Tweaker (2001's Attraction to All Things Uncertain and 2004's 2am Wake Up Call), the band formed by Nine Inch Nails alumnus Chris Vrenna. These two albums featured guest appearances from Will Oldham, David Sylvian, The Smiths' Johnny Marr, The Cure’s Robert Smith, and Elysian Fields’ Jennifer Charles.

[edit] Tha Alkaholiks

It was the management of acclaimed urban producer E-Swift of Tha Alkaholiks which led to Waxploitation managing and ultimately releasing Tha Liks' swan song Firewater album, before they retired as one of hip hop’s legendary acts.

[edit] Causes & Activism

Waxploitation Records’ most recent album release is Causes 1, a widely praised benefit for non-profit organizations working in Darfur. The album includes songs from The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, The Cure, Thievery Corporation, The Black Keys, Spoon, Animal Collective to name a few.

In 2003 the label released an album entitled Genocide in Sudan with songs donated by System of a Down, Gorillaz, Yoko Ono, Bad Religion and Thievery Corporation. This was the start of what has been a core attribute of the Company’s dedication to charity and activism.

A Causes 2 is reportedly in the works for a 2008 or 2009 release.

[edit] Noted artists


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[edit] External links