Crammed Discs


Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends avant-rock, experimental music, pop, global music, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released over 400 albums and 300 singles, working with artists from all over the world.
Crammed Discs is run by Marc Hollander with Hanna Gorjaczkowska and Vincent Kenis.
Crammed has been described as "one of the most boldly eclectic independent labels around", as "innovative and groundbreaking" and "visionary", a.o. for steadily avoiding to confine its roster "to one, potentially homogeneous category" and encouraging artists with plural identities to create new forms of music.
Marc Hollander and Crammed Discs received the WOMEX award in 2004 at the World Music Expo international music trade fair, for being "one of the seminal players on the world music field". However, the label has always systematically worked with electronic music, indie pop and rock artists, and "doesn't see itself as a world music label: it just happens to enjoy working with artists from around the world, some of whom sing in languages other than English".
In 2011, Crammed Discs celebrated its 30th anniversary by setting up the Congotronics vs Rockers project, a "superband" including ten Congolese and ten indie rock musicians, who collaborated to create a common repertoire and performed at 15 major festivals and venues in ten countries.
For the last couple of decades, the label has been working with a series of transnational artists, whose post-genre aesthetics coincides with the directions pursued by Crammed since its inception. From 2008 to 2015, the following artists have joined the Crammed Discs roster: Chicago band Allá, indie pop act Lonely Drifter Karen, London-based Moroccan electronic artist U-cef, Congolese band Staff Benda Bilili, musician/composer/producer Mocky, Belgian band Hoquets, Belgo-Congolese rapper Baloji, Belgian-Colombian band La Chiva Gantiva, French-American artist Maïa Vidal, US bands Skeletons & Megafaun, South African/Dutch band SKIP&DIE, Belgian band Amatorski, Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, Argentinian artist Juana Molina and Ghanaian/Swiss band OY.
The label's signings since 2016 are Parisian electronic music collective Acid Arab, Portuguese singer & musician Lula Pena, young French-Welsh band Fauna Twin, French experimental pop band Aquaserge, Matias Aguayo & The Desdemonas, the new rock band founded by the German-Chilean electronic music producer, Berlin-based Spanish experimental musician Don The Tiger, French-Chilean band Nova Materia, Lagos/London project Ekiti Sound, Ugandan/British band Nihiloxica, Californian musician Scott Gilmore, producer Pascal Gabriel and his new Stubbleman project, German/Peruvian electronic music duo Los Pulpitos, and Palestinian techno duo Zenobia.

Sub-labels

Because of the diversity of the label's output since its early days in the 1980s, its founders chose to create several sub-labels. This policy was discarded during the latter part of the 1990s, because Crammed felt that genre-blending had finally become acceptable.
  • Made To Measure A composers' series specializing in instrumental and ambient music, soundtracks and works commissioned for films, ballets etc. Notable artists are: Hector Zazou, Arto Lindsay, John Lurie, Yasuaki Shimizu, Minimal Compact and Fred Frith. 36 volumes were released between 1984 and 1995.
  • SSR Launched in 1988, this electronic music label was A&R'd by DJ Morpheus and Marc Hollander. 47 albums and numerous singles were released, ranging from early new beat to downtempo, techno, house and hip hop, by artists such as Snooze, Juryman, Carl Craig, Tek 9, DJ Morpheus, Kevin Saunderson and Telex. SSR is short for Sampleur & Sans Reproche.
  • Language This 'avant dance' sub-label was A&R'd by Tony Thorpe. 10 albums and 22 singles/EPs were released between 1995 and 1999, by artists including Buckfunk 3000 and Circadian Rhythms.
  • Ziriguiboom Launched in 1998 in collaboration with Brazilian A&R/Producer Béco Dranoff, Ziriguiboom's aim was to present original and as-yet-unexposed aspects of Brazilian music to international audiences. It quickly became one of the global hubs for the new wave of Brazilian music, and has brought Crammed its biggest commercial success to date with Bebel Gilberto's debut album Tanto Tempo. Ziriguiboom also signed and released albums by artists such as Celso Fonseca, Cibelle, Zuco 103, Trio Mocotó, Bossacucanova, DJ Dolores, Apollo Nove and the late Suba.
Crammed also had several specialized and one-artist sub-labels:
Currently the only subsiding Crammed Discs imprints are Congotronics and Made To Measure. Congotrononics is not a sub-label per se, but a collection of releases by Congolese bands who play their own respective styles of electrified traditional music. The series is curated and produced by Vincent Kenis.
As for the Made To Measure composers' series, it is being discreetly revived since 2013, as 6 new volumes have recently come out.
A new imprint was launched in 2025: CrammedLab, devoted to emerging acts, experimental projects, as well as archival releases. True to its parent company’s ethos, CrammedLab will be exploring various musical directions. CrammedLab is managed by Marc Hollander and Sofia Rasquin.

Discography (albums)

1980
  • Aksak Maboul: Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits, with Chris Cutler and Fred Frith
1981
  • Aksak Maboul: Onze Danses Pour Combattre la Migraine
  • Minimal Compact: Minimal Compact
  • Band Apart: Band Apart
  • Family Fodder: Greatest Hits
1982
  • The Honeymoon Killers: Les Tueurs de la Lune de Miel
  • Des Airs: Lunga Notte
  • Hermine: The World On My Plates
  • Benjamin Lew/Steven Brown: Douzième Journée: le Verbe, la Parure, l'Amour
1983
  • Minimal Compact: One By One
  • Band Apart: Marseille
  • Zazou Bikaye+CY1: Noir Et Blanc
1984
  • Made To Measure Vol.1, feat. Aksak Maboul, Benjamin Lew, Minimal Compact, Tuxedomoon
  • Blaine Reininger/Mikel Rouse: Colorado Suite
  • Minimal Compact: Deadly Weapons
  • Karl Biscuit: Regrets Eternels
1985
  • Zazou Bikaye: Mr Manager
  • Peter Principle: Sedimental Journey
  • Tuxedomoon: Holy Wars
  • Minimal Compact: Raging Souls
  • Tuxedomoon: Half Mute
  • Hector Zazou: Géographies
  • Karl Biscuit: Fatal Reverie
  • Nadjma: Rapture In Baghdad, feat. Adrian Sherwood
1986
  • Surfin Dave and The Absent Legends: In Search of a Decent Haircut
  • Various Artists: Fuck Your Dreams, This Is Heaven, feat. members of Tuxedomoon & Minimal Compact playing covers of 1960s/1970s songs
  • Colin Newman: Commercial Suicide
  • Tuxedomoon: Desire
  • Benjamin Lew/Steven Brown: A propos d'un paysage
  • Tuxedomoon: Ship of Fools
  • Mikel Rouse: A Walk In The Woods
  • John Lurie: Stranger Than Paradise
  • Mahmoud Ahmed: Ere Mela Mela
  • Hector Zazou: Reivax au Bongo
1987
  • Minimal Compact: The Figure One Cuts
  • Tuxedomoon: You
  • Minimal Compact: Lowlands Flight
  • Sussan Deyhim & Richard Horowitz: Desert Equations
  • Yasuaki Shimizu: Music For Commercials
  • John Lurie: Down By Law
  • Daniel Schell & Karo: If Windows They Have
  • Karen Finley: The Truth Is Hard To Swallow
  • Tuxedomoon: Suite en Sous-Sol/Time To Lose/Short Stories
1988
  • Bel Canto: White Out Conditions
  • Colin Newman: It Seems
  • Sonoko: La Débutante
  • Benjamin Lew: Nebka
  • Tuxedomoon: Pinheads on the Move
1989
  • Minimal Compact: Live
  • Zazou Bikaye: Guilty
  • Dominic Sonic: Cold Tears
  • Peter Principle: Tone Poems
  • Samy Birnbach/Benjamin Lew: When God Was Famous
  • Various Artists: Sampleur et Sans Reproche
  • Bleep : The North Pole By Submarine
1990
  • Bel Canto: Birds Of Passage
  • Hector Zazou: Géologies
  • Steven Brown/Delphine Seyrig: De doute et de grâce
  • Peter Scherer & Arto Lindsay: Pretty Ugly
  • Zelwer: La fiancée aux yeux de bois
  • Foreign Affair: East On Fire
  • Fred Frith: The Top Of His Head
  • Gabor G.Kristof: Le cri du lézard
  • Steve Shehan: Arrows
  • Daniel Schell & Karo: Le Secret de Bwlch
  • Tuxedomoon: Divine, soundtrack for a Maurice Béjart ballet
1991
  • Dominique Dalcan: Entre l'étoile et le carré
  • Classic Swede Swede: Toleki Bango
  • Taraf de Haïdouks: Musique des Tziganes de Roumanie
  • Ramuntcho Matta: Domino One
  • Bobvan: Loonychip Classics
  • Michel Moers: Fishing Le Kiss
  • Seigen Ono: Nekonotopia Nekonomania
  • Zap Mama: Zap Mama
  • Hector Zazou: Sahara Blue feat. John Cale, Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian...
1992
  • Bel Canto: Shimmering Warm and Bright
  • David Cunningham: Water
  • Various Artists: Roots Of Rumba Rock 1
  • The Gruesome Twosome : Candy For Strangers
  • Les Snuls: Les Snuls, bien entendu
1993
  • Sainkho : Out of Tuva
  • Bobvan: Water Dragon
  • Various Artists: Roots Of OK Jazz
  • Brion Gysin: Self-Portrait Jumping
  • Tuxedomoon: Solve et Coagula
  • Benjamin Lew: Le Parfum du Raki
  • Lone Kent: Granite & Sand
  • Avalon: Earth Water Air Fire
1994
  • Ramuntcho Matta: 2 l'Amour
  • Various Artists: Freezone 1: The Phenomenology Of Ambient
  • Zap Mama: Sabsylma
  • Dominique Dalcan: Cannibale
  • Taraf de Haïdouks: Honourable Brigands, Magic Horses & Evil Eye
  • Solar Quest: Orgship
  • Various Artists: Around The Day in 80 Worlds, compiled by DJ Morpheus a.k.a. Samy Birnbach
  • Purna Das Baul & Bauls Of Bengal
  • Various Artists: Jungle Vibes
  • Various Artists: Renegade Selector
1995
  • 4hero Parallel Universe
  • John Lurie National Orchestra: Men With Sticks
  • Harold Budd & Hector Zazou: Glyph
  • Various Artists: Freezone 2: Variations On A Chill, compiled by DJ Morpheus a.k.a. Samy Birnbach
  • Various Artists: Miscellaneous
  • Various Artists: Jungle Vibes 2
  • Various Artists: Roots Of Rumba Rock 2
  • Bio Muse: Wrong
  • Zelwer: Les dieux sont fâchés/The Gods Are Angry
  • Aural Expansion: Surreal Sheep
1996
  • Tek 9: It's Not What You Think It Is !!?!
  • Snooze: The Man In The Shadow
  • Various Artists: Freezone 3: Horizontal Dancing, 23 exclusives by Herbert, Kruder&Dorfmeister, Carl Craig...
  • Various Artists: Miscellaneous, The 2nd Edition
  • Endemic Void Equations
  • Hugo: La Formule
  • Aural Expansion: Remixed Sheep
  • Various Artists: Moving House, compiled by DJ Geoffroy a.k.a. Mugwump
  • Various Artists: Junglized
  • Various Artists: The Deepest Shade Of Techno, compiled by 4hero
  • Ziryab Trio: Mashreq Classics
1997
  • Carl Craig More Songs About Food And Revolutionary Art
  • Barbara Gogan with Hector Zazou: Made On Earth
  • Various Artists: Freezone 4: Dangerous Lullabies, 22 exclusives by Basement Jaxx, Rhythm And Sound, Thievery Corporation...
  • Juryman vs Spacer: Mail-Order Justice
  • Tuxedomoon: The Ghost Sonata
  • Kočani Orkestar: L'Orient est rouge
  • Elixir: Alien Rainbow
  • Meira Asher: Dissected
  • Qmoog: The Arc Of Blueness
  • Subject 13: The Black Steele Project
  • Tao: Esoteric Red
  • Various Artists: Moving House 2, compiled by DJ Geoffroy a.k.a. Mugwump
  • Various Artists: Lysergic Factory, compiled by DJ Morpheus
1998
  • Taraf de Haïdouks: Dumbala Dumba
  • Buckfunk 3000: First Class Ticket To Telos
  • Auto Repeat: The Unbearable Lightness Of Auto-Repeating
  • Circadian Rhythms: Internal Clock
  • Various Artists: Freezone 5: The Radio Is Teaching My Goldfish Ju-Jitsu, 21 exclusives by Shawn J.Period, Jigmastas, Joe Claussell...
  • Bossacucanova: Revisited Classics
  • Telex: I Don't Like Music, a collection of remixes
  • Various Artists: Moving House 3, compiled by DJ Geoffroy a.k.a. Mugwump
  • Various Artists: If U Can Beat 'Em, Break 'Em, compiled by DJ Morpheus
  • Various Artists: Phax'n'Phixion, The Nu Hip Hop Underground, compiled by DJ Morpheus
  • Various Artists: Junglized 2
  • Various Artists: The Family Album, exclusive tracks by artists on the Language label
  • Kevin Saunderson: Faces & Phases
1999
  • Telex: I Don't Like Music 2, a collection of remixes
  • Meira Asher: Spears Into Hooks
  • Various Artists: Freezone 6: Fourth Person Singular, 22 exclusives by Alex Gopher, Stacey Pullen, Mark Pritchard...
  • Zuco 103: Outro Lado
  • Phosphorus: Pillar Of Salt
  • Various Artists: Brasil 2mil - The Soul Of Bass-O-Nova
  • Suba : São Paulo Confessions
  • Niko Marks & Eddie Fowlkes: City Boy Players
  • Various Artists: Moving House At Food Club
  • Various Artists: Tags Of The Times 2.0
  • Various Artists: The Beyond Real Experience, produced and compiled by DJ Spinna
  • Various Artists: Electric Kingdom - New Skool Breaks & Electro
  • Various Artists If It's Not 100% U.K. Hip Hop You Can Have Your Money Back, compiled by Tony Thorpe & Dave Watts
2000
  • Bebel Gilberto: Tanto Tempo
  • Sandy Dillon & Hector Zazou: 12
  • Tek 9: Simply
  • Juryman: The Hill
  • Le PM: Les Petits Chefs
  • Sussan Deyhim: Madman of God
  • Various Artists: In My Bag, compiled by DJ Morpheus
2001
  • Taraf de Haïdouks: Band of Gypsies
  • Zuco 103: The Other Side of Outro Lado
  • Various Artists: Freezone: Seven Is Seven Is, 23 exclusives by Cibelle, Kid Koala, Tim 'Love' Lee...
  • Trio Mocotó: Samba Rock
  • Various Artists: Samba Soul 70
  • Snooze: Goingmobile
  • Bossacucanova: Brasilidade
  • Bebel Gilberto: Tanto Tempo Remixes
2002
  • Kočani Orkestar: Alone at my Wedding
  • Suba : Tributo
  • Zuco 103: Tales of High Fever
  • Juryman: Escape To Where
  • Sussan Deyhim/Bill Laswell: Shy Angels
  • Various Artists: Ziriguiboom: The Now Sound Of Brazil
2003
  • Electric Gypsyland 1
  • Cibelle: Cibelle
  • Celso Fonseca: Natural
  • Benjamin Lew: Compiled Electronic Landscapes
  • Zuco 103: One Down, One Up
2004
  • Bebel Gilberto: Bebel Gilberto
  • Tuxedomoon: Cabin In The Sky
  • Tuxedomoon: Seismic Riffs
  • Mahala Rai Banda: Mahala Rai Banda
  • Trio Mocotó: Beleza! Beleza!! Beleza!!!
  • Bossacucanova: Uma Batida Diferente
  • Konono Nº1: Congotronics
  • Minimal Compact: Returning Wheel
2005
  • Celso Fonseca: Rive Gauche Rio
  • Bebel Gilberto: Bebel Gilberto Remixed
  • Apollo Nove: Res Inexplicata Volans feat. Cibelle, Seu Jorge etc.
  • DJ Dolores: Aparelhagem
  • Zuco 103: Whaa!
  • Cibelle: About A Girl EP
  • Various Artists: Ziriguiboom: The Now Sound Of Brazil 2
  • Taraf de Haïdouks: The Continuing Adventures Of...
  • Congotronics 2, Buzz'n'Rumble in the Urb'n'Jungle, feat. Konono No.1, Kasai Allstars, Basokin...
2006
  • Tartit Abacabok
  • Think Of One: Trafico
  • Cibelle:The Shine Of Dried Electric Leaves
  • Electric Gypsyland 2
  • Tuxedomoon: Bardo Hotel Soundtrack
  • Hugo: La Nuit des Balançoires
  • Wise In Time: The Ballad of Den The Men
  • Various Artists: Roots Of Rumba Rock 1+2
2007
  • Tuxedomoon: Vapour Trails
  • Tuxedomoon: 77o7 TM
  • Bebel Gilberto: Momento
  • Taraf de Haïdouks: Maskarada
  • Flat Earth Society: Psychoscout
  • Balkan Beat Box: Nu Med
  • Think Of One: Camping Shaabi
  • Shantel Disko Partizani!
  • Konono Nº1: Live At Couleur Cafe
  • Various Artists: Sex & The Single Rabbit
2008
  • Kasai Allstars In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish...
  • Kočani Orkestar: The Ravished Bride
  • DJ Dolores: 1 Real
  • Allá Es Tiempo
  • Balkan Beat Box: Nu-Made
  • Lonely Drifter Karen Grass Is Singing
  • U-cef: Halalwood
  • Hector Zazou & Swara: In The House Of Mirrors
2009
  • Staff Benda Bilili Tres Tres Fort
  • Bossacucanova: Ao Vivo
  • Mocky Saskamodie
  • Shantel:Planet Paprika
  • Chicha Libre: Sonido Amazonico!
  • Les Tueurs de la lune de miel : Special Manubre
  • Akron/Family Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free
  • Megafaun Gather, Form & Fly
  • Flat Earth Society: Cheer Me, Perverts
  • Zeep People & Things
2010
  • Konono N°1 Assume Crash Position
  • Lonely Drifter Karen: Fall Of Spring
  • Balkan Beat Box: Blue Eyed Black Boy
  • Cibelle: Las Venus Resort Palace Hotel
  • Axel Krygier: Pesebre
  • Various Artists: The Roots Of Chicha 2
  • Radioclit Presents: The Sound Of Club Secousse
  • Tradi-Mods vs Rockers: Alternative Takes on Congotronics feat. Deerhoof, Andrew Bird, Juana Molina, Micachu, Glenn Kotche & more
  • Megafaun: Heretofore
2011
  • Skeletons: People
  • Taraf de Haïdouks & Kočani Orkestar: Band of Gypsies 2
  • Hoquets: Belgotronics
  • Various Artists: The Karindula Sessions
  • Tuxedomoon: Unearthed, previously unreleased music and videos
  • Megafaun: Megafaun
  • The Real Tuesday Weld: The Last Werewolf
  • La Chiva Gantiva: Pelao
  • Maïa Vidal: God Is My Bike
  • Baloji: Kinshasa Succursale
2012
  • Zita Swoon Group: Wait For Me
  • Lonely Drifter Karen: Poles
  • Balkan Beat Box: Give
  • Jagwa Music: Bongo Hotheads
  • Chicha Libre: Canibalismo
  • Staff Benda Bilili: Bouger Le Monde
  • SKIP&DIE: Riots In The Jungle
2013
  • Amatorski: TBC
  • Maïa Vidal: Spaces
  • NYNKE: Alter
  • Yasmine Hamdan: Ya Nass
  • Cibelle : ∆UNBINDING∆
  • SKIP&DIE : Remixed Riots
  • Amatorski : re:tbc
  • Brown Reininger Bodson : Clear Tears | Troubled Waters
  • Juana Molina : Wed 21
2014
  • La Chiva Gantiva: Vivo
  • OY: No Problem Saloon
  • Amatorski: from clay to figures
  • Tuxedomoon: Pink Narcissus
  • Kasai Allstars: Beware The Fetish
  • Juana Molina: Segundo
  • Juana Molina: Tres Cosas
  • Juana Molina: Son
  • Juana Molina: Un día
  • Chancha Via Circuito: Amansara
  • Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul: Ex-Futur Album
  • Jozef Van Wissem: It Is Time For You To Return
2015
  • Taraf de Haïdouks: Of Lovers, Gamblers and Parachute Skirts
  • Axel Krygier: Hombre de piedra
  • SKIP&DIE: Cosmic Serpents
  • Bérangère Maximin: Dangerous Orbits
  • Soapkills: The Best of Soapkills
  • Maïa Vidal: You're The Waves
  • Tuxedomoon & Cult With No Name: Blue Velvet Revisited
  • Tuxedomoon: The Vinyl Box
2016
  • Konono N°1: Konono N°1 meets Batida
  • Various Artists: Give Me New Noise: Half-Mute Revisited
  • Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul: Je pleure tout le temps EP
  • OY: Space Diaspora
  • Acid Arab: Musique de France
  • Aquaserge: Guerre EP
  • Fauna Twin: The Hydra EP
  • Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul: 16 Visions of Ex-Futur
2017
  • Lula Pena: Archivo Pittoresco
  • Aquaserge: Laisse ça être
  • Le Ton Mité: Passé composé futur conditionnel
  • Yasmine Hamdan: Al Jamilat
  • Kasai Allstars: Around Félicité
  • Juana Molina: Halo
  • Matias Aguayo & The Desdemonas: Sofarnopolis
  • Juana Molina: Un día
  • Yasuaki Shimizu: Music For Commercials
  • Zazou Bikaye CY1: Noir et Blanc
2018
  • Aksak Maboul: Un peu de l'âme des bandits
  • Aquaserge: Déjà-vous?
  • Lio: Lio canta Caymmi
  • Yasmine Hamdan: Jamilat Reprise
  • Nova Materia: It Comes
  • Don The Tiger: Matanzas
2019
  • Scott Gilmore: Two Roomed Motel
  • Ekiti Sound: Abeg No Vex
  • Stubbleman: Mountains And Plains
  • Band Apart: Band Apart
  • Matias Aguayo: Support Alien Invasion
  • Juana Molina: Forfun EP
  • Zap Mama: Adventures in Afropea
  • Various Artists: Kinshasa 1978 - feat. Konono No.1, Sankayi, Martin Meissonnier
2020
  • Doctor Fluorescent: Doctor Fluorescent
  • Aksak Maboul: Figures
  • Zenobia: Halak, Halak
  • Nihiloxica: Kaloli
  • Ekiti Sound: Abeg No Vex Remixes vol.1
  • Stubbleman: The Blackbird Tapes
  • Nova Materia: Live At Home
2021
2023
  • Acid Arab: Trois
  • Aksak Maboul: Une aventure de VV
  • Ensemble 0: Jojoni
  • Ekiti Sound: Drum Money
  • Nihiloxica: Source of Denial
2024
  • Amatorski: Curves and Bends, Things Veer
  • Aquaserge: Le fin de l'économie
2025
  • Stubbleman: 1:46:43 - The Ventoux Trilogy
  • Yasmine Hamdan: I Remember I Forget
  • Los Pulpitos: Octopean Union EP
  • Aksak Maboul: Before Aksak Maboul
  • Duid: Let's Duid
Crammed Samplers
  • It's A Crammed, Crammed World 1
  • It's A Crammed, Crammed World 2
  • The World According To Crammed
  • Crammed Global Soundclash 80-89
  • 20 Ways To Float Through Walls, a selection of tracks released between 2001 & 2007
  • It's A Crammed, Crammed World 3, tracks from 2008/2009
  • Crammed Walks With The Animals, tracks with titles containing animal names
  • Crammed Goes To The Movies'', tracks from or inspired by films