Ghostly International is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by Samuel Valenti IV and currently headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City.
History Ghostly International was founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan by Sam Valenti IV in 1999.Ghostly International: The Q&A, The Journal of Murketing He grew up in suburban Detroit, where, having become a fan of underground music culture, he would sneak into hip-hop clubs by carrying records for his Detroit DJ hero Houseshoes. Valenti later became a DJ himself, taking the name DJ SpaceGhost;They spin by night: The rise of Ann Arbor indie label Ghostly International , Detroit Metro Times this theme is echoed by the name and logo of Ghostly International.
Valenti met Matthew Dear at a house party that Valenti attended during his first week at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Their shared affection for electronic music, particularly the sound of Detroit techno, led to the label's (and Dear’s) first 12 inch single, "Hands Up For Detroit." Following this, Ghostly enjoyed early success with albums by Mullinix as well as Disco Nouveau, a compilation including artists such as ADULT., Solvent, Legowelt, Daniel Wang and DMX Krew, inspired by the Italo disco movement of the 1970s and 1980s.
The label then widened its focus to include groups such as Skeletons & The Girl-Faced Boys and Mobius Band, whose rock-based sound aligns with the label's focus. Also known for package design by Will Calcutt and Deanne Cheuk, as well as the Boy, Cat, and Bird logos of Michael Segal, Ghostly International focuses on visual design alongside music.
Ghostly International followed up Disco Nouveau with two more successful compilation albums featuring its artists: Idol Tryouts and Idol Tryouts 2.
Ghostly International also runs a companion label, Spectral Sound, formed in 2000, releasing dance records by Matthew Dear/Audion, Seth Troxler, Avalon Emerson, and other producers.
Ghostly International and Adult Swim released a compilation album known as Ghostly Swim,Ghostly Swim compilation , Adult Swim available on Adult Swim's website for free. It was released with a bonus track on January 27, 2009 as a limited edition CD. Two sequels to Ghostly Swim, Ghostly Swim 2, was released digitally on December 23, 2014, (CD on April 28, 2015) and Ghostly Swim 3 on December 13, 2019.
The label has also been involved in the soundtracks for video games. In 2014, Ghostly released a compilation album of new and previously recorded work by Ghostly artists to act as the soundtrack to the video game Hohokum. A year later, the first soundtrack to critically acclaimed videogame Minecraft by German musician C418 was released by Ghostly as a vinyl LP on August 21, 2015, four years after its original digital release by C418. In 2018 a limited-edition version of the Super Nt home video game console was made by Analogue and Ghostly International.
Throughout the 2010s, Ghostly International released music from artists such as Com Truise, Heathered Pearls, HTRK, Shigeto, Tycho, and TOBACCO. The label also collaborated with various brands, including Adult Swim and Warby Parker. In 2015, Ghostly International moved to Brooklyn, New York, where they are still based to this day.
In 2019, Ghostly marked its 20th anniversary with collaborative projects, including partnerships with Vans and Miffy, as well as events in multiple cities. The label received its second Grammy nomination for a retrospective box set the same year.
In 2020, after more than a decade of working with Secretly Distribution, Ghostly International became an affiliate label of Secretly Group, partnering with Ben Swanson, Chris Swanson, Darius Van Arman and Phil Waldorf, and co-founding All Flowers Group, a label group which also includes the label drink sum wtr.
List of artists
Adult. Aeroc Beacon Brijean Bullion Choir of Young Believers Christopher Willits Ciel Com Truise C418 crushed Dabrye Dauwd Deastro dreamcastmoe Dua Saleh Emeralds Fort Romeau Geotic Gold Panda Ginger Root Goya Gumbani Galcher Lustwerk Heathered Pearls HTRK Hana Vu Helios Jacaszek Julie Byrne Kate Simko Khotin Kiln Kate Bollinger Lord RAJA Lusine Loraine James (as Whatever The Weather) Mary Lattimore
Matrixxman Matthew Dear Michna Moderna Mux Mool Nautiluss Pale Sketcher Phantogram Psymun quickly, quickly Recondite Sam Valenti IV Shigeto The Sight Below Solvent STUDIO Tadd Mullinix Tobacco Tropic of Cancer Ultraísta Willits + Sakamoto (Christopher Willits & Ryuichi Sakamoto) Xeno & Oaklander
Formerly signed
10:32 Ben Benjamin Black Marble Cepia The Chap Charles Manier Clark Warner Daniel Wang Dykehouse Grand Valley State New Music Ensemble JDSY Jeffery Sfire
Kill Memory Crash Loscil Midwest Product PostPrior Mike Servito Mobius Band North Valley Subconscious Orchestra School of Seven Bells Skeletons & The Kings of All Cities Syntaks Twine Tycho
Awards and nominations + Award ceremony Year Nominee/Work Category Result Libera Award for Label of the Year 2015 Ghostly International Label of the Year (Small) 59th Annual Grammy Awards 2017 Epoch (Tycho album) Best Dance/Electronic Album 63rd Annual Grammy Awards 2021 The Story of Ghostly International Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
References
External links Official site Metro Times article Ghostly Apparitions - An Exploration of Michael Cina's Album Artwork for Ghostly International Ghostly International moves to Tech Brewery, inks new deals