Orchid Tapes
Orchid Tapes | |
---|---|
Founded | 2010 | -present
Founder | Warren Hildebrand |
Status | Active |
Genre | Indie rock, Dream pop, art rock, shoegaze, Lo-fi |
Country of origin | Toronto, Ontario |
Location | Brooklyn, New York |
Official website |
orchidtapes |
Orchid Tapes is an independent Brooklyn-based record label founded in 2010 by Warren Hildebrand.[1] Operated by Brian Vu and Hildebrand as of 2012, the label has released a number of indie pop and indie rock compilations and original releases on cassette tape, limited edition vinyl, and digital download.[2] Among Orchid Tapes' signed bands are Coma Cinema, Foxes in Fiction and Alex G. The label focuses on "music and artwork that breaks free of the established norm...reflects the dedication of its creator and provokes a strong emotional resonance..."[3]
History
Founding
Orchid Tapes was first founded in 2010 by Warren Hildebrand, while Hildebrand was attending an art university in Toronto, Ontario. He had first started putting the idea for a label together in 2009, and had picked the name Orchid Tapes partly after a song by the band Deerhunter, called "Tape Hiss Orchid." According to Hildebrand, "I was really inspired by all the little cassette labels that were popping up on different blogs around that time. It seemed like a really cheap and easy way to get music out into the world beyond just the proliferation of mp3s."[4]
He founded Orchid Tapes while living in his apartment in downtown Toronto[5] and working on the debut album of his solo project, Foxes in Fiction.[4] Hildebrand had started Foxes in Fiction in April 2005 while still in high school, and began to take the project more seriously in 2008, while inspired by artists such as Brian Eno and Atlas Sound.[6]
First album
Hildebrand states that the label was originally started as a vehicle for his solo project, Foxes in Fiction.[6] The label's first release was the Foxes in Fiction album Swung from The Branches, released on February 19, 2010.[2] The album became a surprise hit on the internet, eventually being covered by Pitchfork.[5]
Many of the other early bands signed to the label met Hildebrand through MySpace. According to Hildebrand, "It felt good meeting a group of other sad weirdos that recorded music from home that I felt like I genuinely connected with, even through something as seemingly alienating as the Internet."[4]
Move to Brooklyn
In 2012, Hildebrand moved from Toronto to Brooklyn, settling down in the neighborhood of Bushwick.[6] Brian Vu joined the label later that year,[4] helping expand the roster and the label's scope. For most of the label's lifespan, Hildebrand would dub each cassette tape on his stereo tape deck, a several-day process he was still using after the 20th release. Finally in the fall of 2013, he purchased a cassette duplicator for the label.[5] According to No Fear of Pop in 2013, "Orchid Tapes embodies the D.I.Y. aesthetic that has implanted itself on the internet. Digital downloads are always free and cassette prices are reasonable, and the quality of music is so good that it entices intrigued listeners to search through the rest of the catalog."[7]
Orchid Tapes states on its website that it seeks "music and artwork that breaks free of the established norm, disregards trends, reflects the dedication of its creator and provokes a strong emotional resonance within whoever experiences it."[3]
The label's first release on vinyl was the LP Three Love Songs by Ricky Eat Acid, released in late 2013 with limited copies available.[5] According to Noisey in January 2014, "a largely ambient project from Maryland's Sam Ray, Three Love Songs sold out its pre-release vinyl run on the up-and-coming Orchid Tapes label in two days." Noisey reviewed the album positively, stating "Featherweight electronics, aching piano, snippets of speech, even a pitched up Drake sample swirl around in a stew of delicately rendered pathos."[8]
In February 2014, the label released Virgo Indigo by Fog Lake, which is the solo project of Aaron Powell from Newfoundland. The album was mastered by Hildebrand.[9] Later that month the label released the vinyl compilation Boring Ecstasy, which features tracks by artists such as Alex G, Ricky Eat Acid, R.L. Kelly, Home Alone and Four Visions.[10]
In May 2014, Chicago-based electronic producer Mister Lies announced via Twitter that Orchid Tapes would release his second album later this year.[11]
Showcases
Orchid Tapes periodically organizes and hosts musical showcases, with three in 2013 alone.[5] Venues have included Hildebrand's rooftop, a 100-year-old synagogue in Los Angeles,[6] in conjunction with [12] and multiple Brooklyn, NY venues. For the March 2014 release of Boring Ecstasy, artists including Elvis Depressedly, Alex G, Ricky Eat Acid, R.L. Kelly, Home Alone and Four Visions played a showcase at Brooklyn’s Shea Stadium.[10]
Artists
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Discography
Cat# | Released | Album title | Artist(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
OCT001 | Feb 19 2010 | Swung from The Branches | Foxes in Fiction | |
OCT002 | June 7, 2010 | Isolation Tape Night | Teenage Reverb | |
OCT003 | May 31, 2010 | Elmwood EP | Trans-Bedroom Sound | |
OCT004 | June 29, 2010 | *LUHN | *LUHN | |
OCT005 | July 20, 2010 | The Concrete Thoughts of Felix Tengen EP | Ryan S. Welfle | |
OCT006 | July 25, 2010 | M M R | Mickey Mickey Rourke | Cass, Album, Ltd |
OCT007 | Aug 02 2010 | Beko_CS02 August Compilation | Various | Cass, Ltd |
OCT008 | Sep 30 2010 | Summertime in Heaven | Ghost Animation | |
OCT009 | Dec 23 2010 | Alberto EP | Foxes in Fiction | Cass, Ltd, c35 |
OCT010 | Oct 18 2010 | Double Negatives | Actual Water | |
OCT011 | Oct 20 2010 | Octogasm | Lazy Dre | |
OCT012 | Oct 30 2010 | Descending Dusk | Trans-Bedroom Sound | |
OCT013 | Nov 23 2010 | Lost in a Dark Aquarium | Paneye | |
OCT014 | Jan 22 2011 | Down in The Valley EP | Weed (Will Anderson) | Cass, EP, Ltd |
OCT015 | Jan 02 2011 | Old Friends | Happy Trendy | Cass, Ltd |
OCT016 | June 1, 2011 | Golden Years + G A L A | Wonder Bear | |
OCT017 | Nov 01 2011 | We Grew Up | Young Waves | |
OCT018 | Nov 20 2011 | Die Young | Happy Trendy | Cass, Ltd |
OCT019 | Dec 06 2012 | Nothin’ Compares Compilation | Various | Cass, Ltd |
OCT020 | Jan 28 2014 | LUST | Meishi Smile | |
OCT021 | Oct 02 2012 | Lately | Evenings | Cass, Album, Ltd |
OCT022 | Oct 09 2012 | Hotter Sadness | Elvis Depressedly | Cass, Ltd |
OCT023 | Dec 13 2012 | Bluest of Them All Anthology | Coma Cinema | Cass |
OCT024 | Dec 17 2012 | You Get Sick; You Regret Things | Ricky Eat Acid | Cass, Ltd |
OCT025 | Jan 21 2012 | Alberto EP (reissued edition) | Foxes in Fiction | |
OCT026 | Oct 27 2013 | What Would Your Closest Friend Do? Showcase Compilation | Various | Cass |
OCT027 | Feb 16 2013 | Teddybears & Weed | Home Alone | |
OCT028 | Feb 19 2013 | Life’s a Bummer EP | R.L. Kelly | |
OCT029 | April 16, 2013 | Holo Pleasures | Elvis Depressedly | |
OCT030 | June 11, 2013 | Posthumous Release | Coma Cinema | Cass, 250 |
OCT031 | Sep 28 2013 | ANGELTOWN Showcase Compilation | Various | |
OCT032 | June 27, 2013 | When We’re Snow | Infinity Crush | |
OCT033 | Dec 14 2013 | Euphoria Again | Euphoria Again | |
OCT034 | Feb 04 2014 | Virgo Indigo | Fog Lake | Cass, digital[9] |
OCT035 | Jan 21 2014 | Three Love Songs | Ricky Eat Acid | Label's first vinyl release,[5] digital |
OCT036 | Jan 25 2014 | Three Love Songs: B-Sides & Outtakes | Ricky Eat Acid | Cass |
OCT037 | Mar 04 2014 | Their Bodies in a Fog | Arrange | |
OCT038 | Mar 15 2014 | There’s A Light Coming Through | Home Alone | |
OCT039 | Mar 25 2014 | Boring Ecstasy: The Bedroom Pop of Orchid Tapes | Various | Digital, vinyl[10] |
OCT040 | Oct 04 2014 | Brown Horse | Spencer Radcliffe & R.L. Kelly | |
OCT041 | Aug 26 2014 | Flow | Ex-Confusion | |
OCT042 | Jun 17 2014 | DSU | Alex G | |
OCT043 | July 15, 2014 | HEAVEN | The Bilinda Butchers | |
OCT044 | Oct 28 2014 | Shadow | Mister Lies | |
OCT045 | Sep 23 2014 | Ontario Gothic | Foxes in Fiction | |
OCT046 | Jan 13 2015 | Angeltown II | Various | |
OCT048 | May 12, 2015 | New Alhambra | Elvis Depressedly | |
OCT049 | Jul 28 2015 | You're Worth More To Me Than 1,000 Christians | Les Mouches | Vinyl reissue[13] |
OCT052 | June 11, 2015 | asdfasdf | Katie Dey | |
OCT053 | June 30, 2015 | "Victoria Park" | Fog Lake | |
Further reading
- Interviews
- "Cassette Tapes and Synesthesia with Warren Hildebrand". Composer Quest. March 23, 2013.
- "Label Profile: Orchid Tapes". Caterwaul Magazine. February 2014.
- "Warren Hildebrand's radiant Orchid Tapes". Interview Magazine. March 18, 2014.
References
- ↑ McCarron, Charlie (March 23, 2013). "Cassette Tapes and Synesthesia with Warren Hildebrand". Composer Quest. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- 1 2 3 "Discography". Orchid Tapes. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- 1 2 "About". Orchid Tapes. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- 1 2 3 4 Hodges, Nicholas (February 2014). "Label Profile: Orchid Tapes". Caterwaul Magazine. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wilson, Andi (November 11, 2013). "Label Profile: Orchid Tapes". No Fear of Pop. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- 1 2 3 4 Joyce, Colin (March 18, 2014). "Warren Hildebrand's radiant Orchid Tapes". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ↑ "orchid tapes and the importance of the microlabel". dimestore saints. January 5, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ↑ Marcus, Ezra (January 17, 2014). "Listen to Ricky Eat Acid's New Album "Three Love Songs"". Noisey (Vice Magazine). Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- 1 2 "Fog Lake - Virgo Indigo". Scary Pretty. February 5, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- 1 2 3 Cooper, Duncan (February 27, 2014). "Orchid Tapes Announces Boring Ecstasy: Bedroom Pop Compilation". The Fader. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ↑ "Mister Lies. Twitter.". Twitter. May 11, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
- ↑ The LA Fort
- ↑ "Orchid Tapes Treats Les Mouches to Reiusse". Exclaim. May 13, 2015. Retrieved 2014-03-25.