How to Help Labels Affected by London Riots – 6 Records You Should Own

As many of you many have heard, a Sony/PIAS distribution warehouse in London burned down to the ground during the riots earlier this week. Many labels we love suffered significant losses and you can see the full list of those impacted below.

Some of the individual labels have released information about their situations (you can read it here on Pitchfork), but we decided to take the most positive path we could think of and just highlight some of the great bands and albums issued by these labels. If you’re so inclined, please purchase one or a few.

A HUGE thanks to KCRW DJ Eric J Lawrence for his recommendations:

1) Brownswood Recordings – Jose James

Brownswood Recordings is acclaimed DJ Gilles Peterson’s own label, and while they are strong advocates for the vinyl revolution, under the circumstances I’m sure they would love to offer you a download of Jose James’ masterful neo-soul/jazz debut album, “The Dreamer.” And you in turn will love your purchase!

2) Finders Keepers – Pomegranates

Finders Keepers & its ancillary labels specialize in releasing some of the most amazing and most obscure records in the world. Run by some serious musical archivists, such as Doug Shipton and sometimes-Badly Drawn Boy collaborator Andy Votel, they unearth some incredible musical gems, such as can be found on “Pomegranates,” a collection of mind-blowing pre-revolutionary pop songs from Iran. (Hear Tom Schnabel interview the producers of this album here.

3) Memphis Industries – Field Music

Memphis Industries is the UK label home for bands such as The Go! Team, Colourmusic, El Perro Del Mar, Black Moth Super Rainbow and many others. They are also home to Field Music, whose entire catalog can be found for sale at their website. Click on the “MORE FORMATS” link under each release to get to the digital downloads.

4) Brainfeeder – Tokimonsta

Although Brainfeeder doesn’t sell their records via download directly through their website, they are available on iTunes, such as Tokimonsta’s “Creature Dreams” EP. Otherwise they do have some nifty t-shirts, including a nice Thundercat one that will mark you as a forward thinking individual, as Thundercat’s album doesn’t come out until the end of the month. But when it does, everyone will be talking about it!

5) Full Time Hobby –White Denim

Full Time Hobby is a London-based label, so I’m sure the troubles there have hit them hard, both in terms of losing their merchandise in the fire, but even just seeing the turmoil in their hometown. Thankfully music can heal many wounds, and with a roster such as theirs, with bands like Tuung, Let’s Wrestle, Erland and the Carnival, Fujiya & Miyagi, The Leisure Society, Timber Timbre, White Denim and others, your purchase could do some serious healing.

6) Soul Jazz Records – all of them!

Another terrific reissue label, Soul Jazz is at its best when they expertly summarize a particular genre (or sub-genre) with a disc or two of the best songs in that genre. From Brazilian tropicalia to Jamaican dancehall to NYC no wave to Southern swamp rock, Soul Jazz covers it all, with their compilations serving as excellent jumping off points for future musical discoveries. So get started on your own sonic journey here!

Editor’s Note: A source close to some of these labels tells me most would prefer fans buying music directly from their websites or local record stores — rather than via iTunes, etc – if at all possible.

PIAS Labels:

[PIAS] Recordings

[PIAS] Recordings Belgium

4AD

A Camp

Absynthe Minded

Accidental

AEI Music

Air Recordings

ALC Music

Alsation

Ambush Reality

Ancient & Modern

Angular Recording Corporation

Arcady Records

Ark Recordings

Asthmatic Kitty Records

Atlantic Jaxx Recordings

Bad Magic

Balling The Jack

Banquet Records

Battered Ornaments Records

Beggars Banquet

Best Before

Big Brother

Big Dada

Bird Records

blackmaps

Bloody Chamber

Blowout Music

Blue Chopsticks

Border Community

Borstal Beats

Boysnoize Records

BPM

Brainfeeder

Brassland

Bright Star Recordings

Brille

Broken Sound Music

Bronzerat

Brothers and Sisters

Brownswood Recordings

Buzzin’ Fly

Cache Cache

Cadenza Records

Celluloid Records

Chalkmark / IE

Chemikal Underground Records

Cocoon

Control Tower

Counter Records

Dance To The Radio

Dead Oceans

Deceptive

Defenders Ent UK

DESOLAT

Dessous

Different

Dirtee Stank

Divine Comedy Records

Domino Records

Double Six Records

Drag City

Dreambrother

Drive Thru Records

Drowned In Sound

Dummy Records

Duophonic

Eat Sleep Records

Fabric Worldwide

Fake Diamonds

FantasyTrashcan

Fatcat Records

Fence

Feraltone

Finders Keepers Records

Flock Music

Flying Circus

Freerange Records

Friends Vs Records

Full Pupp

Full Time Hobby

Gang Of Four Recordings

Geographic

Ghost Ship

Glaze Recordings

Groenland Records

G-Unit

Hardly Art

Hassle Records

Helpless

Hem Hem Records

HFN Music

Immune

Independiente

Infant

Infectious

Jagjaguwar

Kartel

Kitchenware

Kitsune

KMS Records / Fabric

Laughing Stock

Lex Records

Lipservice

Little Sister Recordings

LO-MAX Records

Loose Music

Lovepump United

Low Life Records

Lucky Number Music

Lucky Seven Records

Mantra

Matador

Memphis Industries

Merok

Metric Music International

Metroline Limited

Model Citizen

Moikai

Motion Audio

MyMajorLabel Ltd

Nation

Ninja Tune

No Quarter

NovaMute

Nusic Sounds

One Four Seven Records Ltd

One Little Indian

Organs

Outcaste

OVNI

P.I.L.

Peartree Records

PeMa

People In The Sky

People Tree

Pirates Blend Records Inc

Planet Function

Play It Again Sam

Playlouder

Poker Flat

Polyvinyl Records

Poseidon Records

Post Present

Pschent

Raw Canvas

Red Cord Records

REK’D

Rekids

Rekords Rekords

Renaissance

Reveal Records

Riverman Records

Rock Action Records

Roots Records

Rough Trade Records

Rubyworks

Sea Note

Search and Destroy

Secretly Canadian

Setanta

Shape

SideOneDummy Records

Silva Screen

Slam Dunk Records

Smekkleysa

Soma

Sonic Cathedral

Soul Jazz Records

South Paw

Southern Fried Records

Stereo Bang Media

Stolen Recordings

Stranger Records

Streamline

Sub Pop

Suicide Squeeze

Sunday Best

Thrill Jockey

Tirk

Too Pure

Torque Records

Touch & Go Records

Transmission Recordings

Tri Tone

Trouble Records

True Panther

Try Harder

Turnstile

Twisted Nerve Recordings

Universal Sound

Victory Records

Wagram

Wall of Sound

Warp

Watergate

We Love You

Wiiija

Willkommen Records Ltd

Wonderfulsound

XL

Xtra Mile Recordings

Yaala Yaala

Young Turks