Cantora Records
Encyclopedia
Cantora Records is a Brooklyn-based independent record label, most notable for signing the psychedelic pop
band MGMT
and issuing the band's first commercial release, Time to Pretend.
and offered to manage their band, then known as The Management. Nick Panama, having heard The Management's music through a mutual friend of the band, contacted Jesse Israel and Will Griggs and shortly thereafter the three music enthusiasts formed Cantora Records, each contributing $800 in starting capital. The Management changed their name to MGMT
to avoid conflict with a U.K.-based band of the same name, and MGMT's Time to Pretend was issued under the Cantora Records name in order to coincide with their '05 tour with fellow psychedelic -pop band Of Montreal
.
Since 2005, Cantora Records has expanded their roster to include artists such as Francis and the Lights
, Bear Hands
and Savoir Adore.
Psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...
band MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
and issuing the band's first commercial release, Time to Pretend.
History
Cantora Records was formed in 2005 by Jesse Israel and Will Griggs, then sophomores and roommates at NYU, and Nick Panama. Prior to the creation of the label, Jesse Israel and Will Griggs approached Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngardenAndrew VanWyngarden
Andrew VanWyngarden is the lead vocalist, guitar player and songwriter for the band MGMT, praised for "an uncanny knack for producing pop music that sounds as if it were filtered through a kaleidoscope"...
and offered to manage their band, then known as The Management. Nick Panama, having heard The Management's music through a mutual friend of the band, contacted Jesse Israel and Will Griggs and shortly thereafter the three music enthusiasts formed Cantora Records, each contributing $800 in starting capital. The Management changed their name to MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
to avoid conflict with a U.K.-based band of the same name, and MGMT's Time to Pretend was issued under the Cantora Records name in order to coincide with their '05 tour with fellow psychedelic -pop band Of Montreal
Of Montreal
Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
.
Since 2005, Cantora Records has expanded their roster to include artists such as Francis and the Lights
Francis and the Lights
Francis and the Lights is the symbolic band name used by American performer and songwriter Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen....
, Bear Hands
Bear Hands
Bear Hands is a post-punk/indie rock/experimental band consisting of Dylan Rau , Val Loper , Ted Feldman , and TJ Orscher...
and Savoir Adore.
Cantora Creative
In 2010, Cantora Records launched Cantora Creative, a consulting division providing music-centric online video content and marketing strategies for various clients.Artists
- MGMTMGMTMGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
- Francis and the LightsFrancis and the LightsFrancis and the Lights is the symbolic band name used by American performer and songwriter Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen....
- Emil & Friends
- Savoir Adore
- Bear Hands
- RumspringaRumspringa (band)Rumspringa is a rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band's name was inspired by the Amish rite of passage, Rumspringa, and the rhetorical rebirth and exploration it represents....
- Gordon Voidwell
- Violens
- Rifle Men
Releases
- MGMTMGMTMGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
- Time to Pretend (EP) (August 20, 2005) - Violens - Tour Single (April 8, 2008)
- Savoir Adore - The Adventures of Mr. Pumpernickel and the Girl with Animals in Her Throat (May 6, 2008)
- RumspringaRumspringa (band)Rumspringa is a rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band's name was inspired by the Amish rite of passage, Rumspringa, and the rhetorical rebirth and exploration it represents....
- Rumspringa (June 3, 2008) - Violens - Patrik Ervell SS09 Remixes (September 30, 2008)
- Francis and the LightsFrancis and the LightsFrancis and the Lights is the symbolic band name used by American performer and songwriter Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen....
- LIME/WYNLIME/WYNLIME/WYN is the third release from Francis and the Lights, under the Cantora label.-Details:The track titles are acronyms for the hooks in each song. "Look Into My Eyes" and "What's Your Name?", respectively....
(CD: October 21, 2008, 7" February 5, 2009) - Violens - Violens (March 17, 2009)
- RumspringaRumspringa (band)Rumspringa is a rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band's name was inspired by the Amish rite of passage, Rumspringa, and the rhetorical rebirth and exploration it represents....
- The Free EP (April 2, 2009) - Savoir Adore - Machines (EP) (May 16, 2009)
- MGMTMGMTMGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
- Time to Pretend (EP) (Re-Mastered) (July 14, 2009) - Savoir Adore - In The Wooded Forest (September 15, 2009)
- Bear HandsBear HandsBear Hands is a post-punk/indie rock/experimental band consisting of Dylan Rau , Val Loper , Ted Feldman , and TJ Orscher...
- What A Drag (February 16, 2010) - Gordon Voidwell - Ivy League Circus (May 18, 2010)
- Francis and the LightsFrancis and the LightsFrancis and the Lights is the symbolic band name used by American performer and songwriter Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen....
- It'll Be BetterIt'll Be BetterIt'll Be Better is the latest release from Francis and the Lights, currently available as a web stream or iTunes download.-Track listing:# "It'll Be Better"# "In a Limousine"# "For Days"# "Knees to the Floor"# "Darling, It's Alright# "Going Out"...
(July 20, 2010) - Bear HandsBear HandsBear Hands is a post-punk/indie rock/experimental band consisting of Dylan Rau , Val Loper , Ted Feldman , and TJ Orscher...
- Burning Bush Supper Club (November 2, 2010)