Cleopatra Records
| Cleopatra Records | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Brian Perera |
| Genre | Gothic rock, deathrock, Hardcore punk, hard rock, industrial music, heavy metal, Country music, metalcore, Noise music, Post-Punk, Psychedelic, Reggae, Electronic Dance Music, Alternative, Synthpop, Punk rock |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles |
| Official website | http://www.cleopatrarecords.com/ |
Cleopatra Records[1] is an American, Los Angeles-based independent record label, founded in 1992 by entrepreneur and music fan Brian Perera. It has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records,[2] Purple Pyramid, Deadline[3] and X-Ray Records,[4] encompassing a variety of genres with emphasis on unique and experimental artists.
History
Cleopatra Records has been primarily known for ushering in the second wave of gothic and industrial music with a roster of artists including Christian Death, Switchblade Symphony, Leæther Strip, The Electric Hellfire Club, Razed In Black, X Marks the Pedwalk, Spahn Ranch, Genitorturers, Download (featuring members of Skinny Puppy) and others as well as New Wave artists Gary Numan, Missing Persons, Information Society and others.
Cleopatra has also been a vital force in promoting underground and British punk rock bands such as The Vibrators, UK Subs, The Damned, as well as dozens of smaller bands that had never before been released in the U.S. market.
When the revival of 1980s Hollywood metal exploded around the turn of the century, the company started a subsidiary label Deadline Music to handle releases by Quiet Riot, White Lion, Warrant, Cinderella, Bret Michaels and Hollywood Rose.
Partnering with European labels such as Lifted Music and minHard Records, Cleopatra established the Hypnotic imprint for a series of electronic music compilations as well as full-length albums by Future Sound Of London, Paul Oakenfold, Superstar DJ Keoki, and Talla 2XLC as well as the feature-length documentary on rave culture Better Living Through Circuitry. Most recently, Hypnotic has been the home of Blackburner.
Hip hop acts have also found a home at Cleopatra Records on the X-Ray imprint, which has released albums by SX-10 (featuring Sen Dog of Cypress Hill), KRS-One, Westside Connection, and DMX. X-Ray Records achieved a first for Perera and the Cleopatra family in 2005 when its release It's Not a Game by Layzie Bone landed on the Billboard 200.
The Purple Pyramid imprint, focusing on progressive rock as well as psychedelic music has been long-time home to releases by Yes, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Santana, Amon Düül II, Nektar, Brainticket, Tangerine Dream, and Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Recent activity
In recent years, the Cleopatra label group has expanded in a variety of directions, working with Sly Stone and William Shatner. Producer/musician Billy Sherwood spearheaded two new projects for the label dubbed The Prog Collective, featuring members of Asia, King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Gong and others, and The Fusion Syndicate, featuring Rick Wakeman, Steve Stevens, Billy Cobham, Steve Morse, and others. The label continues to work closely with the prog rock band Nektar, releasing a 2-CD box set called Retrospektive in 2011, the covers album Spoonful Of Time in 2012 and Time Machine, in 2013 alongside reissues of the band's older albums.
Cleopatra remains a champion of avant garde, underground music such as Brainticket who re-released their catalog through Cleopatra, and was even brought over for their first US tour in 2011 as part of Cleopatra’s Space Rock Invasion Tour. San Francisco noise-art band Chrome also saw Cleopatra release numerous reissues of the band's late 1970s and early 1980s output on both vinyl and CD over the last few years, culminating with 7 LP vinyl box set, a reissue and expanded version of Chrome Box. And Amon Düül II partnered with Cleopatra in 2014 for a series of deluxe, limited edition vinyl reissues of such albums as Yeti, Phallus Dei, Wolf City, and others, along with the group's latest Düülirium, released in June 2014.
Blackburner has been releasing new music at a fast clip, most recently earning the top spot on Beatport’s Dubstep chart for the song “Drop Bass Not Bombs” from the album of the same name.
Cleopatra, expanding its interest in punk, acquired the entire catalog of releases by New Red Archives,[5] formerly owned by Nicky Garratt of UK Subs. The label was home to hardcore punk band Hogan's Heroes, the debut album of Anti-Flag, early 1980s New York hardcore group Kraut, as well as an early project from Sunny Day Real Estate / Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel called Christ On A Crutch. The Vibrators released their newest album Punk Mania - Back To The Roots on Cleopatra in late 2014. Cleopatra also released rare and previously unreleased recordings in 2014 by GBH, The Dickies, & The Gun Club amongst others.
The label acquired the complete Wax Trax! recordings of Al Jourgensen, including several unreleased Ministry songs as well as albums by Revolting Cocks, 1000 Homo DJs, PTP, Pailhead (with Ian MacKaye), and Acid Horse. A 7CD box set of these recordings (entitled Trax! Box) was released in April 2015. Meanwhile, Cleopatra has continued to work with established artists such as Missing Persons’ Dale Bozzio, Thor, The Oak Ridge Boys, Shuggie Otis, and Popa Chubby and Eric Gales.
It also released albums from Bonfire Beach, Fantome (featuring Hanin Elias of Atari Teenage Riot), Siena Root, and Requiem (featuring Steven Juliano of I Am Ghost) as well as working with psych-space bands such as The Black Angels, Allah-Las, The Raveonettes, Psychic Ills, and The Vacant Lots.
Cleopatra owner Brian Perera has also been known as a champion of Hawkwind. Cleopatra released the final album by original Hawkwind guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton, a 2CD collection of rare tracks and new recordings, before his death in 2012. The label is again working with another Hawkwind alum Nik Turner. His album Space Gypsy was released in September 2013.
Finally, Cleopatra has another film project currently in development, a sequel to the 2012 horror musical The Devil's Carnival, directed by writer/director of Saw II-IV. The sequel, entitled The Devil's Carnival: Alleluia, will star Paul Sorvino and David Hasselhoff.
In 2013, Eli Cook signed a recording contract with Cleopatra Records.[6] Cook's most recent album, Primitive Son (2014), contained guest appearances by Vinny Appice and Artimus Pyle (drums); Tinsley Ellis, Eric Gales, Leslie West, Pat Travers and Harvey Mandel (guitar); Sonny Landreth (slide guitar); Rod Piazza (harmonica); and Reese Wynans (Hammond B3 organ). The album was co-produced by Cook.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records :: Navarre Corp. Announces Contract Extension with Cleopatra Records Retrieved February 27, 2012
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