While modern music lore is filled with romantic tales of musicians migrating to the big city looking for the chance to breakout, few of those tales are set in Chicago. It’s not that this city hasn’t produced marquee talent; it’s just in many cases, the big-name labels and high-profile scenes weren’t located in the Midwest. Now, after waves of activity that have persuaded local scenesters to put their money where their musical tastes were, Chicago now boasts a wealth of labels that accurately reflect the city’s musical diversity.
Are you a rock-star hopeful? Check out our comprehensive guide to some of the prime players in the Chicago recording scene, from small start-ups to those negotiating with the majors.
Atavistic
Genres: jazz, rock
Embracing musical diversity, Atavistic has a schizophrenic sense of focus yet continually release quality music. The jazz section of this label’s catalog contains a wealth of Chicago acts, like the Vandermark 5 and Spaceways Inc., along with Gregg Bendian and the Unheard Music Series, a selection of out-of-print rarities curated by local critic John Corbett. Rock also gets its fair share of attention; Bobby Conn, Glenn Branca and the Swans all have releases adorned with the Atavistic logo.
Aware Records
Genres: pop, rock, alternative
Gregg Latterman wanted to start a business he could be passionate about, so in 1993 he laid the foundations for Aware Records. A decade later, Latterman’s passion has become a big deal in the rock and pop world. John Mayer, one of the sensitive singer-songwriters of the moment, released his breakout album ‘Room For Squares’ on Aware. The label’s roster also includes artist like Bleu, Riddlin’ Kids and recent signing Kyle Riabko, a 16-year-old guitar whiz kid from Canada who has opened for Buddy Guy.
Bloodshot
Genre: insurgent country
If there was a funeral for the record industry, Bloodshot would be more than happy to crash the wake, spit on the tombstone and throw a rocking after-party. Dedicated to promoting raw, ruthless, whiskey-soaked music, this label avoids pretenses and posing in favor of music with soul. Glance at its roster of progressive country, including Mekons member Jon Langford, Bobby Bare Jr. and the Legendary Shack Shakers for proof. Currently celebrating its tenth anniversary, look for a variety of special releases this year.
Brilliante Records
Genre: pop/rock
Ed Menacho, Chris Strong and Joe Wigdahl recorded a six-song demo for Camden, a Milwaukee emo band that subsequently broke up. Since no labels wanted to bother releasing music from an already dissolved band, the trio just did it themselves. They had a slow start (their first year they sold 37 albums and gave away around 200), but now they’re working with buzzworthy local groups like The M’s, a laid-back rock band that sounds like a Kinks/T. Rex hybrid, and Love of Everything, the frenzied one man pop band of Bobby Burg.
Chocolate Industries
Genre: hip-hop, trip-hop
With a few notable exceptions like Common, Twista and Kanye West, Chicago hip-hop hasn’t gotten much respect. In fact, all three of these artist left town for opportunities elsewhere. Despite that fact, Chocolate Industries has attracted some of the best in the game. The Push Button Objects project, a spotlight producer Edgar Farinas, has featured guest spots from rappers like Aesop Rock. Local talent also gets its due. Motor-mouth MC Diverse, trip-hop singer-songwriter Via Tania and North Side rockers The Timeout Drawer are also on the roster.
Delmark
Genre: blues, jazz
Growing up in Wichita, Kansas, Delmark founder Bob Koester got hooked on jazz after hearing artists like Lionel Hampton. He soon turned his hobby into a business. He sold records in college, started a record sales company in St. Louis and recorded the Windy City Six as his first side for Delmark in 1953. In 1958, he moved the label to a storefront in Chicago and started Jazz Record Mart. Koester continually introduces the recordings of cutting-edge Chicago artists, from Roscoe Mitchell in the ‘60s to Jeff Parker and Josh Abrams today.
Drag City
Genre: rock, from experimental to modern
This Chicago indie label began in 1989 when friends Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn, who had been working in independent music distribution, decided dive into the DIY trend and start a label. Since their first two releases, singles by Royal Trux and Pavement, the duo has overseen more than 200 releases, creating a portfolio of dynamic music including trendsetters Jim O’Rourke and David Grubbs that has charted the growth of the independent music scene. This explains how one label can re-release work by art-rockers Red Krayola, put out discs from home-recording revolutionary Smog and make forays into publishing. Acts like Faun Fables and Weird War are new signings to keep an eye on.
Dust Traxx
Genre: house
Founded in 1997 by Radoslaw Hawryszczuk, a devotee of Chicago’s house music scene, this label is a worldwide player in the dance world. After putting out 300 records (the current schedule calls for 8-10 new releases a month), Dust Traxx has left quite a mark and continues to keep the spirit of Chicago house alive. Paul Johnson records for one of the many imprints, and new tracks from Mr. A.L.I. (a live band that plays deep house music) and Harrison Crump should further reinforce this label’s house obsession.
File-13
Genre: indie rock
This formerly Philly-based label was given a second chance in 2002 by Justin Sinkovich, a member of the Chicago group Atombombpocketknife, who took over the business and moved it to Chicago when the original owners bowed out. Since its relocation, the label had picked up excellent local talent, like the inspired, synth-driven electronic trio TRS-80 and unorthodox punk rockers The Dishes. Recently, the label has put out new releases by The Dishes, Atombombpocketknife and The Silent League, which features members of Interpol and Mercury Rev.
Galapagos4
Genre: hip-hop
Part of the surge in underground hip-hop in Chicago, Galapagos4 represents some of the city’s most innovative rappers. Many of its acts, like the MC triple threat of the Typical Cats and the introspective Offwhyte, contain uplifting and self-referential rhymes. Recently, the label has been holding shows at the Bottom Lounge and HotHouse, and just finished the Submerged State 2G4 Tour across the Western U.S. and Canada. Check out the label’s Web site for an in-depth article on local hip-hop history.
Gravel Records
Genre: hip-hop
Founded by Tim Stroh, a hip-hop head from Evanston, Gravel filled a crucial gap by providing an outlet for area rappers and producers. Gravel makes good on its goal of helping to build distribution for local talent: it’s been hosting a variety of concerts all over the city and has sold thousands of copies of “The Chicago Project,” an ambitious gathering of local talent like Organic Mind Unit and Rusty Chainz. Expect to see the debut release from Verbal Kent and Earatik Statik this year.
Guidance Recording
Genre: all styles of dance music
Ivan Pavlovich, Rob Kouchoukos and Sid Stary started this label in 1996 during a flurry of activity on the Chicago house scene. Pavlovich and Kouchoukos had worked together at Cajual, Curtis Jones a.k.a. Green Velvet’s label, and, along with Stary, wanted to create a label that focused on new artists with a worldwide scope. The label released work from Glenn Underground and was named one of the best house labels of the year in 1997 by Muzik magazine. Guidance then diversified, creating scores of compilations like the Hi-Fidelity House series, and working with artists like Nuspirit Helsinki. With such a diverse selection of music, the label’s next big move, licensing tracks to movies and video games like Grand Theft Auto III, seemed predestined.
Hefty Records
Genre: electronica
John Hughes realized, after brief stints at Northwestern and Ohio University, that music was his main goal. After playing in a few bands, he learned his second important lesson: you need to own your own label if you want complete artistic freedom. Since starting Hefty in the mid-‘90s, he’s reaped the benefits of unhindered vision. Acts like Scott Herren’s Savath & Savalas project and Telefon Tel Aviv, who just released their much-hyped second LP “Map of What is Effortless,” have established the label as a home for innovative electronica.
Minty Fresh
Genre: pop
A little more upbeat than some of Chicago’s other indie rock labels, Minty Fresh has a decidedly pop outlook in its choices of artists. It helped usher in the power-pop music of Veruca Salt in the early ‘90s and hasn’t stopped, releasing music from the decidedly tongue-in-cheek Tahiti 80 and local orchestral pop band the Aluminum Group.
Southern Records
Genre: rock
As much a distribution center as a label (26 other labels currently put out albums overseas via Southern), this Chicago institution still finds time to place its imprint on plenty of important bands. Groups like Babes in Toyland and Therapy? have recorded for Southern in the past. Currently, the label is home to 90 Day Men, who artfully combine ‘70s prog-rock with dramatic piano playing and exuberance.
Thick Records
Genre: punk, from hardcore to ska
A local punk label with a fierce DIY ethic, Thick helps promote Midwestern punk in all its glory. Detroit native Zak Einstein opened shop in 1994, and has touched upon many prominent local acts over its more than 100 releases, like the spazzed ska-punk group The Blue Meanies. Look for new releases from Motel Blonde (featuring members of the Dropkick Murphys), New Black and “Thick Oil,” a compilation of local bands all recorded in an abandoned oil mixing plant on the South Side.
Thrill Jockey
Genre: eclectic
During the early ‘90s, when alternative rock acts from Chicago like Liz Phair and the Smashing Pumpkins generated plenty of buzz, this little indie label began to issue a prolific series of releases that would help define the term post-rock. Bettina Richards started putting out albums in 1993, introducing the world to genre-blending groups like Tortoise and The Sea and Cake. The label refuses to be typecast; in the ensuing decade, a variety of artists like the punk band The Nerves, the experimental electronic trio Radian and local jazz legend Fred Anderson have all found a home here. Thrill Jockey continues to support more established groups (Tortoise’s fifth album, “It’s All Around You,” comes out in April), while simultaneously searching for new talent, like the Viennese free-improv group Trapist.
Touch and Go
Genre: indie rock
One of the most influential labels in Chicago and beyond, Touch & Go has featured some of the greatest Chicago indie rock bands of the last two decades, including Shellac, Jesus Lizard, Urge Overkill and Big Black. Run by Corey Rusk, who operates with verbal agreements (which cost him a court battle with the Butthole Surfers in 1999) and treats his artists with an incredible amount of respect, this label’s integrity has attracted some of the latest up-and-coming acts. Currently, TV on the Radio, Enon, !!!, The Ex and Calexico, whose new EP is coming out in early April, are on the roster.
Victory Records
Genre: hardcore, punk, emo
Tony Brummel started Victory in 1989 with just $800 and some business sense. Years later, after starting on small pressings of Chicago hardcore bands, the label has dozens of acts and a worldwide presence. Evolving into more of a hardcore and emo label and gradually establishing contacts around the country, Victory has helped local bands like Spitalfield break out, while at the same time signing acts like The Hurt Process, from Brighton, England.
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