Black Bell Records is an independent record label based in New York City. The label was started in 2010 and is owned by

Ayad Al Adhamy Ayad Al Adhamy ( ar, إياد الأعظمي) is an American multi-instrumentalist, producer and record label owner based in Brooklyn, New York. He is the former synthesizer, sample, and percussion player of Passion Pit, and shared remix duties ...

, who is member of the

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

band, Passion Pit.

History

The label was started to release the 8-track EP ''A Balloon Called Moaning'' by

The Joy Formidable The Joy Formidable is a Welsh people, Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 2007 in Mold, Flintshire, and currently based in London, England. The band consists of Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan (lead vocals, guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar, bass, ...

in the U.S. Jon Pareles of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised the EP and its "cryptic lyrics that glint with urgency." The album also earned critical raves from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' and '' Pitchfork''. Black Bell Records followed up with a one-off single with

Dom Dom or DOM may refer to: People and fictional characters * Dom (given name), including fictional characters * Dom (surname) * Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto * Dom people, an et ...

that also featured Madeline from

Cults In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

and was produced by Ayad Al Adhamy. This was the first 7" single in a series that included Boston garage-pop band Girlfriends, Hardly Art alumni Pretty & Nice and duo Secret Music. In support of

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

a limited run of 12" vinyl was made that included tracks by The Joy Formidable,

ARMS Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

, Normandy, and Soundcheck (a 50's rock and roll cover band started by Ayad Al Adhamy) Secret Music, Pretty & Nice and Dom. Black Bell Records signed a distribution deal with ILG/

Alternative Distribution Alliance Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) is a music distribution company owned by Warner Music Group, which represents the rights to various independent record labels. ADA provides "independent artist and label partners with access to the resource ...

in 2011 shortly after signing Secret Music, whose record would be Black Bell's first full-length album release on March 6, 2012.

Artists

*Girlfriends *

*Pretty & Nice *Secret Music *

Total Slacker Total Slacker is an American band from Brooklyn, New York. In their first year as a group, they released two singles on independent record labels both in the U.S. and Europe and played over 100 shows in New York, garnering the attention of press a ...

Stepdad (band) Stepdad is an American electronic/pop band based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. History Originally a duo, Stepdad was formed in Chicago, Illinois during the summer of 2009 when Mark Tafel and Ryan McCarthy, who were roommates at the time, began writ ...

References

External links

Official site
Indie rock record labels Indie pop record labels Record labels established in 2010 American independent record labels {{US-record-label-stub