Dindisc (often rendered DinDisc) was a UK record label, an imprint of

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

but operating semi-independently, which issued new releases from mid-1979 through early 1982. It is no longer active, but CD reissues on Virgin still mention the label and have Dindisc catalogue numbers. The imprint was founded and run by Carol Wilson, who had previously discovered

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

and signed him to Virgin's music publishing company. Talking about the signing of

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboar ...

to Dindisc, she later said: "OMD were a perfect fit for what I had in mind for DinDisc — they had a serious, artistic side with real depth, as well as a commercial, pop side. That duality was reflected in all the early DinDisc signings, like Martha and the Muffins, and then the Monochrome Set."''Shadowplayers'', p.66. Many of the company's sleeves were designed by the in-house designer Peter Saville. Saville had started at

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, the Durutt ...

, but came to Wilson's attention when she signed Factory band OMD; she had been particularly interested by Saville's thermographic paper sleeve for the Factory release of "Electricity". Saville delivered the artwork for the Dindisc release of "Electricity" and asked Wilson if Dindisc needed an art director. Saville and Ben Kelly won a Designers and Art Directors Award for their work on the album ''

''. The label's first release (DIN-1) was "Where's the Boy for Me" by

the Rezillos The Rezillos are a punk/ new wave band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1976. Although emerging at the same time as other bands in the punk rock movement, the Rezillos did not share the nihilism or social commentary of their contemporaries, bu ...

, released in September 1979. The label's most notable chart successes included

Martha and the Muffins Martha and the Muffins are a Canadian rock band, active from 1977 to the present. Although they only had one major international hit single "Echo Beach" under their original band name, they had a number of hits in their native Canada, and the c ...

' "

Echo Beach "Echo Beach" is a song recorded by the Canadian group Martha and the Muffins in 1979. Written by band member Mark Gane, it was released as a single from their album ''Metro Music'' in 1980 and went on to reach number 5 in Canada, number 6 in Aust ...

" (UK #5 in 1980) and several early singles by OMD, including "Enola Gay", "Souvenir", "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)", all of which hit the UK top 10 in 1980/81. The label ceased operations after the release of

Hot Gossip Hot Gossip (1974–86) were a British dance troupe who made television appearances and in 1978 backed Sarah Brightman on her single "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper". Formation Arlene Phillips moved to London to learn and teach developin ...

's "I Don't Depend on You" (DIN-39) in February 1982, after Wilson failed to obtain a shareholding. The

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboar ...

single "

Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc) "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" is a song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released in 1982 as the third single from their third studio album, '' Architecture & Morality''. To prevent confusion with the group's ...

" had the final number in catalogue sequence (DIN-40), but was actually released a few weeks earlier, in January 1982. The dissolution of Dindisc led to Saville and

Brett Wickens Brett Wickens (born April 15, 1961 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a British-Canadian creative director known for his work with identity design. He is a partner for the Ammunition Design Group, and is currently living and working in the San Francisco ...

establishing their own studio, Peter Saville Associates.''Shadowplayers'', p.212.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Sources

References

{{Authority control 1979 establishments in the United Kingdom 1982 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Virgin Records Rock record labels Pop record labels New wave record labels Post-punk record labels Defunct record labels of the United Kingdom

Discography

Albums

Singles

See also

Sources

References