NON Records is an independent

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

based in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Founded in 2010 by musician and graphic designer Bear Damen, the label is known for electronic music with an emphasis on analog recording techniques. The current roster of artists included Bear Damen himself, as well as Palmbomen, THE BENELUX, Renkas, Marius, and HyperHyper.

History

NON Records began as a collaborative effort headed by

Bear Damen Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nort ...

. The label emerged from a shared interest in creating electronic music for an international audience with a focus on analog recording techniques. Damen's home in

served as both the headquarters and recording studio when the label launched in 2010. In addition to being a recording artist, Bear also works for the graphic design bureau Unknown User, responsible for the label's album and promotional artwork. Dutch artist and Damen's longtime friend Kai Hugo contributed the first release with his then girlfriend as ' Ganz Nackish'. This project was later abandoned when Hugo shifted his music to a slightly different direction as Palmbomen, which served as the label's fourth official release. Other Amsterdam-based artists including

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

-born Renkas, four member electro-rock group THE BENELUX, and Damen himself also released EPs under NON Records.

Current status

NON Records began to gain popularity within Amsterdam, securing a monthly showcase party at celebrated music venue the

Melkweg Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a popular music venue and cultural centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein, a prime nightlife square of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former dairy and is divided into ...

under the name 'NON Night'. Soon artists began touring regularly outside of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, hosting showcases at

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

and the

Winter Music Conference The Winter Music Conference (WMC) is a week-long electronic music conference, held every March in Miami Beach, Florida, United States since 1985. It is also known as the premiere platform for electronic dance music. The conference brings togethe ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. Artists of the label have been covered by media outlets

Vice Magazine ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, the founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, ...

, 3VOOR12, Hipster Runoff, and others. The label has since moved to an office in Amsterdam and now includes in addition to the founding members Dutch artists Marius, HyperHyper, and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

-based artist Kristine.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Companies based in Amsterdam Record labels established in 2010 Dutch independent record labels