Extreme Records
Encyclopedia
Extreme Records is an Australia
n based record label
.
The label was founded by Ulex Xane, and initially specialised in underground experimental
and industrial
cassettes. Roger Richards became involved in 1987, and eventually became the director following Xane's departure.
Extreme has released CDs and tapes by artists such as Non, Orchestra Of Skin And Bone
, Paul Schutze
, Muslimgauze
, Social Interiors, Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast
, Jim O'Rourke
, Elliott Sharp
, Shinjuku Thief, Christoph Heemann
, Otomo Yoshihide, Kato Hideki
, and John Duncan
. Extreme is also noted for being one of the first record labels, along with the American label RRRecords
, to bring the work of the Japanese noise
artist Merzbow
to Western audiences, and in 2000 released the Merzbox
, a Merzbow retrospective consisting of 50 CDs.
Coming up in September and October 2008 are the following new releases: XCD 065, Terminal Sound System: Constructing Towers; XCD 066, The Antripodean Collective: Funcall; and XCD 067, Claudio Parodi: The Mother of All Feedback.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n based record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
The label was founded by Ulex Xane, and initially specialised in underground experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
and industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
cassettes. Roger Richards became involved in 1987, and eventually became the director following Xane's departure.
Extreme has released CDs and tapes by artists such as Non, Orchestra Of Skin And Bone
Orchestra of Skin and Bone
Orchestra of Skin and Bone were an Australian post-punk band who were active during the 1980s. The band consisted principally of vocalist Ollie Olsen, Marie Hoy and percussionist John Murphy. They released a self-titled mini-LP in 1986, and numerous cassettes on underground noise labels...
, Paul Schutze
Paul Schütze
Paul Schütze is an Australian artist resident in London. Over thirty years his work has spanned composition, performance, installation, video, printmaking and photography....
, Muslimgauze
Muslimgauze
Muslimgauze was a music project of Bryn Jones , a prolific British ethnic electronica and experimental musician, influenced by conflicts in the Muslim world with an emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...
, Social Interiors, Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast
Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast
The Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast were an Australian band active throughout the early 1980s.The band consisted of;*Peter Richardson *Greg Addison *Steve Couri*Tim Schultz *Shane Fahey...
, Jim O'Rourke
Jim O'Rourke (musician)
Jim O'Rourke is an Irish-American musician and record producer. He was long associated with the Chicago experimental and improv scene...
, Elliott Sharp
Elliott Sharp
Elliott Sharp is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer.A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five recordings ranging from blues, jazz, and orchestral music to noise, no wave rock,...
, Shinjuku Thief, Christoph Heemann
Christoph Heemann
Christoph Heemann , is a German musician.Heemann has recorded under his own name, with the tape music group H.N.A.S., and with many collaborators in alternative rock, soundtrack production and visual arts....
, Otomo Yoshihide, Kato Hideki
Kato Hideki
Kato Hideki is a Japanese musician and composer. He was a seminal member of the Tokyo Noise music scene of the late 80s and early 90s, collaborating with Japanese experimental musicians such as Otomo Yoshihide, Tatsuya Yoshida, Makigami Koichi, and Yamatsuka Eye. He led his own bands, Player...
, and John Duncan
John Duncan
John Duncan may refer to:* John Duncan , American artist and musician* John Duncan , Scottish weaver and botanist* John Duncan , MP from British Columbia...
. Extreme is also noted for being one of the first record labels, along with the American label RRRecords
RRRecords
RRRecords is a used and new record shop. RRRecords is distinguished as being the first American record label to specifically publish underground noise music in the early 1980s, and published the first American vinyl by Merzbow, Masonna, The Hanatarash, Violent Onsen Geisha, and many more artists...
, to bring the work of the Japanese noise
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
artist Merzbow
Merzbow
is the main recording name of the Japanese noise musician , born in 1956. Since 1979 he has released in excess of 350 recordings.The name "Merzbow" comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork, "Merzbau”. This was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic...
to Western audiences, and in 2000 released the Merzbox
Merzbox
Merzbox is a box set compilation by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow, released in 2000 by Extreme Records. It consists of 50 CDs, spanning Merzbow's career from 1979–1997; 30 discs are taken from long out of print releases, while 20 are composed mainly of unreleased material...
, a Merzbow retrospective consisting of 50 CDs.
Recent Activity
In March 2008, Extreme announced three new releases: The Massacre of the Egos by The Antripodean Collective (XCD-064), Maju-5 by Maju (XCD-063), and A Ritual Which Is Incomprehensible (to the smile of Pauline Oliveros) by Claudio Parodi (XCD-062).Coming up in September and October 2008 are the following new releases: XCD 065, Terminal Sound System: Constructing Towers; XCD 066, The Antripodean Collective: Funcall; and XCD 067, Claudio Parodi: The Mother of All Feedback.