Sharing is Caring

April 28, 2010 10:09 PM

Do you like free music, and a whole lot of it? You might want to check out netlabels.
23seconds is a netlabel from Sweden, with music ranging from introspective but fun indietronica to brash electroclash to feel-good Gothenburg disco, all for free (as in beer.)
But what's a real goldmine is their massive netlabel catalogue, with a listing of over 150 labels. Happy downloading!

Of particular note (after some limited perusal):

• Intervall Audio (German-Japanese label)
  • Nobara - Trail EP
  
  
  
• Fresh Poulp (French label for dub, drum n' bass, turntablism, electronica)
  • Dub Tentacles Vol. 1
  • Octopus Two
  
  
  
• Corpid (German label for pop, indie and minimal techno)
  • Rupert Falsch - Links auf der Fahrbahn ein totes Tier
  • Emily in Love - Let's Pretend We're In Love
  
  
  
• Dedpop (British label for electronic music)
  • Sean Eskimo - Records for small children
  • Curly Jefferson - Extended Play

posted by dunkadunc (18 comments total)

Thank you!
posted by Lemmy Caution at 10:13 PM on April 28, 2010

brilliant! I will update this thread with any great finds I discover!
posted by smoke at 10:25 PM on April 28, 2010

Cool! Nice to see a netlabel-related post. Also worth mentioning:

Netlabel section at Archive.org

Netz Klang, which reviews/plays netlabel releases.

The Banshee media player now has an Internet Archive plugin (I think it's bundled) that makes it very easy to surf Netlabel releases (and live shows, etc.)

If you're into chill/ambient, check out Workbench's stuff, released (at the time) by Kahvi. His song "Air Cargo" is one of my faves...

Anyway, great topic! Thanks dunkadunc.
posted by circular at 10:45 PM on April 28, 2010

just the concept of a German/Japanese record label makes me want to simultaneously jump for joy and run away screaming.

thus, I will sample this free music while jumping and screaming. thanks!
posted by mannequito at 10:47 PM on April 28, 2010

OK, might as well just let go some other Netlabel releases I loved...

• Northbound - Landscapes of Late
• ST - I'll Meet You There EP
• ST - Emotions In A Box EP
• Troupe - It's Really Pretty Simple After All
• Braces Tower - Pasteism EP - especially The General Synopsis and Eleven Twelve (perhaps that one was specially-made for MeFi? lol)
• Sleepy Town Manufacture - Inspired By You
• Crepusculum - Sky Diaries EP
• Aphilas - Instrumentally Ill EP
• Supine - Gout D'Air

posted by circular at 10:49 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

these guys have a real Mouse on Mars thing going on which I quite like.
posted by smoke at 11:58 PM on April 28, 2010

also this is one of the best netlabel releases I've heard, absolute cracker: Nest - Serein.
posted by smoke at 12:17 AM on April 29, 2010

OK, maybe one more since smoke mentioned Nest...Little World is a little bit less abstract but features some pretty polished vocals for a netlabel release...

oh and an incredible release by a 17-year-old

...and some space-music type stuff from Yasahi
posted by circular at 12:40 AM on April 29, 2010

Great post!

See also Free Music Archive.
posted by robotot at 1:22 AM on April 29, 2010

This is perfect timing. I've been looking for something else to listen to at work. Apparently Jamendo is linked in the newest Ubuntu (or at least in rhythmbox), but the website seems a little raw. Great to have some other choices.
posted by DU at 5:20 AM on April 29, 2010

Dammit, I really need to do some work right now! :)
posted by nosila at 5:48 AM on April 29, 2010

I liked Comfortstand when it was around. Very cut-n-paste/collage oriented, which I got into at the time.
posted by not_on_display at 6:02 AM on April 29, 2010

Neat, thanks.
posted by Forktine at 6:13 AM on April 29, 2010

Thanks for all the recommendations. Haven't had much time to follow releases over the past few years and it can be a lot to wade through. A few of my favorites:

Love that Rupert Falsch EP. Ideology is one of my favorite labels. He has a good EP on there also (under the name Rupert).

Also see Soft Phase, and Kahvi.

Here's a nice compilation album from Phlow netlabel magazine.

Also some other excellent free releases:
Xerxes
Hunz - Thoughts that Move
posted by ropeladder at 6:46 AM on April 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Two electronic netlabels of note:

i/o (Site is in a transition phase right now, but they have some great artists)

thinner netlabel

Weird thing is, both of these sites are not really working right now. Thinner has some REALLY good minimal techno/tech-house. Specifically recommend Marko Furstenburg and Vladislav Delay
posted by azarbayejani at 11:18 AM on April 29, 2010

Netlabel forum on Discogs
Another forum, with only a few posts, but one is this collection of labels by name, linking to their Discogs pages. That list and the list in the OP have some mutually exclusive links.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:52 AM on April 29, 2010

I love me some Stadtgruen for my dub and minimal techno. Stopped putting out releases but their back-catalogue is gold. (And Thinner too, up there -- excellent stuff!)
posted by zer0render at 1:02 PM on April 29, 2010

Just this morning I downloaded everything adamned.age released (several different netlabels). Great stuff.
posted by Foosnark at 1:22 PM on April 29, 2010