| Benbecula Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Beluga, Phase 6, Steven McConnell |
| Genre | Electronic Downtempo IDM |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Location | Edinburgh |
| Official Website | http://www.benbecula.com |
Benbecula Records was a Scottish independent record label.
Established in 1999 in Edinburgh, Scotland, by local musicians Phase 6 and Beluga,[1] Benbecula Records began as a CD-R-based record label before moving towards large-run commercial vinyl record and CD releases in 2000.
The label closed on November 1, 2009.[2]
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Traditionally, Benbecula Records has embodied the Scottish electronic music scene, releasing the works of local artists Christ., Reverbaphon, Frog Pocket, Genaro and Operator. Recently, Benbecula Records has increasingly represented artists from abroad, particularly Canadian musician Prhizzm, American free jazz artist Brian Ellis, German producer E.Stonji, and English musicians Birdengine, Ochre and Damien Shingleton. Although Benbecula Records has extended its purview to include musicians of all nationalities, its emphasis on promoting Scotland's domestic talent remains predominant.
Occasionally described as "Warp Records' Scottish Cousin", though not actually related, Benbecula has come to be associated with experimental electronic art music.
In the "spirit of independent music making",[3] Benbecula Records announced a new initiative in 2005 titled the "minerals series". This series aimed at producing limited CD-R runs of albums and compilations which, though deemed notable by the label in some regard, were not commercially viable as full-scale releases. The first installment of the minerals series was a 12-disc set of CD-Rs. Customers who purchased the full set received a bonus CD containing rare unreleased Christ. tracks, with the full package wrapped in a cloth band. Following the success of this initiative—the label sold out of the series during the pre-order phase—Benbecula Records has continued producing CD-Rs as part of the minerals series, which runs alongside and complements its range of commercial releases.