| Wierd Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Pieter Schoolwerth |
| Genre | Industrial music Post-industrial music Noise (music) Coldwave Minimal wave Power electronics (music) Electronic body music |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Official Website | http://www.wierdrecords.com/ |
Wierd Records is an American independent record label, founded in New York City by Pieter Schoolwerth in 2006.[1] "Wierd" is also the name for an associated weekly DJ night started at Southside Lounge in Brooklyn in 2003, but having been held at Home Sweet Home for the last three years. Schoolwerth has also performed with Power Electronics outfit Bloodyminded since the mid 90s and previously a member of Crash Worship.
Associated groups include Martial Canterel, Led Er Est, Xeno & Oaklander, Blacklist, [2] Frank (just Frank), Plastic Flowers[3] , and Opus Finis.[4]
The groups are also linked to developments in the visual arts; Schoolwerth is a noted conceptualist painter.[5] Liz Wendelbo, a member of Xeno & Oaklander, is also a filmmaker, positing "cold cinema" as filmmaking that "predicates resistance to cinema as a virtual medium."[6]
The label takes inspiration from European permutations of post-punk, minimal synth, and dream pop, and from synthesizer-based groups described as "minimal electronics" (similar to synthpunk or minimal electronica).[1] The label is especially associated with a revival of the French coldwave style.[7] The label positions itself as eccentric, marginal, and somewhat psychedelic, and in opposition to the mainstream goth subculture. Schoolwerth declares that "we don’t use the term goth. It has a derogatory connotation. It’s degenerated into some kind of ironic B-horror film thing. It’s lost its elegance, sophistication, and most importantly, its pretentiousness."[7]