Blackout! Records is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

which specializes in

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

. It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson and Jim Gibson. In 1989, the label released its album, a

New York hardcore New York hardcore (also known as NYHC) is both the hardcore punk music created in New York City and the subculture and lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Wa ...

compilation album entitled ''

Where the Wild Things Are ''Where the Wild Things Are'' is a 1963 children's picture book written and illustrated by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published in hardcover by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several tim ...

''. The album included tracks from

Sheer Terror Sheer Terror are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band was one of the first to combine elements of heavy metal with a hardcore punk base, pioneering a heavier style of hardcore that would create many bands in the followi ...

, Killing Time, and others. After this first release, Gibson amicably parted company to start his own record label, Noiseville Records. Blackout! continued to release more local hardcore, with EPs from Uppercut and Outburst, and a live single from

. This was followed by a mini album from Crawlpappy and the U.S. edition of the

album ''Just Can't Hate Enough''. Although the label released a pressing of a greatest hits from UK Oi! band The Business, a reissue of Rest In Pieces debut album, and EPs from The Icemen, American Standard, and

Outcrowd H2O is an American hardcore punk band formed in New York City in 1994. History Formation and the Epitaph years (1994–2000) While touring as a roadie for Sick of It All, Toby Morse would sometimes sing with the band during encores. In late ...

, there was a lull in activity during the beginning of the 1990s as the local hardcore scene became more prone to violence – a fact which compounded the temporary demise of one Blackout! band in particular, Killing Time. During this period Wilson established another imprint, Engine Records, which had a more indie rock sound, releasing multiple records, including the acclaimed

Fast Japanese Spin Cycle ''Fast Japanese Spin Cycle'' is an EP by Guided by Voices, released in 1994. This release finished tied for 3rd for the EP category in Robert Christgau's Pazz and Jop poll of 199 Track listing All songs written by Robert Pollard unless otherw ...

EP from Guided By Voices. In 1992, Blackout! returned to punk when they chanced upon a female-fronted band, The Goops, playing at

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

's and decided to release their records. The Goops toured with Rancid and after an appearance in the soundtrack to the

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...

film ''

Mallrats ''Mallrats'' is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, Joey Lauren Adams, Michael Rooker, and Smith as Silent Bob. ...

'', signed to Kinetic Records, a part of Reprise/Warner Brothers in 1995. During the same time,

signed to

MCA Inc. MCA Inc. (originally an initialism for Music Corporation of America) was an American media conglomerate founded in 1924. Originally a talent agency with artists in the music business as clients, the company became a major force in the film ind ...

The label also achieved its biggest independent success with the release of the debut album from H₂O in 1996. The band subsequently signed to

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...

. From around 1995 onwards, there was a general explosion of a new wave of

– not only on the east coast of America, but also the opposite coast, where

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

n labels

Indecision Records Indecision Records is an independent American hardcore punk record label, which was started by punk photographer and fanzine editor Dave Mandel in 1992 as an offshoot of his fanzine, ''Indecision''. It is based in Garden Grove, California, and ...

and Nitro Records started releasing product. Along with Blackout! and

Victory Records Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several record labels. It has featured many prominent artists including Thur ...

, they were the main independent punk record labels well into the new millennium. The label ended the 1990s with records from Killing Time,

Kill Your Idols Kill Your Idols is an American hardcore punk band from New York, active from 1995 through 2007 and again from 2013 to the present. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records. Their releases on SideOne were Funeral for a Feeling (2001), a split w ...

, and East Bay/ Berkeley bands

Redemption 87 Redemption 87 was an East Bay hardcore punk band containing ex-members of Unit Pride, Skankin' Pickle, and Token Entry. It also included future members of AFI and the Nerve Agents. Their goal was to reclaim "hardcore" from the crossover heavy me ...

and Powerhouse. The early part of the 2000s brought some new blood, including Crime In Stereo, NJ's The Banner, The Procedure, and The Commercials. The last official Blackout! release was ''The Fire Still Burns'' in 2005. Although no longer releasing new music, the label still maintains a blog at its website which is infrequently updated and has the catalog available digitally on Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody, and other major digital outlets through The Orchard. In 2016 the label released "The Bulldog Box", a five LP box set of

LPs, demos, and unheard early recordings. In 2019, Blackout! announced an expanded vinyl re-issues from

, Outburst, and Killing Time on their Instagram feed. An Outburst covers compilation, entitled Hot Shit Attitude, featuring current bands including Power Trip and Higher Power covering their favorite Outburst tracks, was released in January 2020.

Roster

* American Standard * At a Loss *

Awkward Thought Awkward Thought is a New York hardcore, New York hardcore punk band that was formed in the 1990s. After numerous compilation appearances and two demo tapes, Awkward Thought released their first full-length album ''Mayday'', consisting of sevente ...

* Bivouac (Engine Records) * Blind Society * Buzz Hungry (Engine Records) *

Breakdown Breakdown may refer to: Breaking down *Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated *Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components *Decompo ...

* Crawlpappy * Crime In Stereo *

Deadguy Deadguy is an American metalcore band from New Brunswick, New Jersey. The band formed in 1994 and disbanded in 1997. Deadguy is considered to have played an important role in the development of the mathcore genre, their sole studio album '' Fixati ...

(Engine Records) * Dish (Engine Records) *

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

* Guided By Voices (Engine Records) * H₂O *

* Killing Time *

M.O.D. M.O.D. (abbreviation for Method of Destruction) is an American crossover thrash band from New York City, fronted by Stormtroopers of Death vocalist Billy Milano. The band has been around for years (minus one hiatus from 1997 to 2001), and rele ...

* Outburst *

Plow United Plow United is an American punk rock formed in Wilmington, Delaware in 1992. They play fast punk rock with pop, thrashcore and hardcore influences. Their lyrics are sometimes labeled "emo" postfact. Band members are Brian McGee (vocals and g ...

* Powerhouse * Protagonist *

* Shadow Agency *

* Sweet Diesel (Engine Records) * The Banner * The Commercials * The Escaped * The Fire Still Burns * The Goops *

The Icemen The Icemen are an American hardcore punk and metal band from New York City. The band was founded in late 1982 by guitarist and songwriter Marco Abularach. He was later joined by Noah Evans on bass guitar and Mackie Jayson (Bad Brains, Cro-Mags) ...

The Procedure The Procedure is a New Jersey band that formed in 2001. The band features former Thursday and Purpose guitarist Bill Henderson. History The Procedure formed in 2001 at The College of New Jersey in Trenton, NJ. The band self-released a 4-song de ...

The Turbo A.C.'s The Turbo A.C.'s are an American punk rock band from New York City, United States, formed in 1995. The band's high-octane sound has led to comparisons with the likes of The Supersuckers and New Bomb Turks. Band history In 1996, the band relea ...

* Uppercut * Violent Society

Compilation Roster

* No Brain (feat members of

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, and Rancid) * The Swingin' Utters * The Bouncing Souls * Waterdog * 88 Fingers Louie * Murphy's Law * Trusty * Brody * Jughead's Revenge * Black Velvet Flag * Plow United * Sublime * Leeway

External links

Official site

Instagram
{{Authority control Record labels established in 1988 American independent record labels Hardcore record labels

Roster

Compilation Roster

See also

External links