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Astral Spirits Records

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Astral Spirits Records
Founded2014 (2014)
FounderNathan Cross
Genre
LocationAustin, Texas, U.S.
Official websiteastralspiritsrecords.com

Astral Spirits Records is an independent record label specializing in free jazz, improvisation, and experimental music.[1][2] Based in Austin, Texas, the label was founded in 2014 by musician Nathan Cross, who started Astral Spirits as a platform for "the new wave of heavy free jazz"; as the breadth of the label's offerings expanded, imprint Astral Editions became the home for its more experimental releases.[3]

Astral Spirits has been featured in Bandcamp Daily,[1] All About Jazz,[2] the Chicago Reader,[4] DownBeat,[5] and the Free Jazz Collective;[3][6] Rolling Stone has called the label "crucial"[7] and "enormously prolific";[8] and in 2019, Tiny Mix Tapes included Astral Spirits among their favorite labels of the decade.[9]

History

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In the early 2010s, Cross began to consider starting a record label or a live-recorded series as a way to stay involved in music without touring extensively.[10] He spoke with Morgan Coy of Monofonus Press while in the early planning stages, and Coy encouraged him to start a label under the Monofonus umbrella.[10] Cross named the label after a recurring song title in Joe McPhee's work: the first "Astral Spirits" track appeared on McPhee's Trinity, recorded in 1971, and he continued to use the name on later releases (e.g., Oleo and In the Spirit).[2]

Astral Spirits began as a cassette-based label, but later expanded to include vinyl and CDs.[4] All albums are also available as digital releases, but the catalogue is not available through low-revenue streaming services such as Spotify.[2]

Since the label's inception, Cross has handled most logistics––aside from artwork and layout––himself, including curation, press, and shipping.[2]

Astral Editions

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Cross launched Astral Editions in 2019, initially intending to make it a digital-only offshoot.[10] The imprint began carrying physical products in 2020, distinguishing itself instead by a greater emphasis on experimentalism outside of the jazz continuum.[10] The Astral Editions Bandcamp carries the tagline, "a primer on some of the best unheard experimental music being made today by names you don't know yet, but should".[11]

Art and design

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The Astral Spirits logo was designed by Mason McFee, who also chose the label's signature Cooper Black font; for the first two years, McFee created all tape and LP artwork.[10][12] Jaime Zuverza later took over design, eventually developing a template for the label's distinctive visual aesthetic; he listens to, and creates artwork specifically for, the majority of Astral Spirits releases.[1][2]

Roster

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  • [Ahmed]
  • Akiyama / Field / Vidic
  • Alcorn / McPhee / Vandermark
  • Ali / Bordreuil / Mattrey
  • Rodrigo Amado / Chris Corsano
  • Anahuac
  • Lotte Anker / Fred Lonberg-Holm & Dave Jackson / Dirk Serries
  • Artifacts: Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Mike Reed (musician)
  • Astral Ascending
  • Ballister
  • Charles Barabé
  • Barker Trio
  • Ben Bennett
  • Berman / Lytton / Roebke
  • Billington / Shippy / Wyche
  • Birchall / Smal / Webster
  • Jeb Bishop
  • Black Spirituals
  • Bloor
  • Cyril Bondi & d'incise
  • Bouchons d'Orielles / Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra
  • Boxhead Ensemble
  • Broken Trap Ensemble
  • Peter Brötzmann & Fred Lonberg-Holm
  • Caldwell / Tester
  • Caloia / Charuest / Fousek
  • Cameron / Carter / Håker Flaten
  • Lisa Cameron & Sandy Ewen
  • CARL
  • Daniel Carter & Andrew Barker
  • Chatoyant
  • Chicago Underground Quartet
  • Jack Cooper & Jeff Tobias
  • Crazy Bread
  • Crazy Doberman
  • Alex Cunningham & claire rousay
  • Jeremiah Cymerman & Charlie Looker
  • Signe Dahlgreen
  • John Dikeman
  • Dikeman / Gonzalez / Håker Flaten / Horne
  • Arrington de Dionyso & Ted Byrnes
  • de Dionyso / Meek / Rico
  • R. Lee Dockery & Smokey Emery
  • Tashi Dorji & Tyler Damon
  • East of the Valley Blues
  • EAVE
  • Harris Eisendstadt
  • Emmeluth / Knedal Andersen / Skavhaug Nergaard
  • Karl Evangelista with Alexander Hawkins, Louis Moholo-Moholo, and Trevor Watts
  • Sandy Ewen & Lisa Cameron
  • Alvin Fielder Quartet
  • Colin Fisher Quartet
  • Michael Foster & Ben Bennett
  • Fraser / Davis / Malaby (with Laubrock & Allemano)
  • Rob Frye
  • The Gate
  • GOATFACE
  • Gordon Grdina & Jim Black
  • Greene / Smith / Moses
  • Mats Gustafsson & Joachim Nordwall
  • Will Guthrie
  • Gerrit Hatcher
  • Hearts & Minds
  • Sarah Hennies
  • HMS
  • William Hooker Trio
  • Hupata!
  • Icepick
  • In the Sea
  • Tony Irving & Massimo Magee
  • Jackson / Baker / Kirshner
  • Jerman • Barnes
  • Johansson / Grip / Fite
  • Amirtha Kidambi & Lea Bertucci
  • Kid Millions & Jim Sauter
  • Quin Kirchner
  • Komeshi Trio
  • Konstrukt with Graham Massey & David McLean
  • Muyassar Kurdi & Nicholas Jozwiak
  • Kuzu
  • KVL
  • Dustin Laurenzi
  • Dustin Laurenzi's Snaketime
  • Stefano Leonardi & Antonio Bertoni
  • Brandon Lopez
  • Matthew Lux's Communication Arts Quartet
  • Mike Majkowski
  • Rob Mazurek
  • Mazzarella / Haker Flaten / Ra
  • Nick Mazzarella Trio
  • John McCowen
  • Joe McPhee
  • Roscoe Mitchell & Mike Reed
  • Mockunas / Mazurkiewicz / Berre
  • Monas
  • Thurston Moore & Umut Caglar
  • More Eaze / A.F. Jones & Steve Flato
  • Nakatani / Kawabata / Chou
  • Aurora Nealand / Steve Marquette / Anton Hatwich / Paul Thibodeaux
  • Aaron Novik
  • Obnox
  • Parish / Rowden / Nakatani
  • Jessica Pavone
  • Phicus
  • Rankin-Parker / Pearce
  • RED Trio
  • Rempis / Piet / Daisy
  • claire rousay
  • Charlie Rumback
  • Charles Rumback with Jim Baker & John Tate
  • Charles Rumback Quartet
  • Chris Schlarb & Chad Taylor
  • Seabrook / Cooper-Moore / Cleaver
  • Brandon Seabrook String Trio
  • Mako Sica feat: Tatsu Aoki, Thymme Jones & Jacob Fawcett
  • Mako Sica & Hamid Drake
  • Sfyria Trio
  • Aram Shelton & Christian Rønn
  • Shiroishi / Golia / Fujioka / Cline
  • Shit & Shine
  • Paula Shocron / William Parker / Pablo Díaz
  • Wally Shoup Sax Trio + 1
  • Andrew Smiley
  • Wadada Leo Smith / Douglas R. Ewart / Mike Reed
  • Sound American
  • Spires that In The Sunset Rise
  • SSBT
  • Luke Stewart
  • Luke Stewart Exposure Quintet
  • Macie Stewart & Lia Kohl
  • Tim Stine Trio
  • Strictly Missionary
  • Survival Unit III
  • Taco Bells with Pekka Airaksinen
  • Talibam! with Alan Wilkinson
  • La Tene
  • Tereshkova
  • Thomas / Butcher / Solberg
  • Tredici Bacci / ENPSE
  • Vasco Trillia & Ilia Belorukov
  • Lina Tullgren / Alec Toku Whiting
  • Vernacular
  • W-2
  • Pierce Warnecke / Louis Laurain
  • Jacob Wick & Phil Sudderberg
  • Chris Williams & Patrick Shiroishi
  • Mars Williams
  • Otomo Yoshihide & Chris Pitsiokos

References

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  1. ^ a b c Williger, Jonathan (12 March 2020). "Austin Label Astral Spirits Leads New Wave of Heavy Free Jazz". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Baekgaard, Jakob (4 November 2019). "Astral Spirits: Lifting The Spirit Of Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b Epstein, Lee Rice (14 November 2019). "Astral Ascending - Astral Spirits at Five Years". The Free Jazz Collective. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b Meyer, Bill (19 September 2017). "Texas label Astral Spirits weds the cassette resurgence to the 'new wave of heavy free jazz'". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  5. ^ Meyer, Bill (22 August 2016). "Free-Improv Players Soar During Astral Spirits Showcase". DownBeat. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  6. ^ Prosk, Keith (11 November 2019). "The Impact of Astral Spirits Locally". Free Jazz Collective. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  7. ^ "70 Most Anticipated Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  8. ^ Shteamer, Hank (11 December 2019). "The Many Sounds of Jazz in 2019: A Listener's Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  9. ^ "2010s: Favorite 30 Labels of the Decade". Tiny Mix Tapes. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e Rose, Brad (10 April 2021). "Astral Spirits' Expanding Universe". Foxy Digitalis. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Astral Editions". Bandcamp. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  12. ^ McPherson, Matthew (26 June 2020). "Interview: Astral Spirits (KCSB Zine 2020)". KCSB. Retrieved 23 August 2021.