Warp Records
Warp Records is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by Steve Beckett, Robert Mitchell and Robert Gordon. It specialises in electronic, indie rock and experimental music, and has released records by acts including Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada, Squarepusher, Brian Eno, Broadcast, Flying Lotus, Maxïmo Park, !!!, Battles and Grizzly Bear.
Warp began as a record shop in 1987, and released its first record, "Track With No Name" by Gordon's band Forgemasters, in 1989. In the early 1990s, Warp became associated with the UK's bleep scene, releasing music by acts such as LFO, Sweet Exorcist and Nightmares on Wax. Rather than releasing dance singles by short-lived acts, Warp prioritised albums and artist longevity. In 1992, it released Artificial Intelligence, a compilation of tracks by various artists that helped establish intelligent dance music, a genre of electronic music intended for home listening rather than dancing.
Gordon left in 1991 and Mitchell died in 2001, leaving Beckett as the head. Warp moved to London in 2000. Over the following decade, it expanded its roster to include rock, hip-hop, film soundtracks, neoclassical music and ambient music. In 2001, Warp established a film production company, Warp Films, initially to release films by Chris Cunningham and Chris Morris. In 2004, Warp launched Bleep, one of the first download stores.
Warp is associated with the experimental electronic music of acts such as Aphex Twin, Autechre and Boards of Canada, but has influenced artists of other genres, such as the rock band Radiohead. Publications such as The Independent, ''The Guardian and Resident Advisor'' described it as one of the most influential and respected independent labels. In 2017, Beckett received the Pioneer Award at the AIM Independent Music Awards.
History
1980s record shop origins
In the mid-1980s, Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell, then in their early twenties, were active in the music scene of Sheffield, England. Beckett described 1980s Sheffield, once a major industrial town, as "run-down and industrial". Sheffield's steel manufacturing was in decline, and abandoned warehouses were being used for illegal raves as part of the growing subculture of club music and acid house. Sheffield had produced electronic bands including the Human League, Heaven 17 and Cabaret Voltaire.Beckett and Mitchell worked at FON, a record store on Division Street that was a focal point of Sheffield's music scene. According to Beckett, the shop mainly sold indie and alternative records before expanding to imports from electronic Chicago house records. Beckett had a background in indie rock, and discovered electronic music while working in FON. FON also operated a recording studio used by artists such as David Bowie, Yazz and Chakk.
In 1987, Beckett and Mitchell partnered with the Sheffield musician and producer Robert Gordon to refit the FON shop as Warp Records, funded by selling tickets for events at the University of Sheffield. They originally named the store Warped Records, but this was difficult to hear over a telephone. The shop specialised in imports released by American dance labels such as Transmat, Metroplex, Trax Records and Underground Resistance, which sold out quickly.
First singles and bleep
Mitchell and Beckett felt there was a market for dance music created by Sheffield musicians, which they felt "sounded fresher" than music being created in the US at the time. In 1989, Warp released its first single, "Track With No Name" by Gordon's band Forgemasters. Financed through a grant from the government's Enterprise Allowance Scheme, they pressed 500 white label copies and distributed them to shops around the UK by car, selling out in a week.Beckett conceived Warp as a northern independent label similar to Factory Records, sharing 50% of their profits with artists. The Sheffield company Designers Republic created Warp's logo and distinctive purple record packaging. According to Resident Advisor, the packaging became "instantly recognisable in an age when dance music was becoming increasingly disposable", and DMY described it as "at one moment garish and brutal, the next pristine and beautiful". Beckett said they did not necessarily think they were creating a record label and instead wanted to see if they could "have an effect". However, they discovered the market was larger than they expected.
In 1990, Warp released successful dance singles by acts including Nightmares on Wax, LFO, Sweet Exorcist and Tricky Disco. The singles received attention from the influential BBC DJ John Peel. Warp became associated with bleep, a "minimal, funky" subgenre of techno emerging in Sheffield. Resident Advisor described bleep as a "distinctly British mutation of techno that married the weighty sub-bass of 'steppers' reggae with the rush of rave culture and futuristic vision of Detroit techno". Beckett connected bleep to the advent of music technology such as samplers and software such as Logic, and said its sound evoked the Sheffield steelworks: "You'd almost see sparks and hear anvils clanging." The journalist Richard King described bleep as "an evocation of the nocturnal energy of an industrial city in decline, whose empty, industrial spaces were being turned into illegal and autonomous party zones".
Jarvis Cocker, a member of the Sheffield band Pulp, created music videos for Warp acts between 1990 and 1993. Warp created an imprint, Gift Records, to release acts by pop and rock records including Pulp. After releasing some early Pulp singles, Gift closed after Pulp signed to Island Records.
Album focus
Warp signed a deal with the London label Rhythm King to distribute records. Beckett and Mitchell regretted the deal, as it did not grant them royalties. Coming close to bankruptcy, Warp signed a new distribution deal with Pinnacle Entertainment. Warp resolved to remain independent and focus on building artists and longevity with albums rather than releasing singles by short-lived acts. Mitchell said many dance acts struggled with the album format: "There's a big difference between a compilation album and an album you put on and don't take off until the final track's played, which is what we're after doing." They also elected not to release rave music, which was popular at the time, a decision Beckett said bolstered Warp's reputation for ignoring convention.In 1991, Warp released its first album, CCCD by Sweet Exorcist. It was followed by Frequencies by LFO, cited by Beckett as a turning point for Warp. As of 1993, Frequencies had sold 80,000 copies, half in the US. The success saved Warp from bankruptcy. Warp used marketing techniques from rock, arranging mentions in the indie music magazine NME and encouraging their acts to tour. In 1991, Gordon left Warp following disagreements with Beckett and Mitchell.
''Artificial Intelligence'' and intelligent dance music
In 1992, Warp released Artificial Intelligence, a compilation of tracks by artists such as Aphex Twin, Autechre, B12, Plaid, the Black Dog and Richie Hawtin. Unlike other electronic music of the time, the music was intended to be listened to at home rather than in clubs. The Guardian wrote that it "announced techno as music for the mind as well as the feet".Though Warp proposed the term "electronic listening music", Artificial Intelligence popularised a genre that instead became known as electronica or intelligent dance music. Though the IDM term was criticised as denigrating other forms of dance music, it endured. Artificial Intelligence is credited for introducing electronic music to rock listeners, particularly in the US, and helped launch the careers of Aphex Twin, Autechre and Hawtin.
Warp continued to prioritise albums, with releases by acts including Aphex Twin, Richard H. Kirk, Squarepusher, Seefeel, the Black Dog, Autechre, Sabres of Paradise and B12. In 1994, Warp released Artificial Intelligence II, accompanied by an hour-long music video on VHS and LaserDisc, Warp Motion, created by the Sheffield artist Phil Wolstenholme. Resident Advisor described the video as "a pioneering attempt to mix music and cutting-edge 3D computer animation".The Independent described Aphex Twin as Warp's most important artist, creating its "creative commercial core", as the Smiths had done for Rough Trade and Arctic Monkeys later did for Domino. Though Aphex Twin also released work through Rephlex Records, Warp released his most successful releases, Richard D. James Album and the singles "Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker".
In 1996, Chantal Passamonte, who also worked as Warp's press officer, became the first female Warp artist with her debut EP, Ilanga, released under the name Mira Calix. Passamonte was critical of the gender imbalance, but said it came from "a lack of women putting themselves forward and a lack of opportunity" rather than hostility at Warp. In 1998, Warp signed the electronic duo Boards of Canada, whose debut album, Music Has the Right ''to Children'', released that year, became a defining album in British music.
Online sales
Warp was an early adopter of internet for commerce. In 1996, Warp launched the online store Warpmart to sell physical products. The Warp Records shop closed in 1997 and was sold to the retailer Fopp. In 1999, Warp's tenth anniversary, it released the compilation album Influences, Classics & Remixes. In January 2000, Warp relocated to London to facilitate better access to the wider music industry. That year, Warp signed an album deal with the filmmaker Vincent Gallo. It also released a compilation of sketches from the surreal comedy radio series Blue Jam by Chris Morris, which Vice described as Warp's "boldest act of diversification".In 2003, Billboard reported that Warp had annual revenues at US$10 million, with Warpmart contributing 10%. In 2004, Warp launched Bleep, one of the first download stores, and made its entire catalogue available to purchase. Its prices were slightly higher than competing online stores such as iTunes, and its MP3s were available at a variable bitrate of 205 kbit/s, higher than the more common 160 kbit/s of the period. Unlike other labels at the time, Bleep sold files free of digital rights management restrictions. The Register wrote that this was a "positive statement" demonstrating faith in its catalogue and customers.
Beckett estimated that Warpmart and Bleep generated 25% of Warp's turnover as of 2007. In January 2009, Warp merged Warpmart into Bleep, selling records from more than 300 independent labels, including Beggars Banquet, Domino and !K7. That year, Warp reported that Bleep had sold more than 1.8 million downloads.