A technical guide for something technical; in the Helsinki bookstore on my corner

As the mp3 becomes the standard format for music, the rationale for a proper brick & mortar record label gets harder to find. If distribution is no longer an issue, are today’s record labels simply performing a curatorial function?

If a label exists solely as a filter, then why do I dismiss the ubiquitous “netlabel” that provides music for free? Because 1) there are over seven hundred netlabels specializing in electronic music and 2) my instinct for quality remains stubbornly tied to the old world. Knowing that a third party invested time and money in a plastic or vinyl release signifies that it is “professional” and “official” – two words that are becoming much less relevant as the space between the amateur and the professional continues to collapse.

Well, here’s one promising netlabel: hailing from Stockholm, the Astor Bell imprint launched a few days ago with a handful of blippy and playful tracks from new artists Giuseppe, Socket Science, and Bubble Shield. Clean design, an engaging and friendly voice, and music that can go toe-to-toe with most physical releases. Much of the current output sounds heavily inspired by vintage Aphex Twin and Autechre, circa Warp’s Artificial Intelligence series: bright video-game melodies set upon crisp beats directed towards the living room rather than the warehouse. 

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Giuseppe – White Waves
from Array of Sunshine. Astor Bell, 2009

Given the democratic nature of techno (software is cheap; the aesthetic favors anonymity) and even the name of the genre itself, the dogged faith in an old and inconvenient format is both surprising and admirable. Here’s the question: will any netlabel ever achieve the degree of influence as, say, Kompakt or Chain Reaction?