Neo-Psychedelia has become the fastest growing musical trend, and the genre that everyone who wants to be associated with. With that in mind, it’s easy to forget that it is people who make all of this possible and get the music out into the public domain in the first place.
Say Psych plans to address this issue by speaking to some of the labels most keenly associated with the best new psychedelia emerging and finding more about the men and women who are taking the time and energy to makes this great music accessible.
Next up we speak with Rhys from Sister9 Recordings.
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Hi Rhys, thank you for taking the time to chat with BSM! We’ll start things off with asking what was your motivation to start a record label?
The label dream began way back in 2004 to release records by our first band, Dolium. As a band, we wanted our own label more than anything and we struck a deal with Cargo Records, who helped us fund our first releases and distribute the records.
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And how did you come to work with the genres you have?
Well, we generally look for spirited vibes and we’re partial to our scuzzy lo-fi roots, particularly sounds with alternative flavours and punk rock leanings. Over the past few years, we’ve delved a bit into the psych realm, but you can also expect more dirty garage rock, post-punk and maybe one or two surprises.
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Where did the name come from?
When we started out DIY-ing everything, the label was called Parlour 9. It was only when we decided to start looking for artists to work with that the Sister aspect emerged. Since then, she’s taken on a life of her own, keeping things organised and making sure we’re all nice to each other.
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Who have you worked with in the past?
We’ve covered a lot of ground over the years since the first Dolium releases, working with artists and bands from all over the place. Our vinyl releases include albums by Deja Vega, Kill Your Boyfriend, Mouses, Rhys Bloodjoy and Control Of The Going. We’ve also put out a couple of compilation LPs (Phantasmagoria and Sounds From The Astral Elevator), as well as one-off releases by Hey Bulldog, Mira Flores and Low Blows. Those aside, we’ve also released live audio/video sessions by Cabbage, One Unique Signal and loads more!
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Can you tell us a bit about what releases you have lined up and about the bands that they will be from; how did you come to work with them as a new label?
Our next wave of vinyl releases include albums by Frankie Teardrop Dead, Rhys Bloodjoy and Bones Shake. Wherever possible, we like to find artists organically, working with the likes of Astral Elevator, Happy Daze and most recently, Tesla Studios in Sheffield, which allows us to continue from where we left our “Sister 9 Sessions” series back in 2015. Hopefully, we’ll discover more new acts that way too.
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Do you have a vision for where you want the label to go?
It’s obviously not easy to see where the music industry is headed right now, but luckily for us, we’re outsiders so our vision is still intact: to follow our instincts and keep releasing cool music, even if it sometimes goes against the grain. We obviously hope to attract more ears to the label, and for the year ahead, we have ambitious plans to get Sister 9 into places that no label has gone before. Seriously, watch this space!
Check out the S9 store here
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