FatCat Records is an English

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 ...

based in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. The label's output reaches into many styles including

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

psychedelic folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music. Chara ...

, contemporary classical,

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

and

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 ...

. Notable artists that have released music on the label include

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band from Reykjavík, active since 1994. The band comprises singer and guitarist Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, fron ...

Múm Múm (stylized in lowercase) () is an Icelandic indietronica band whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. History The band was formed in 1 ...

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...

Frightened Rabbit Frightened Rabbit were a Scottish indie rock band from Selkirk, formed in 2003. Initially a solo project for vocalist and guitarist Scott Hutchison, the final lineup of the band consisted of Hutchison, his brother Grant (drums), Billy Kennedy ...

Shopping Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A Retail#Shopper profiles, typology of shopper types ha ...

The Twilight Sad The Twilight Sad are a Scottish post-punk/indie rock band, comprising James Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane (guitar), Johnny Docherty (bass), Brendan Smith (keyboards) and Grant Hutchison (drums). They have released five studio albums, as well ...

Vashti Bunyan Vashti Bunyan (born Jennifer Vashti Bunyan, 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. Beginning her career in the mid-1960s, she released her debut album, ''Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discourage ...

and

We Were Promised Jetpacks We Were Promised Jetpacks are a Scottish indie rock band originally from Edinburgh, formed in 2003. The band consists of Adam Thompson (vocals, guitar), Sean Smith (bass) and Darren Lackie (drums). Stuart McGachan (keyboards, guitar) was a mem ...

History

1989–2001

FatCat originally began in 1989 as a record store in Crawley, West Sussex, formed by Alex Knight, Dave Cawley and Andy Martin. It moved to central London in 1990, and originally specialised in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

-based

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

music. The store closed down in 1997, and the record label was born in its place, initially releasing

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

12"s. The label moved to Brighton in 2001.

2000s

As well as Sigur Rós, another Icelandic band,

, were signed and proved successful for the label. The same year also saw the establishment of the 130701 imprint for the

Set Fire To Flames Set Fire to Flames was a Canadian instrumental music ensemble consisting of thirteen musicians from Montreal, Quebec.

album '' Sings Reign Rebuilder''. A home for "post-classical" music, the imprint was later appended with the signing of pianist / composers,

Sylvain Chauveau Sylvain Chauveau (born 1971) is an instrumental music and electronic music artist and composer from Bayonne, France. Background Sylvain Chauveau was born in Bayonne, France (1971), and currently lives in Brussels, Belgium. He is a composer of m ...

, Max Richter and

Hauschka Volker Bertelmann (born 1966) is a German pianist and composer who mainly performs and records under the name Hauschka. He is best known for his compositions for prepared piano. Early life Volker Bertelmann was born in Kreuztal, Germany. He ...

. In the same period FatCat consolidated its roster with the inclusion of artists like

David Grubbs David Grubbs (born September 21, 1967) is an American composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist. He was a founding member of Squirrel Bait, Bastro, and Gastr del Sol. He has also played in Codeine, The Red Krayola, Bitch Magnet and The Wingdale ...

, Giddy Motors, and

Party of One ''Party of One'' is an album by English singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Dave Edmunds, it was released in 1990 by Reprise Records and reissued with altered cover art and two bonus tracks in 1995 by Upstart Records. ''Party of One'' i ...

. The departure of Sigur Rós to

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

in late 2004 lead to the label going back to being entirely independent. In 2005, FatCat expanded its set-up with the establishment of a US office in New York, and with the FatCat Publishing arm. That same year saw the release of

's ''

Lookaftering ''Lookaftering'' is the second studio album by Vashti Bunyan. It was released via FatCat Records on October 17, 2005. It is the follow-up to 1970's '' Just Another Diamond Day''. Reception At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score ou ...

'' album. Besides picking up European licenses in

Vetiver ''Chrysopogon zizanioides'', commonly known as vetiver and khus, is a perennial bunchgrass of the family Poaceae. Vetiver is most closely related to '' Sorghum'' but shares many morphological characteristics with other fragrant grasses, such a ...

and Blood On The Wall, the label also signed singer / songwriter Nina Nastasia, as well as new acts like

Tom Brosseau Thomas Anderson Brosseau is an American musical storyteller and guitarist, born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. He was awarded Key to the City of Grand Forks by mayor Michael R. Brown in 2007, in part due to his origina ...

, David Karsten Daniels,

No Age No Age is an American noise rock duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles, California, and was signed to Sub Pop records from 2008 to 2013. No Age's fourth studio album, ''S ...

, The Rank Deluxe, and Songs Of Green Pheasant around this time. In 2007, FatCat put out the first FatCat DVD release by audiovisual artists

Semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical resistivity and conductivity, electrical conductivity value falling between that of a electrical conductor, conductor, such as copper, and an insulator (electricity), insulator, such as glas ...

, who had previously worked on videos for Múm and QT?, as well as taking part in a number of FatCat showcases.

2010s

In 2012, the project of Meghan Remy, U.S Girls released FatCat debut LP

Gem A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

and later signed to 4AD to release her second album Half Free. 2013 saw TRAAMS release their debut FatCat release. In the same year TRAAMS released their debut LP Grin and their follow-up LP Modern Dancing was released in 2015. In 2014 The Twilight Sad released their fourth studio album Nobody Wants To Be Here & Nobody Wants to Leave to critical acclaim and a 10/10 review from

Drowned In Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

. In 2015, Scottish composer and musician

C Duncan Christopher Duncan (born 29 July 1989) is a Scottish composer and musician. His compositions have been featured on various television programmes, including '' Waterloo Road'', and have been performed by Icebreaker and the Sirens of Titan choir. ...

released his debut album

Architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

which was later nominated for the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...

. In 2016, FatCat signed

Tall Ships A tall ship is a large, traditionally- rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or ...

. Numerous complications after the release of their debut album caused a three-year hiatus. The band returned with their second album Impressions in 2017 and marked a move away from a math-rock sound and towards a more alternative-rock sound. Also in 2016,

Honeyblood Honeyblood is the Scottish indie rock solo project of guitarist and singer-songwriter Stina Tweeddale (born 23 November 1988). It was originally formed as a duo in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2012. History and formation Formation and beginnings S ...

released their second album Babes Never Die and

also released his second album The Midnight Sun, both to critical acclaim. Also in 2016, 130171 released albums by a new roster of artists including Resina, Ian William Craig and Dmitry Evgrafov. Ian William Craig's album '' Centres'' was released to critical acclaim and placements on numerous critics end of year lists including

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

NY Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

and

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

. In 2017, 130701 released '' Fiction/Non Fiction'', the debut album from Montreal-based composer Olivier Alary

Series and sublabels

FatCat has several 'series' they release music across: ''Splinter Series'', ''Split Series'', ''8” Series'', and ''E-RMX'', amongst others. They also have a

sublabel 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 ...

called 130701, which was set up to release more orchestrated and instrumental material.

Artists

Current roster of artists

* Best Friends * Big Deal *

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

* Dead Gaze * Dmitry Evgrafov *

Dustin O’Halloran Dustin O'Halloran (born September 8, 1971) is an American composer and pianist. Aside from releasing music as a recording artist, O'Halloran is a film and TV composer, as well as one half of ambient act A Winged Victory for the Sullen. Early l ...

* Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch * Forest Fire *

* His Clancyness *

* Ian William Craig * Johannes Malfatti * Knightstown *

Maps & Atlases Maps & Atlases is an American indie rock group from Chicago, Illinois, United States, equally influenced by alternative rock, folk and experimental music. In addition, they have been labeled as a math rock band. The band has released three o ...

* Max Richter *

Mazes A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that le ...

Mice Parade Mice Parade is an American shoegaze band from New York City, led by percussionist Adam Pierce. ''Mice Parade'' is an anagram of Pierce's name. Biography Adam Pierce started Mice Parade as a solo project while he also played in groups including ...

* Milk Maid * Nina Nastasia * Olivier Alary *

Paws A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. Common characteristics The paw is characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue ...

* Resina * Samana *

* Tal National *

* TRAAMS *

Alumni

* Amandine *

Aoki Takamasa (sometimes stylized as AOKI takamasa) (born 1976), is a Japanese electronic musician and producer. Biography Aoki Takamasa was born in Osaka in 1976. He began experimenting as a musician in 1993 when he was 17, when he recorded music on a ...

Tujiko Noriko is a Japanese musician, actor and director, from Osaka. She has released music on the Austrian label Mego and the German label Tomlab, among others. Much of her music is composed on a laptop and consists of layered samples, electronic beats, ...

* The Balky Mule *

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

mit Funkstörung * Black Dice * Blood on the Wall *

Brakes A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...

* Charlottefield * Chib *

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

* David Karsten Daniels * Di Lacuna * Dorine Muraille * Dr. Smith & Professor Ludlow * Drowsy *

Ensemble Ensemble may refer to: Art * Architectural ensemble * ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album * Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary * Ensemble cast (drama, comedy) * Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the chorus * ''En ...

* Foehn * Fonn *

* Get Back Guinozzi! * Giddy Motors * Grain *

Gregory and the Hawk Meredith Godreau is an American singer-songwriter performing under the pseudonym Gregory and the Hawk. Active since 2001, Godreau initially enjoyed independent success with two EPs and a full-length album selling a total of 15,000 copies. Earl ...

* Grindverk * HiM * Hondo Straight * Immense * Insync v Mysteron * Janek Schaefer *

Jóhann Jóhannsson Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...

* Kemialliset Ystävät * Live Human *

múm Múm (stylized in lowercase) () is an Icelandic indietronica band whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. History The band was formed in 1 ...

Panda Bear The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes ...

* Party of One *

Pimmon Pimmon is the recording name of Australian electronic and ambient musician, record producer and arranger, Paul David Gough. He has released records on labels such as Fat Cat Records, Fällt, Tigerbeat6, Staalplaat and Staubgold, and collaborated ...

* Process * Programme * Psychedelic Horseshit * Odonis Odonis * Olivier Alary Ensemble * Our Brother The Native *

Set Fire To Flames Set Fire to Flames was a Canadian instrumental music ensemble consisting of thirteen musicians from Montreal, Quebec.

* Silje Nes * Songs of Green Pheasant * Sons of the Sun * Storsveit Nix Noltes * Stromba * Sunroof! *

* Ten Kens *

* The Balky Mule *

The Bug "The Bug" is a song written by Mark Knopfler and originally performed by Dire Straits on the final studio album by the band, '' On Every Street'' (1991). It was covered by Mary Chapin Carpenter in 1992, and also recorded on the albums ''Blues B ...

* The Dylan Group * The Rank Deluxe * The Realistics *

To Rococo Rot To Rococo Rot were a Berlin-based band who combined electronic and analog elements to create instrumental post-rock music. Pitchfork described the band's sound as "unmistakably digital, yet 100% human." The group was composed of bassist Stefan Sc ...

* Transient Waves * Ultra-red *

* Web *

Welcome A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person. In some context ...

* Xinlisupreme

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Record labels established in 1997 Alternative rock record labels British independent record labels Indie rock record labels