Founded 1992 by John Loder, Southern Records is an independent record label (Loder also ran the recording facility Southern Studios). It is based in London and until 2008 had offices in the United States, France and Berlin.
The label is closely associated with Crass Records, Corpus Christi Records and Dischord Records.
History
Background Southern Studios was a recording label owned and operated by John Loder from the 1970s until his death. Loder became friends with musician Penny Rimbaud and collaborated with him in an experimental band called EXIT. Rimbaud later formed anarchist punk band Crass, and Loder and his Southern Studios were chosen to record their first album, The Feeding of the 5000. That record was originally released on Small Wonder Records. When Small Wonder encountered problems manufacturing the release, due to the allegedly blasphemous nature of the lyrics, Crass decided they needed their own label to take full control of their output. Loder facilitated this by acting as the business manager behind Crass Records. He arranged manufacture, distribution and accounting.
After the Crass record's success in 1978, Loder became the go-to alternative distributor for a generation of independent musicians. This connected Loder with the emerging international independent record business. He formed alliances with small distributors around the world to distribute Crass's output, and in the process U.S. labels like Touch and Go found outlets for their releases overseas. Circa 1984, he formed a lasting partnership with Dischord Records. In 1986, Ian MacKaye traveled to London looking to forge a deal with Loder that would satisfy the demand for Minor Threat records in the UK. The deal struck resulted in Dischord records being manufactured in a factory on the European mainland that Southern had contracted with, and for decades Minor Threat records were stamped "Made in France." Southern served as their pressing agent and distributor through 2008.
2000s Label founder Loder died in 2005. The same year, Allison Schnackenberg, label boss, set up the Latitudes imprint to record and release one sessions, in a similar spirit to the BBC's Peel Sessions.
Starting in late 2008, Southern closed its international office and moved all operations to London. Chicago closed November 2008, Le Havre closed July 2009, and Berlin closed December 2012.
On 14 December 2023, Nomeansno posted on their Facebook page that the label has been selling their records without payment to the band for years and are not an authorized source of their recordings.
Imprints Other label imprints operated by Southern include Black Diamond, Latitudes, Midwich Records, and Truth Cult.
Roster
90 Day Men 67 Antisect Action Beat The Action Time Akimbo Alias Altamont A Minor Forest André de Villiers Antisect António Cabrita Quintet Arbouretum Armagideon A-Set A Storm of Light Asva Atombombpocketknife A Whisper In The Noise Babes in Toyland Baby Dayliner Bardo Pond Beekeeper Bellafea Bell Gardens Big Black Billy Mahonie The Black Heart Procession The Black Swans Blonde Redhead Blood of the Red Owl The Bloodthirsty Lovers Blood Time Bob Tilton Boduf Songs Braid Bulbul Buried at Sea Burning Airlines Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine Cat On Form Cave Check Engine Chrome Hoof Chumbawamba Crass Crucifix Current 93 Curse of the Golden Vampire Darediablo The Delta 72 The Desert Sessions Dianogah Die Kreuzen Digital The Dismemberment Plan Dälek Domes of Silence Dÿse Dub Specialists Dub Trio Eagles of Death Metal Earth Enablers End of Level Boss Enon The Entrance Band Erik Friedlander Esmerine The Exit Ex Models Fantômas Farmers Market Faucet Fernando Goin Flu.ID Franklin Frightwig Future Islands Gang Gang Dance Geoff Farina The Ghost Girls Against Boys Glorytellers GoGoGo Airheart Goon Moon Grails The Graveyard Boogie Man Grifters Guapo The Guaranteed Ugly Gunshot The Hades Kick The Hanson Brothers Hawnay Troof The Haxan Cloak Hella The Hidden Hand Him Instigators Isis Jah Wobble Jenny Hoyston Jeremy Boyle The Jesus Lizard Joan of Arc Kaada Karate Keith LeBlanc Kid606 Krispy 3 L'Acephale Lack of Knowledge The Lapse Lay Quiet Awhile Les Savy Fav Little Annie Lucky Stars Lungleg Lustre King Made out of Babies Magik Markers The Make-Up The Mars Volta Master Musicians of Bukkake Melvins Michael Cashmore Mitch Mitchell's Terrifying Experience Moistboyz Mondo Generator Mothlite Mouse on Mars Nadja Nancy Wallace The National Neurosis The New Year Nina Nastasia Nomeansno Northern State Nurse With Wound Odd Nosdam Orthrelm Ostinato The Owl Service The Paper Chase Paul Newman Peeping Tom Penny Rimbaud Phantomsmasher Pinback Pink Anvil Place of Skulls Prong Pseudo Nippon P.W. Long Qui Quint Racebannon Radical Dance Faction Rats on Rafts Raw Power Restless Retsin Rex Rudimentary Peni Sage Francis Savage Republic Sea Tiger Sensational Shepard Shipping News Silverfish Silvester Anfang Slow Loris The Smoothies Sole The Sorts Steroid Maximus Stinking Lizaveta Stratford Mercenaries Subhumans Sweep the Leg Johnny Sylvester Anfang II Tango Ratty Tartufi Ten Grand That's It Themselves Therapy? Tight Phantomz Todd Tomahawk Trencher Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant Ui Unsane U.S. Christmas Volt Voodooshock Warhorse We Insist! White Magic William Elliott Whitmore The Winchester Club Wino & Conny Ochs Yoshimi and Yuka Young James Long Zu
Southern imprints Black Diamond Hella Goon Moon P.W. Long Oxbow Unsane
Latitudes
Midwich Records
Ellen Mary McGee Jason Steel The Kittiwakes Moon Pool & Dead Band Nancy Wallace The Owl Service The Trysting Tree
Truth Cult Action Beat Eugene S. Robinson & Philippe Petit Japanther Pornbow
See also List of independent UK record labels List of record labels
References
External links Official site