Katana VentraIP

Warp (record label)

Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.[1] It is currently based in London.

Warp Records

1989 (1989)

Steve Beckett
Rob Mitchell
Robert Gordon

Sheffield (1989–2000)
London (2000–present)

In the early 1990s, the label initially became associated with the UK's northern bleep techno scene, including acts such as LFO, Sweet Exorcist, Forgemasters and Nightmares on Wax.[2][3] The 1992 label compilation Artificial Intelligence helped establish the electronic subgenre known as intelligent dance music (IDM). Subsequently, Warp became the home of influential acts such as Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, and Boards of Canada. Current artists signed to the label include Flying Lotus, Oneohtrix Point Never, Danny Brown, Brian Eno, Hudson Mohawke, Kelela and Yves Tumor.


In 2004, Warp opened the online store bleep.com, which sells downloadable music free of digital rights management (DRM) features.

Blech01 (31 Oct 1997): with Boards of Canada

Seefeel

Blech 02 (28 Nov 1997): with Cylob

Autechre

Blech 03 (30 Jan 1998):

Plone

Warp subsidiaries and partnerships[edit]

Warp launched a film company, Warp Films (which also shares staff with Warp X) and digital download store Bleep in 2004. Bleep carries music from a number of smaller labels as well as Warp. In 2009, Warpmart was incorporated into Bleep, which now sells downloads, physical releases and merchandise from hundreds of record labels. Bleep also operates a record imprint of Warp.


A number of music sub labels have also been set up by Warp, namely Lex Records (now operates independently from Warp), Gift Records and Arcola.


Warp assists in the distribution of certain records released by LuckyMe and Night Slugs/Fade To Mind; the aforementioned labels are partner labels (not imprints) of Warp.

(WARP 6, 1992)

Artificial Intelligence

Surfing On Sine Waves (WARP 7, 1992)

Polygon Window

Bytes (WARP 8, 1993)

Black Dog Productions

Electro-Soma (WARP 9, 1993)

B12

Dimension Intrusion (WARP 12, 1993)

FUSE

Ginger (WARP 14, 1993)

Speedy J

Incunabula (WARP 17, 1993)

Autechre

(WARP 23, 1994)

Artificial Intelligence II

List of record labels

List of electronic music record labels

List of independent UK record labels

Intelligent dance music

– official site

Warp

– official site (a now independent abstract hip-hop label that branched off from Warp)

Lex Records

discography at Discogs

Warp

feature story in Guardian Music Weekly

Warp

- [PIAS]'s Blog, 27 January 2015

A Warped Mind : Steve Beckett On Running A Label Legend