Warp Records

Warp Records is a pioneering independent UK record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the most enduring artists in electronic music. Most of the releases seem to fall into the Intelligent Dance Music genre.

Related Topics:
UK - Record label - Sheffield - 1989 - Electronic music - Intelligent Dance Music

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In the late 1990s the label moved its operation to London. In January 2004 Warp Records launched an online music store, Bleep, notable for being among the few record labels to completely avoid all digital rights management (DRM) features in the downloadable tracks, unlike other music stores such as iTunes Music Store and Rhapsody.

Related Topics:
1990s - London - January 2004 - Online music store - Bleep - Digital rights management - ITunes Music Store - Rhapsody

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Founded by Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell from their experiences working at the FON record store. The label and store soon became home to artists who would be highly influential in shaping the future of music. The first release (WAP1) was by Forgemasters, a limited 500 copy pressing of "Track With No Name" financed by an Enterprise Allowance grant. It set a trend for the early releases both in terms of sound and the use of purple sleeves. This was followed up by Nightmares on Wax's "Dextrous" and with WAP5 the label had its first top twenty chart success with LFO and their eponymous single selling 120,000 copies. The first album released was Sweet Exorcist's Clonk's Coming in 1991.

Related Topics:
Forgemasters - Nightmares on Wax - LFO - Sweet Exorcist - 1991

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Warp went on to release a series of singles and albums from 1992 under the Artificial Intelligence heading, a series of experimental electronic music releases by artists such as Aphex Twin (as Diceman and later Polygon Window), Autechre, the Black Dog, Richie Hawtin and Alex Paterson (later of the Orb). Initially all the album releases were gatefold sleeves and coloured vinyl, often with striking covers by The Designers Republic or Phil Wolstenholme.

Related Topics:
1992 - Aphex Twin - Autechre - Black Dog - Richie Hawtin - The Orb - The Designers Republic - Phil Wolstenholme

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Since then the label has evolved, and later artists were a similarly eclectic group, and included the influential DJ Andrew Weatherall (as Sabres of Paradise and later as Two Lone Swordsmen), the live sensation Red Snapper and experimental hip-hop group Antipop Consortium.

Related Topics:
Andrew Weatherall - Sabres of Paradise - Two Lone Swordsmen - Red Snapper - Antipop Consortium

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