Kscope 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 ...

that is part of

Snapper Music Snapper Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by former head of Castle Communications Jon Beecher, Dougie Dudgeon and funded by Mark Levinson from Palan Music Publishing. In 1999, Snapper broke away from its Palan parent company ...

, and a sister-label of

Peaceville Peaceville Records is a British independent heavy metal record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (of the bands Instigators and Civilised Society) in Dewsbury, England in 1987, who was also a one-time drummer of Sore Throat. ...

. It is dedicated to artists in the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

genre. The label has released albums by

Steven Wilson Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosio ...

and his projects

Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...

(mostly re-issue only),

No-Man No-Man are an English art pop duo, formed in 1987 as No Man Is an Island (Except the Isle of Man) by singer Tim Bowness and multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson. The band has so far produced seven studio albums and a number of singles/outtakes ...

and

Blackfield Blackfield is a collaborative music project by the English musician and founder of Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, and Israeli rock singer Aviv Geffen. Together, six albums have been released under the moniker. The first two records, ''Black ...

. In 2008 it branched out and has since signed the post-progressive artists

Anathema Anathema, in common usage, is something or someone detested or shunned. In its other main usage, it is a formal excommunication. The latter meaning, its ecclesiastical sense, is based on New Testament usage. In the Old Testament, anathema was a cr ...

Lunatic Soul Lunatic Soul is a progressive rock side-project, founded by Riverside vocalist and bass guitarist Mariusz Duda in 2008. Originally conceived to allow him to explore genres outside of rock, the project was described by Duda in 2014 as progressive, ...

and

Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album '' Bergtatt'', were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band h ...

, and progressive rock stalwart

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist, acoustic guitarist and leader of the British rock band Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist w ...

to their roster. In 2013, the Steven Wilson release ''

The Raven That Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) ''The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)'' is the third solo album by British musician Steven Wilson, released by Kscope Music Records on 25 February 2013. Each track on the album is based on a story of the supernatural. Alan Parso ...

'' received the Album of the Year award at the Progressive Music Awards.

History

Established in the late 1990s, the label was initially used exclusively by Wilson and Porcupine Tree. In this first incarnation, Kscope was featured as an outlet for the 1999 album ''

Stupid Dream ''Stupid Dream'' is the fifth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. It was first released in March 1999, and then re-released on 15 May 2006 due to the band's rising popularity on major record label Lava Records with thei ...

'', with Snapper Music as the distributor. It was followed by ''

Lightbulb Sun ''Lightbulb Sun'' is the sixth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released in May 2000, and later reissued in 2008 on CD, DVD-A surround sound, and vinyl. This album, along with their prior album '' Stupid Drea ...

'' in 2000 and a collection of left-over material ''

Recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

''. After the band signed up with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

in 2002, the name was used for Wilson's side projects. This included the albums ''

Together We're Stranger ''Together We're Stranger'' is No-Man's fifth studio album released by the Snapper Music label in 2003. The first four songs are linked to form a 28-minute suite of continuous music with recurring lyrical and musical themes. The remaining three ...

'' (2003) and the re-issue of the ''

Flowermouth ''Flowermouth'' is the second studio album by British duo No-Man, released in 1994 on the One Little Indian Records label, and subsequently reissued on September, 1999 by 3rd. Stone Ltd, and in a deluxe format by Snapper Music in February 2005. ...

'' (2005) by No-Man. It also released ''Blackfield'' (2004) and ''Blackfield II'' (2007)—a collaboration with

Aviv Geffen Aviv Geffen ( he, אביב גפן, born 10 May 1973) is an Israeli rock musician, singer, songwriter and the son of writer and poet Yehonatan Geffen and Nurit Makover, brother of actress Shira Geffen, and an alumnus of Rimon School of Jazz and Co ...

''.'' When Snapper Music acquired the earlier Porcupine Tree recordings from

Delerium Records Delerium Records was a British independent record label, that specialised in psychedelic music and which existed from 1991 to 2003, and was notable in promoting the careers of bands including Porcupine Tree, Ozric Tentacles, Kava Kava (band), ...

in 2006, a re-release programme was rolled out. At the same time, talks began to expand the remit of the label, and Wilson suggested to "have tfor releasing only new music. Just go after some of these ost progressivebands and model yourselves on those old ’70s labels, like

Harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

and Vertigo, howould allow artists to develop both musically and with a fan base over a period of albums”. As a result, Snapper music remodeled Kscope to focus on

post-progressive Post-progressive is a type of rock music distinguished from vintage progressive rock styles, specifically 1970s prog. Post-progressive draws upon newer developments in popular music and the avant-garde since the mid-1970s. It especially draws fro ...

music, with Wilson actively involved with the acts that were signed. One of the label's earliest signings was

The Pineapple Thief The Pineapple Thief are a British progressive rock band, started by Bruce Soord in 1999 in Somerset, England. History Early years Founder Bruce Soord started The Pineapple Thief as an outlet for his music back in 1999. Soord released the ...

after its frontman Bruce Soord was contacted by Wilson. The first release was the

Tightly Unwound ''Tightly Unwound'' (2008) is the seventh studio album by The Pineapple Thief, and their first album released by Kscope. All previous Pineapple Thief releases were published by Cyclops Records. Kscope dedicated a microsite to the album before i ...

album that received the catalogue number 101. Within two years Kscope built up its roster with Johnny Wilks commenting that by this stage "the label had really got going and we were working with Engineers, Gazpacho & Steven Wilson. I really felt we were establishing ourselves as a label". At the same time, Kscope continued to release Wilson related material, including

Schoolyard Ghosts ''Schoolyard Ghosts'' is the sixth studio album by British art rock band No-Man. Recorded in the UK, France, Sweden and the USA and released on 12 May 2008, the album features contributions from Bruce Kaphan (American Music Club, Red House Pai ...

by No-Man on 12 May 2008. A number of re-releases included the first solo album, ''Things Buried'', by

Richard Barbieri Richard Barbieri (born 30 November 1957) is an English musician, composer and sound designer. Originally a member of new wave band Japan (and their brief 1989–1991 reincarnation as Rain Tree Crow), more recently he is known as the keyboard ...

in 2007. In 2008 the band Anathema made their debut on the label with album

Hindsight Hindsight bias, also known as the knew-it-all-along phenomenon or creeping determinism, is the common tendency for people to perceive past events as having been more predictable than they actually were. People often believe that after an event ha ...

, while

from Poland and the Italian band

Nosound Nosound is an Italian alternative rock band started in 2002 by Giancarlo Erra. The group plays music in several different genres, including alternative rock, post rock, electronic, and ambient. All their early recordings were composed, perfor ...

were added to the roster. The label packages their albums in elaborate digibooks, super jewelcases or digipacks with additional DVD material. Like the Steven Wilson solo album ''Insurgentes'' (2009) that was included a documentary and a DVD-Audio option. Another prominent release was We’re Here Because We’re Here by Anathema. In 2013, the label celebrated its fifth anniversary with two concerts in London, headlined by Amplifier and Anathema. In April 2014 the label released the

Homo Erraticus ''Homo Erraticus'' is the sixth studio album by British progressive rock musician Ian Anderson, who is also the frontman of Jethro Tull. Released on 14 April 2014, ''Homo Erraticus'' is a concept album, loosely connected to Jethro Tull's ''Th ...

album by Ian Anderson, which reached #14 in the UK album chart. Kscope have a monthly podcast hosted by

Billy Reeves Billy Reeves (born 7 June 1965) is an English songwriter, musician, record producer and broadcaster. In 1996 he formed the London-based indie-band Theaudience, (featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor on vocals). Theaudience quickly established themselve ...

, which features new music and interviews from artists on the label.

Signed artists

Amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power significantly, or its main effect may be to boost the v ...

* The Anchoress *

Anekdoten Anekdoten is a Swedish progressive rock band, composed of guitarist/vocalist Nicklas Barker, cellist/keyboardist Anna Sofi Dahlberg, bassist/vocalist Jan Erik Liljeström and drummer Peter Nordins. They are notable for the use of the mellotron and ...

* Paul Draper *

Engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

Envy of None Envy of None (abbreviated as EON) is a Canadian-American rock supergroup formed in 2021 by former Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, along with bassist Andy Curran, vocalist Maiah Wynne, and guitarist and keyboardist Alfio Annibalini. Their self-titl ...

Henry Fool ''Henry Fool'' is a 1997 American black comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Hal Hartley, featuring Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, and Parker Posey. Set like previous Hartley films in less affluent parts of Long Island, it recount ...

Gavin Harrison Gavin Richard Harrison (born 28 May 1963) is an English musician. He is best known for playing with the progressive rock bands Porcupine Tree (2002–2010; 2021–present), King Crimson (2008, and 2014–present) and The Pineapple Thief (2016� ...

& 05Ric *

Gazpacho Gazpacho (; ) or Gaspacho (), also called Andalusian gazpacho, is a cold soup and drink made of raw, blended vegetables. It originated in the southern regions of the Iberian peninsula and spread into other areas. Gazpacho is widely eaten in S ...

* Godsticks *

Steve Hogarth Steve Hogarth (born Ronald Stephen Hoggarth, 14 May 1956 in Kendal, Westmorland) also known as "h", is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Since 1989 he has been the lead singer of the British rock band Marillion, for which ...

Iamthemorning iamthemorning is a Russian progressive rock/chamber pop duo formed in 2010, consisting of singer Marjana Semkina and pianist Gleb Kolyadin. Biography The duo formed at the start of the 2010. Their name was taken from the song "I Am the Morni ...

Steve Jansen ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

Katatonia Katatonia are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal. Increasing popularity led them to ...

* Leafblade *

Mick Karn Andonis Michaelides (Greek: Αντώνης Μιχαηλίδης; 24 July 1958 – 4 January 2011), better known as Mick Karn, was an English-Cypriot musician and songwriter who rose to fame as the bassist for the art rock/ new wave band Japan. H ...

* Mothlite *

Nordic Giants Nordic Giants are an instrumental post-rock duo from England who include prominent cinematic aspects into the performances and videos. The band released three EPs and a single on their own label before signing to Kscope in 2014. Since then they ...

North Atlantic Oscillation The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a weather phenomenon over the North Atlantic Ocean of fluctuations in the difference of atmospheric pressure at sea level (SLP) between the Icelandic Low and the Azores High. Through fluctuations in the ...

* Old Fire ( John Mark Lapham) *

Ozric Tentacles Ozric Tentacles are an English instrumental rock band, whose music incorporates elements from a diverse range of genres, including psychedelic rock, progressive rock, space rock, jazz fusion, electronic music, dub music, world music, and ambi ...

* Paul Draper *

(1999–2001) * Se Delan *

Sweet Billy Pilgrim Sweet Billy Pilgrim are an English genre spanning band, composed of bassist/banjo player Anthony Bishop, guitarist and singer Jana Carpenter, guitarist and singer Tim Elsenburg, and drummer/percussionist Alistair Hamer. Often described as rock, ...

* The Receiver *

Tangerine Dream Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...

TesseracT In geometry, a tesseract is the four-dimensional analogue of the cube; the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. Just as the surface of the cube consists of six square faces, the hypersurface of the tesseract consists of eig ...

(including Bruce Soord (solo) and Wisdom of Crowds) *

White Moth Black Butterfly White Moth Black Butterfly is a British/Indian/American cross-continental progressive pop project with members from Nottinghamshire, UK, New Delhi, India, and Salt Lake City, Utah, US. The group consists of TesseracT lead singer Daniel Tompkins, S ...

(2009-2016)

References

External links

Official Kscope site

Official Snapper Music site
{{Authority control British independent record labels Progressive rock record labels

History

Signed artists

See also

References

External links