Sonic Youth Recordings
Encyclopedia
Sonic Youth Recordings (sometimes referred to as SYR) is a record label
established by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth
in 1996
. SYR was set up to allow the band to release records by themselves and their friends without the commercial pressures of a major label. As a result, the work on this label tends towards free improvisation and experimental music
.
The records that Sonic Youth themselves released on this label follow a tradition where each album is released in a different language. SYR1
has song titles and album sleeve artwork in French
; SYR2
is in Dutch
, SYR3
is in Esperanto
, SYR5
is in Japanese
, SYR6
is in Lithuanian
, SYR7
is in Arpitan, and SYR8
is in Danish
.
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,...
established by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
in 1996
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
. SYR was set up to allow the band to release records by themselves and their friends without the commercial pressures of a major label. As a result, the work on this label tends towards free improvisation and experimental music
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...
.
The records that Sonic Youth themselves released on this label follow a tradition where each album is released in a different language. SYR1
SYR1: Anagrama
SYR1: Anagrama is an EP by Sonic Youth. It was the first in a series of experimental and mostly instrumental releases put out on the band's own SYR label....
has song titles and album sleeve artwork in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
; SYR2
SYR2: Slaapkamers Met Slagroom
SYR2: Slaapkamers Met Slagroom is an EP by Sonic Youth. It was the second in a series of mostly instrumental and experimental releases put out on the band's own SYR label. SYR2 follows the band's tradition of having the liner notes of SYR releases written in foreign languages, in this case Dutch...
is in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, SYR3
SYR3: Invito Al Cielo
SYR3: Invito Al Ĉielo is an EP by Sonic Youth. It was the third in a series of experimental releases put out on the band's own SYR label, leading up to the release of their 1998 record A Thousand Leaves...
is in Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
, SYR5
SYR5
SYR5 is a 2000 album by Sonic Youth member Kim Gordon, Ikue Mori and DJ Olive. It is the fifth album of "SYR" album series and the first that didn't feature Sonic Youth specifically....
is in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, SYR6
SYR6: Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui
SYR6: Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui is an EP by Sonic Youth. The sixth in a series of experimental releases put out on the band's own SYR label, the album is a live recording from an April 13, 2003 benefit show for the Anthology Film Archives...
is in Lithuanian
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
, SYR7
SYR7: J'Accuse Ted Hughes
SYR7: J'Accuse Ted Hughes is the seventh release in American group Sonic Youth's SYR series. It was released only on vinyl—the first in the series to receive no compact disc release—and features two songs: "J'Accuse Ted Hughes", and "Agnès B. Musique"....
is in Arpitan, and SYR8
SYR8: Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth
SYR8: Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth is an EP by Sonic Youth with Mats Gustafsson and Merzbow. It is the eighth release in the SYR series. It was released on July 28, 2008.The album was recorded on the first of July 2005 on the Roskilde Festival....
is in Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
.
Discography
- Sonic Youth - SYR1: AnagramaSYR1: AnagramaSYR1: Anagrama is an EP by Sonic Youth. It was the first in a series of experimental and mostly instrumental releases put out on the band's own SYR label....
(1997) - Sonic Youth - SYR2: Slaapkamers Met SlagroomSYR2: Slaapkamers Met SlagroomSYR2: Slaapkamers Met Slagroom is an EP by Sonic Youth. It was the second in a series of mostly instrumental and experimental releases put out on the band's own SYR label. SYR2 follows the band's tradition of having the liner notes of SYR releases written in foreign languages, in this case Dutch...
(1997) - Sonic Youth/Jim O'RourkeJim 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...
- SYR3: Invito Al ĈieloSYR3: Invito Al CieloSYR3: Invito Al Ĉielo is an EP by Sonic Youth. It was the third in a series of experimental releases put out on the band's own SYR label, leading up to the release of their 1998 record A Thousand Leaves...
(1998) - Sonic Youth and others - SYR4: Goodbye 20th CenturySYR4: Goodbye 20th CenturySYR4: Goodbye 20th Century is a double album of covers of avant-garde recordings by Sonic Youth and collaborators.SYR4 features works by avant-garde classical composers such as John Cage, Yoko Ono, Steve Reich, and Christian Wolff played by Sonic Youth along with several collaborators from the...
(1999) - Kim GordonKim GordonKim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
/Ikue MoriIkue Mori, also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, composer, and graphic designer.-Biography:Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She says she had little interest in music before hearing punk rock...
/DJ OliveDJ OliveDJ Olive is an American disc jockey and turntablist active in free improvisation, jazz and illbient music. He is often credited with coining the latter term....
- SYR5SYR5SYR5 is a 2000 album by Sonic Youth member Kim Gordon, Ikue Mori and DJ Olive. It is the fifth album of "SYR" album series and the first that didn't feature Sonic Youth specifically....
(2000) - Sonic Youth/Tim BarnesTim BarnesTimothy Kent "Tim" Barnes is a Democratic party politician in Tennessee, representing the 22nd District as State Senator since 2009. He is perhaps best known for his primary challenge of then-State Senator Rosalind Kurita in 2008.-External links:...
- SYR6: Koncertas Stan Brakhage PrisiminimuiSYR6: Koncertas Stan Brakhage PrisiminimuiSYR6: Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui is an EP by Sonic Youth. The sixth in a series of experimental releases put out on the band's own SYR label, the album is a live recording from an April 13, 2003 benefit show for the Anthology Film Archives...
(2005) - Sonic Youth - SYR7: J'Accuse Ted HughesSYR7: J'Accuse Ted HughesSYR7: J'Accuse Ted Hughes is the seventh release in American group Sonic Youth's SYR series. It was released only on vinyl—the first in the series to receive no compact disc release—and features two songs: "J'Accuse Ted Hughes", and "Agnès B. Musique"....
(2008) - Sonic Youth with Mats Gustafsson and MerzbowMerzbowis 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...
- SYR8: Andre Sider Af Sonic YouthSYR8: Andre Sider Af Sonic YouthSYR8: Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth is an EP by Sonic Youth with Mats Gustafsson and Merzbow. It is the eighth release in the SYR series. It was released on July 28, 2008.The album was recorded on the first of July 2005 on the Roskilde Festival....
(2008) - Sonic Youth - SYR9: Simon Werner a Disparu (2011)