Criminal IQ Records
Encyclopedia
Criminal IQ Records is an independent record label based in Chicago
, Illinois
, founded by John Babbin and Darius Hurley to facilitate the releases from Chicago's burgeoning underground no-wave/punk scene circa 2003 to present. Most notably, garage pop punk band M.O.T.O.'s LP Kill Moto the incendiary Functional Blackouts S/T LP and dark wave psyche punkers Vee Dee's Furthur LP.
These initial releases were met with healthy critical acclaim from underground music zines such as Maximumrocknroll and Horizontal Action through to more established glossies such as Arthur
, Thrasher
, Kerrang!
, and Concussion Magazine, and the records received airplay and occasionally topped charts http://www.wluw.org/ http://www.wprb.com/ http://www.wfmu.org/ on college radio stations around the country as well as getting airplay on the BBC via the late great John Peel
Show. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/tracklistings/peel_archive_shtml.shtml?20030930http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/tracklistings/peel_archive.shtml?20040922 Building on this success Criminal IQ signed up The Krunchies, all-girl powerhouse The Manhandlers to do LPs, and co-released the Maybe Chicago? compilation with Proto-mersh which featured original sound recordings by, among others, the Ponys, the Baseball Furys, the Tyrades
, Twat Vibe, White Outs, Busy Kids, and the Hot Machines.
In 2006 Criminal IQ broke out of its self-imposed Chicago-only policy and released singles by Texas Hardcore band Army of Jesus, Milwaukee
's Bear Proof Suit, Green Bay, and Portuguese kids The Youths.
"All the above makes for an expansive independent label that possesses courage in their convictions and a determination to raise underground awareness. Something that could have the same impact as if the rat population of New York City, decide to form a protest about the air quality by taking over the likes of 55th Street
, Central Park and 5th Avenue. No-one would know what to do." http://www.contactmusic.com/new/home.nsf/webpages/criminalx28x06x06
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, founded by John Babbin and Darius Hurley to facilitate the releases from Chicago's burgeoning underground no-wave/punk scene circa 2003 to present. Most notably, garage pop punk band M.O.T.O.'s LP Kill Moto the incendiary Functional Blackouts S/T LP and dark wave psyche punkers Vee Dee's Furthur LP.
These initial releases were met with healthy critical acclaim from underground music zines such as Maximumrocknroll and Horizontal Action through to more established glossies such as Arthur
Arthur (magazine)
Arthur magazine, a free bi-monthly 50,000-copy periodical, was founded in October, 2002 by publisher Laris Kreslins and editor Jay Babcock. It has received favorable attention from other periodicals such as L.A. Weekly, Print, Punk Planet and Rolling Stone...
, Thrasher
Thrasher magazine
Thrasher is a monthly skateboarding magazine founded in 1981 by Kevin Thatcher, Eric Swenson, and Fausto Vitello. It regularly publishes articles , skateboard photography, interviews with professional skateboarders, interviews with and reviews of musical groups, skatepark reviews, and miscellaneous...
, Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
, and Concussion Magazine, and the records received airplay and occasionally topped charts http://www.wluw.org/ http://www.wprb.com/ http://www.wfmu.org/ on college radio stations around the country as well as getting airplay on the BBC via the late great John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
Show. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/tracklistings/peel_archive_shtml.shtml?20030930http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/tracklistings/peel_archive.shtml?20040922 Building on this success Criminal IQ signed up The Krunchies, all-girl powerhouse The Manhandlers to do LPs, and co-released the Maybe Chicago? compilation with Proto-mersh which featured original sound recordings by, among others, the Ponys, the Baseball Furys, the Tyrades
The Tyrades
The Tyrades were a four piece punk/garage band formed in Buffalo, New York. They were last based in Chicago, Illinois.-Current members:*Jenna Tyrade *Jimmy Ordinary *Robert Miscellaneous...
, Twat Vibe, White Outs, Busy Kids, and the Hot Machines.
In 2006 Criminal IQ broke out of its self-imposed Chicago-only policy and released singles by Texas Hardcore band Army of Jesus, Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
's Bear Proof Suit, Green Bay, and Portuguese kids The Youths.
"All the above makes for an expansive independent label that possesses courage in their convictions and a determination to raise underground awareness. Something that could have the same impact as if the rat population of New York City, decide to form a protest about the air quality by taking over the likes of 55th Street
55th Street (Manhattan)
55th Street is a two-mile-long, one-way street traveling east to west across Midtown Manhattan.-Sutton Place South:*The route officially begins at Sutton Place South which is on a hill overlooking FDR Drive....
, Central Park and 5th Avenue. No-one would know what to do." http://www.contactmusic.com/new/home.nsf/webpages/criminalx28x06x06
Discography
- Phenoms/Mushuganas split 7" May 2003
- M.O.T.O. (aka Masters of the ObviousMasters Of The ObviousMasters of the Obvious , is a New Orleans-based garage punk band. Formed in 1981 by Paul Caporino, the lineup of the band has seen many changes over the years, with Caporino being the only consistent member...
) Kill Moto CD/LP (LP co-released with Little Teddy Records of GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) Jun 2003 - Digital Sampler 3" CD Comp
- Functional Blackouts S/T LP Oct 2003
- Functional Blackouts S/T CD Jan 2004
- Maybe Chicago? V/A Compilation CD Jan 2004
- The Krunchies InterrobangInterrobangThe interrobang, interabang , , is a nonstandard punctuation mark used in various written languages and intended to combine the functions of the question mark and the exclamation mark or exclamation point . The glyph is a superimposition of these two marks...
7" EP Mar 2004 - Vee Dee Furthur LP/CD 2004
- The Manhandlers S/T LP/CD 2004
- M.O.T.O. Single File CD 2004
- The Krunchies In De Winkel CD/LP 2005
- Rotten Fruits A Bomb In The Nation 7" EP 2005
- M.O.T.O. Raw Power CD/LP 2005
- I Attack American DreamAmerican DreamThe American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
7" EP 2005 - The Pedestrians Future ShockFuture ShockFuture Shock is a book written by the futurist Alvin Toffler in 1970. In the book, Toffler defines the term "future shock" as a certain psychological state of individuals and entire societies. His shortest definition for the term is a personal perception of "too much change in too short a period of...
CD 2005 - The Functional Blackouts The Severed Tongue Speaks For Everyone LP 2006
- Army of Jesus Book Bomb 7" EP 2006
- Bear Proof Suit Science is Dead 7" EP 2006
- The Gravetones Dig It!Dig It!Dig It! is a 1958 jazz album by The Red Garland Quintet. It also features John Coltrane at the saxophone. It was recorded during 1957 and 1958, and released in 1958 on the Prestige label as PRLP 7229.-Track listing:...
CD 2006 - The Youths 7" EP 2007
- Out With A Bang Few Beers Left But Out of Drugs 7" EP 2007
- Terrible TwosTerrible twosTerrible twos may refer to the following:* A child development stage which normally occurs around the age of two and consists of toddlers often saying no and throwing temper tantrums....
S/T LP 2008 - The Runs 7"
- Useless Children 7" 2010
- Catburglars S/T LP 2010