Dan Koretzky, cofounder of Drag City Records, recalls receiving the 2,000-copy shipment of Royal Trux’s Twin Infinitives at the doorstep of his Erie Street apartment with a kind of optimistic trepidation. Released in 1990, the double LP was the embryonic label’s first big go of it; Drag City had only released a pair of seven-inch singles prior.
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More than 20 years later, after releasing albums by Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Joanna Newsom, Silver Jews, and whatever Ian Svenonius happened to be up to, Koretzky can probably buy himself a nice desk with actual legs and perhaps even a drawer or two. But back then, trekking up stairs carrying crates of records he was certain would “literally change the world,” Koretzky was deep in the do-it-your-own-damn-self mentality indie labels typically suffer before breaking through—or busting. Simply put, there’s a lot of heavy lifting involved.
Explore the roots of four other local labels (and give them a listen):»HoZac: The former zine that spawned the Blackout Fest and a healthy catalog of rock ‘n’ roll, garage, and scuzz»Chocolate Industries: An early education in IDM leads to a label that fuses hip-hop, rock, and soul»Peira: Forget turntables and a mike—how about three bass clarinets and a modular synthesizer?»Not Normal: A man, a woman, and a mission to document the midwest’s hardcore-punk scene
The minds behind Drag City, Thrill Jockey, and more explain, “This is how I’d run a label”: »Dan Koretzky, Drag City »Bettina Richards, Thrill Jockey »Matt Clark, Tic Tac Totally Records »Michael Frank, Earwig »Plus, a whole bunch more
The label I was privileged to be part of during my waning years of high school never quite reached the level of Drag City’s success—we released cassettes in batches of 50, which is almost like 2,000 double LPs—but the minuscule degree to which I learned the ropes has elevated my appreciation of every masochistic person who ever said, “Fuck it, I’ll just put the album out myself.”
Tune in:HoZac’s catalog of rock ‘n’ roll, garage, and scuzz • Chocolate Industries bridges IDM with hip-hop • Peira packages the abstract • Not Normal Tapes documents the midwest hardcore scene
