Dischord Records
Encyclopedia
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.
-based independent record label
specializing in the independent punk
music of the D.C.-area music scene
. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye
and Jeff Nelson
, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance
by The Teen Idles
. The label is most notable for having maintained a strict do-it-yourself ethic, producing all of its albums by itself and selling them at discount prices without the help of major distributors. Dischord continues to release records by bands from Washington D.C., and to document and support the Washington D.C. music scene.
Dischord was a local label in the early days of hardcore, and is one of the more famous independent labels, along with the likes of Alternative Tentacles
, SST Records
, and Touch & Go Records. Early releases by Dischord were relatively well-produced compared to other punk recordings of the time. Minor Threat's work is an example of these higher production values.
, Government Issue
, The Faith, Void
, Iron Cross
, Embrace
, Rites of Spring
, Nation of Ulysses
, Scream
, Soulside
, Gray Matter
, Jawbox
, Marginal Man
, Shudder to Think
, Dag Nasty
, Lungfish
and Fugazi
have released records on Dischord.
Additions to the Dischord roster as of the late 1990s and early 2000s include Q and Not U
, Beauty Pill
, Antelope, Faraquet
, Black Eyes
, The Aquarium
, Title Tracks
, Edie Sedgwick, and Andalusians. Many of these acts, notably Q and Not U and Black Eyes, are both influential and experimental post-hardcore
bands. Dischord also recently signed Office of Future Plans
, a new band started by former Jawbox
frontman J. Robbins
.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
specializing in the independent punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
music of the D.C.-area music scene
Hardcore
Hardcore may refer to:* soft core, the members of a group or movement who form an intransigent nucleus resistant to change...
. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well...
and Jeff Nelson
Jeff Nelson (musician)
Jeff Nelson is best known as the drummer for the hardcore punk rock band Minor Threat. He and friend Ian MacKaye formed their first band, The Slinkees, in 1979. Their next band was The Teen Idles. Nelson and MacKaye founded Dischord Records in 1980, whose first record was the Teen Idles. They...
, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance
Minor Disturbance
Minor Disturbance was the sole studio extended play by the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band The Teen Idles, released on Dischord Records in December 1980...
by The Teen Idles
The Teen Idles
The Teen Idles were an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in August 1979. Teenagers Nathan Strejcek, Geordie Grindle, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson were the band's continual members. Their recorded output consists of two demo sessions and one EP—1980's Minor Disturbance—released...
. The label is most notable for having maintained a strict do-it-yourself ethic, producing all of its albums by itself and selling them at discount prices without the help of major distributors. Dischord continues to release records by bands from Washington D.C., and to document and support the Washington D.C. music scene.
Dischord was a local label in the early days of hardcore, and is one of the more famous independent labels, along with the likes of Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
, SST Records
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
, and Touch & Go Records. Early releases by Dischord were relatively well-produced compared to other punk recordings of the time. Minor Threat's work is an example of these higher production values.
Roster
Bands such as Minor ThreatMinor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
, Government Issue
Government Issue
Government Issue was an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. active from 1980 to 1989. The band experienced many changes in membership during its nine-year existence, with singer John Stabb as the only consistent member in an ever-fluctuating lineup that at various times included...
, The Faith, Void
Void (band)
Void was a Washington D.C.-based hardcore punk/crossover thrash band. They were one of the first hardcore outfits to fuse hardcore and some heavy metal in a way most hardcore and metal fans could accept, paving the way for bands such as The Melvins. They were one of the first local bands popular in...
, Iron Cross
Iron Cross (band)
Iron Cross is a hardcore/Oi! band from Baltimore, Maryland and Washington D.C..They play a rough form of streetpunk, and is the first band in the United States to adopt the skinhead look and the Oi! musical style...
, Embrace
Embrace (U.S. band)
Embrace was a short-lived post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., which lasted from the summer of 1985 to the spring of 1986 and was one of the first bands to be dubbed in the press as emotional hardcore, though the members had rejected the term since its creation...
, Rites of Spring
Rites of Spring
Rites of Spring was an American post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. in the mid-1980s, known for their energetic live performances. A part of the D.C. hardcore punk scene, Rites of Spring increased the frenetic violence and visceral passion of hardcore while simultaneously experimenting with...
, Nation of Ulysses
Nation of Ulysses
The Nation of Ulysses was an American punk rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in spring 1988 with four members. Originally known as simply "Ulysses," the first mark of the group consisted of Ian Svenonius on vocals and trumpet, Steve Kroner on guitar, Steve Gamboa on bass guitar, and James...
, Scream
Scream (band)
Scream is a hardcore punk band from Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia active from 1981 to 1990. As of 2009, the band has reunited to play several shows.-Biography:...
, Soulside
Soulside
Soulside were a post-hardcore band from the greater Washington, D.C. area. The original name of the band was Lunchmeat, formed in 1985. The name was changed to Soulside in spring 1986 and they disbanded in summer of 1989, after an extensive European tour and recording the definitive Hot Bodi-Gram...
, Gray Matter
Gray Matter (band)
Gray Matter was a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., who played in the 1980s and '90s. They disbanded in 1986, but reformed in 1990.On September 12, 2008, the band reformed for a one off reunion show to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Black Cat, a night club in Washington DC,...
, Jawbox
Jawbox
Jawbox was an alternative rock band from Washington, D.C., U.S.. Its original members were J. Robbins , Kim Coletta and Adam Wade...
, Marginal Man
Marginal Man
Marginal Man was a punk band that emerged in the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene in 1983. Steve Polcari, Pete Murray, and Mike Manos all had played earlier in Artificial Peace, a band which appears on Dischord Records' important Flex Your Head compilation, an essential document of the 1980s D.C....
, Shudder to Think
Shudder to Think
Shudder to Think is an American indie rock group. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records and were a post-hardcore band, although they drew upon a wide range of stylistic influences, including pop....
, Dag Nasty
Dag Nasty
Dag Nasty was a Washington D.C. punk band formed in 1985 by guitarist Brian Baker of Minor Threat, drummer Colin Sears and bassist Roger Marbury, both of Bloody Mannequin Orchestra, and vocalist Shawn Brown...
, Lungfish
Lungfish (band)
Lungfish is a post-hardcore band formed in 1987 in Baltimore, Maryland. All of their music has been released by the Washington, D.C. punk label Dischord except for their first LP, Necklace of Heads which was released by Simple Machines .Their line-up as of 2005 consists of Daniel Higgs , Asa...
and Fugazi
Fugazi (band)
Fugazi is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987. The band's continual members are guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty....
have released records on Dischord.
Additions to the Dischord roster as of the late 1990s and early 2000s include Q and Not U
Q and Not U
Q and Not U was a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., signed to Dischord Records. Members John Davis, Harris Klahr, Christopher Richards, and Matt Borlik formed the band in 1998...
, Beauty Pill
Beauty Pill
Beauty Pill is a shapeshifting post-rock band from Washington, DC based around the songs and ideas of singer/guitarist/producer Chad Clark.Beauty Pill's music is characterized by cinematic arrangements, sinuous melodies, and electronic textures and treatments. This detailed, atmospheric aesthetic...
, Antelope, Faraquet
Faraquet
Faraquet is an influential post-hardcore band from Washington D.C. sometimes placed in the math rock genre. They were formed in 1997, and disbanded in 2001. They were on Dischord Records, and were influenced by bands like Fugazi, Jawbox, Nation of Ulysses, as well as King Crimson...
, Black Eyes
Black Eyes
Black Eyes was a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. that existed from August 2001 to March 2004, disbanding two months prior to the release of its second album, Cough...
, The Aquarium
The Aquarium (band)
The Aquarium is an indie rock band from Washington, D.C., United States. The band is a duo, consisting of Jason Hutto, formerly of Motor-Cycle Wars and Laura Harris , formerly of Threads . The group was founded in 2002...
, Title Tracks
Title Tracks
Title Tracks is the indie pop/rock solo project from Washington D.C.-based musician John Davis .In early 2008, although still a member of the band Georgie James, Davis began writing the songs that would form the basis for his first solo record...
, Edie Sedgwick, and Andalusians. Many of these acts, notably Q and Not U and Black Eyes, are both influential and experimental post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
bands. Dischord also recently signed Office of Future Plans
Office of Future Plans
Office of Future Plans is a music project that was started in 2009 by former Government Issue, Jawbox, Burning Airlines and Channels frontman/guitarist J. Robbins. It also consists of guitarist/cellist Gordon Withers, bassist Brooks Harlan and drummer Darrek Zentek...
, a new band started by former Jawbox
Jawbox
Jawbox was an alternative rock band from Washington, D.C., U.S.. Its original members were J. Robbins , Kim Coletta and Adam Wade...
frontman J. Robbins
J. Robbins
James Robbins is an American rock music artist. He began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led four of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, and Channels. He was a touring bassist for Scream and played bass on the debut 7" from Jack Potential, which...
.