Chemikal Underground 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 ...

set up in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

at Glasgow, Scotland by rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties. When the second Chemikal Underground release by Bis, ''The Secret Vampire Soundtrack EP'' was successful, earning them a slot on '' Top of the Pops'', the label was able to expand. To date, ''The Secret Vampire Soundtrack'' is the only Top 40 hit released on Chemikal Underground. Further success followed with the debut albums by Mogwai and Arab Strap. Other bands on the Chemikal Underground roster included Magoo, Aereogramme,

Cha Cha Cohen Cha Cha Cohen was a band formed in 1994 by three members of The Wedding Present — Keith Gregory, Paul Dorrington and Simon Smith. After recruiting singer Jacqui Cohen (AKA Jaqi Dulany) from The Dustdevils they released a single, "Sparky' ...

Sluts of Trust Sluts of Trust are a two-piece rock outfit from Glasgow, Scotland, originally comprising John McFarlane (guitar, vocals) and Anthony O'Donnell (drums). O'Donnell was later replaced on drums by Roo Harris. History Early career Sluts of Trust w ...

Suckle Suckle may refer to: *Suckling, or Breastfeeding *Suckle (band), Scottish indie pop band *Richard Suckle Richard Suckle (born January 1969) is an American film producer. Suckle was one of several producers nominated for an Academy Award for Be ...

, the Radar Brothers and more recently

Mother and the Addicts Mother and The Addicts were a Glasgow-based band signed to Chemikal Underground Records, who formed in 2003. They have released two albums. History Originally inspired by bands like Dr. Feelgood and The Modern Lovers, their later material give ...

and De Rosa, as well as Arab Strap member

Malcolm Middleton Malcolm Bruce Middleton (born 31 December 1973) is a Scottish musician and member of indie band Arab Strap. He has also released seven solo studio albums and three albums performing under the pseudonym Human Don't Be Angry. Early life Middleto ...

's solo work. In 2000, they launched

Fukd ID Fukd ID is the name of an imprint on the Chemikal Underground record label, established to allow them to release a wider range of musical styles from artists who might not necessarily be signed to the label. Notable releases include the first E ...

to release limited edition (1000 each of CD and 12") singles by bands not necessarily on their roster, such as Interpol ( Fukd ID #3).

Artists

Adrian Crowley Adrian Crowley is a singer, composer, songwriter, lyricist from Galway, based in Dublin and was born in Sliema, Malta. Crowley has released eight albums to date, with his debut ''A Strange Kind'' arriving in 1999. He followed this with ''When ...

* Aereogramme * Aidan Moffat *Aloha Hawaii *Angil & the Hidden Tracks * Arab Strap *Backwater * Bis *

Conquering Animal Sound Conquering Animal Sound is a Glasgow-based electronic duo consisting of Anneke Kampman (vocals/music) and James Scott (music). The band's debut album ''Kammerspiel'' was released in February 2011 on Gizeh Records, and their sophomore "On Floatin ...

* De Rosa * The Delgados * Emma Pollock *

The Fruit Tree Foundation The Fruit Tree Foundation was a Scottish musical project founded by Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones and former Delgados vocalist and guitarist Emma Pollock in 2010. Created in conjunction with the Mental Health Foundation, the project's overall ...

* Holy Mountain * Loch Lomond * Magoo *

* Mogwai *

*Mount Wilson Repeater *

The Phantom Band The Phantom Band are a Scottish indie rock band based in Glasgow, consisting of Duncan Marquiss (guitar), Gerry Hart (bass), Andy Wake (keyboards), Rick Anthony (vocals and guitar), Iain Stewart (drums) and Greg Sinclair (guitars). They are of ...

* The Radar Brothers * Rick Redbeard *

RM Hubbert RM Hubbert (Robert McArthur Hubbert, born 12 May 1974 in Glasgow, Scotland), commonly known as Hubby, is a Scottish guitarist and singer. Best known for his solo work as RM Hubbert and as a member of Scottish post rock band El Hombre Trajeado, ...

*Sister Vanilla *

*Suckle * The Unwinding Hours * Yatsura *

Zoey Van Goey Zoey Van Goey were an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, made up of Matt Brennan, Michael John McCarthy, Kim Moore and Adam Scott. Brennan, McCarthy and Moore, hailing from Canada, Ireland and England respectively, formed the initial trio ...

Artists' opinions

Chris Connick from De Rosa stated that:

Chemikal Underground were a huge influence on my musical tastes when I was growing up. It was really exciting to hear bands such as Mogwai, The Delgados and Arab Strap, all guys who grew up in the same place as myself, write such amazing music, get played on the radio etc, and do it all off their own back. I hugely admire the members of The Delgados for starting Chemikal and affecting Scottish musical culture in such a positive manner. In fact, it was probably The Delgados that made me want to be in a band, so to have them as your ”boss” is a uniquely warm feeling. To even be considered in the same category as any of the label’s bands is a total honour and I am very proud to be linked to Chemikal Underground’s esteemed heritage.

While Rick Anthony, of

, noted that:

Chemikal Underground have been really pretty good to us so far and they have released some great records over the years - which makes you feel like they know what they are doing, and that they are in it for the right reasons. They all seem like good people as well, and they don’t meddle in the creative side of things at all.

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control British independent record labels Record labels established in 1994 Alternative rock record labels

Artists

Artists' opinions

See also

References

External links