Wierd Records is an American
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 ...
, founded in New York City by Pieter Schoolwerth in 2006.
[Jonathan Garrett, "The Wierd Records Social Club", ''Village Voice'', May 26, 2009]
Access date: May 29, 2009.
"Wierd" was also the name for an associated weekly DJ night, now defunct, that started at Southside Lounge in Brooklyn in 2003, later held at Home Sweet Home in Manhattan. Schoolwerth has also performed with power electronics outfit
Bloodyminded since the mid-'90s and was previously a member of
Crash Worship
Crash Worship or ADRV (''Adoración de rotura violenta'', Spanish for "crash worship") was a San Diego, California based experimental music and performance art ensemble formed in 1986. They were most renowned for live performances partly inspired ...
.
Associated groups include Røsenkøpf, Martial Canterel, Led Er Est,
Xeno & Oaklander,
Blacklist, Frank (just Frank), Plastic Flowers, and Opus Finis.
The groups are also linked to developments in the visual arts; Schoolwerth is a noted
conceptualist
In metaphysics, conceptualism is a theory that explains universality of particulars as conceptualized frameworks situated within the thinking mind. Intermediate between nominalism and realism, the conceptualist view approaches the metaphysical co ...
painter. Liz Wendelbo, a member of
Xeno & Oaklander, is also a filmmaker, positing "cold cinema" as filmmaking that "predicates resistance to cinema as a virtual medium".
Access date: May 29, 2009.
Style
The label takes inspiration from European permutations of post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
, minimal synth, and dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
, and from synthesizer-based groups described as "minimal electronics" (similar to electropunk or minimal electronica).[ The label is especially associated with a revival of the French cold wave style.][Interview with Pieter Schoolwerth, ''Vice'', March 22, 2007]
Access date: June 13, 2009. The label positions itself as eccentric, marginal, and somewhat psychedelic, and in opposition to the mainstream goth subculture
Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of Gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. The name ''Goth'' was derived directly from the genre. Notable post-p ...
. Schoolwerth declares, "We don’t use the term goth. It has a derogatory connotation. It’s degenerated into some kind of ironic B-horror film thing. It’s lost its elegance, sophistication, and most importantly, its pretentiousness."[
]
References
External links
"Hey Spooky Guy, Give Us Some Halloween Tunes"
Pieter Schoolwerth's playlist for ''Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...
''
Review of ''Wierd Compilation Volume II''
by Kristen Sollee of ''The Big Takeover''
Review of ''Wierd Compilation Volume II''
by Doug Mosurock of ''Dusted Magazine''
''The Fader'' Freak Scene #46
by Jamie Johns, November 2, 2009
{{Authority control
American independent record labels
Record labels established in 2006