Crammed Discs
Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released around 375 albums and 275 singles, working with artists from all over the world.
Crammed Discs is run by Marc Hollander with Hanna Gorjaczkowska and Vincent Kenis.
Marc Hollander and Crammed Discs received the WOMEX award in 2004 at the World Music Expo international music trade fair, for being "one of the seminal players on the world music field". However, the label has always systematically worked with electronic music, indie pop and rock artists, and "doesn't see itself as a world music label: it just happens to enjoy working with artists from around the world, some of whom sing in languages other than English". Crammed has been described as "one of the most boldly eclectic independent labels around", as "innovative and groundbreaking" and "visionary", a.o. for steadily avoiding to confine its roster "to one, potentially homogeneous category" and encouraging artists with plural identities to create new forms of music.
In 2011, Crammed Discs celebrated its 30th anniversary by setting up the Congotronics vs Rockers project, a "superband" including ten Congolese and ten indie rock musicians, who collaborated to create a common repertoire and performed at 15 major festivals and venues in ten countries.
From 2008 to 2014, the following artists have joined the Crammed Discs roster: Chicago band Allá, indie pop act Lonely Drifter Karen, London-based Moroccan electronic artist U-cef, Congolese band Staff Benda Bilili, musician/composer/producer Mocky, Belgian band Hoquets, Belgo-Congolese rapper Baloji, Belgian-Colombian band La Chiva Gantiva, French-American artist Maïa Vidal, US bands Skeletons & Megafaun and, more recently, South African/Dutch band SKIP&DIE, Belgian band Amatorski, Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, Argentinian artist Juana Molina and Ghanaian/Swiss band OY.
The label's latest signings are Parisian electronic music collective Acid Arab, Portuguese singer & musician Lula Pena, young French-Welsh band Fauna Twin, French experimental pop band Aquaserge, Matias Aguayo & The Desdemonas, the new rock band founded by the German-Chilean electronic music producer, Berlin-based Spanish experimental musician Don The Tiger, French-Chilean band Nova Materia, Lagos/London project Ekiti Sound, Ugandan/British band Nihiloxica, Californian musician Scott Gilmore, renowned producer Pascal Gabriel and his new Stubbleman project, and Palestinian techno duet Zenobia.
Sub-labels
Because of the diversity of the label's output since its early days in the 1980s, its founders chose to create several sub-labels. This policy was discarded during the latter part of the 1990s, because Crammed felt that genre-blending had finally become acceptable.A composers' series specializing in instrumental and ambient music, soundtracks and works commissioned for films, ballets etc..
Notable artists are: Hector Zazou, Arto Lindsay, John Lurie, Yasuaki Shimizu, Minimal Compact and Fred Frith. 36 volumes were released between 1984 and 1995.
- SSR
SSR is short for Sampleur & Sans Reproche.
- Language
10 albums and 22 singles/EPs were released between 1995 and 1999, by artists including Buckfunk 3000 and Circadian Rhythms.
- Ziriguiboom
Crammed also had several specialized and one-artist sub-labels:
- Cramworld
- Selector
- Cramboy
- Furax
- '''The Congotronics Series
As for the Made To Measure composers' series, it is being discreetly revived since 2013, as 6 new volumes have recently come out.
Discography (albums)
1980- Aksak Maboul: Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits, with Chris Cutler and Fred Frith
- Aksak Maboul: Onze Danses Pour Combattre la Migraine
- Minimal Compact: Minimal Compact
- Band Apart: Band Apart
- Family Fodder: Greatest Hits
- The Honeymoon Killers: Les Tueurs de la Lune de Miel
- Des Airs: Lunga Notte
- Hermine: The World On My Plates
- Benjamin Lew/Steven Brown: Douzième Journée: le Verbe, la Parure, l'Amour
- Minimal Compact: One By One
- Band Apart: Marseille
- Zazou Bikaye+CY1: Noir Et Blanc
- Made To Measure Vol.1, feat. Aksak Maboul, Benjamin Lew, Minimal Compact, Tuxedomoon
- Blaine Reininger/Mikel Rouse: Colorado Suite
- Minimal Compact: Deadly Weapons
- Karl Biscuit: Regrets Eternels
- Zazou Bikaye: Mr Manager
- Peter Principle: Sedimental Journey
- Tuxedomoon: Holy Wars
- Minimal Compact: Raging Souls
- Tuxedomoon: Half Mute
- Hector Zazou: Géographies
- Karl Biscuit: Fatal Reverie
- Nadjma: Rapture In Baghdad, feat. Adrian Sherwood
- Surfin Dave and The Absent Legends: In Search of a Decent Haircut
- Various Artists: Fuck Your Dreams, This Is Heaven, feat. members of Tuxedomoon & Minimal Compact playing covers of 1960s/1970s songs
- Colin Newman: Commercial Suicide
- Tuxedomoon: Desire
- Benjamin Lew/Steven Brown: A propos d'un paysage
- Tuxedomoon: Ship of Fools
- Mikel Rouse: A Walk In The Woods
- John Lurie: Stranger Than Paradise
- Mahmoud Ahmed: Ere Mela Mela
- Hector Zazou: Reivax au Bongo
- Minimal Compact: The Figure One Cuts
- Tuxedomoon: You
- Minimal Compact: Lowlands Flight
- Sussan Deyhim & Richard Horowitz: Desert Equations
- Yasuaki Shimizu: Music For Commercials
- John Lurie: Down By Law
- Daniel Schell & Karo: If Windows They Have
- Karen Finley: The Truth Is Hard To Swallow
- Tuxedomoon: Suite en Sous-Sol/Time To Lose/Short Stories
- Bel Canto: White Out Conditions
- Colin Newman: It Seems
- Sonoko: La Débutante
- Benjamin Lew: Nebka
- Tuxedomoon: Pinheads on the Move
- Minimal Compact: Live
- Zazou Bikaye: Guilty
- Dominic Sonic: Cold Tears
- Peter Principle: Tone Poems
- Samy Birnbach/Benjamin Lew: When God Was Famous
- Various Artists: Sampleur et Sans Reproche
- Bleep : The North Pole By Submarine
- Bel Canto: Birds Of Passage
- Hector Zazou: Géologies
- Steven Brown/Delphine Seyrig: De doute et de grâce
- Peter Scherer & Arto Lindsay: Pretty Ugly
- Zelwer: La fiancée aux yeux de bois
- Foreign Affair: East On Fire
- Fred Frith: The Top Of His Head
- Gabor G.Kristof: Le cri du lézard
- Steve Shehan: Arrows
- Daniel Schell & Karo: Le Secret de Bwlch
- Tuxedomoon: Divine, soundtrack for a Maurice Béjart ballet
- Dominique Dalcan: Entre l'étoile et le carré
- Classic Swede Swede: Toleki Bango
- Taraf de Haïdouks: Musique des Tziganes de Roumanie
- Ramuntcho Matta: Domino One
- Bobvan: Loonychip Classics
- Michel Moers: Fishing Le Kiss
- Seigen Ono: Nekonotopia Nekonomania
- Zap Mama: Zap Mama
- Hector Zazou: Sahara Blue feat. John Cale, Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian...
- Bel Canto: Shimmering Warm and Bright
- David Cunningham: Water
- Various Artists: Roots Of Rumba Rock 1
- The Gruesome Twosome : Candy For Strangers
- Les Snuls: Les Snuls, bien entendu
- Sainkho : Out of Tuva
- Bobvan: Water Dragon
- Various Artists: Roots Of OK Jazz
- Brion Gysin: Self-Portrait Jumping
- Tuxedomoon: Solve et Coagula
- Benjamin Lew: Le Parfum du Raki
- Lone Kent: Granite & Sand
- Avalon: Earth Water Air Fire
- Ramuntcho Matta: 2 l'Amour
- Various Artists: Freezone 1: The Phenomenology Of Ambient
- Zap Mama: Sabsylma
- Dominique Dalcan: Cannibale
- Taraf de Haïdouks: Honourable Brigands, Magic Horses & Evil Eye
- Solar Quest: Orgship
- Various Artists: Around The Day in 80 Worlds, compiled by DJ Morpheus a.k.a. Samy Birnbach
- Purna Das Baul & Bauls Of Bengal
- Various Artists: Jungle Vibes
- Various Artists: Renegade Selector
- 4hero Parallel Universe
- John Lurie National Orchestra: Men With Sticks
- Harold Budd & Hector Zazou: Glyph
- Various Artists: Freezone 2: Variations On A Chill, compiled by DJ Morpheus a.k.a. Samy Birnbach
- Various Artists: Miscellaneous
- Various Artists: Jungle Vibes 2
- Various Artists: Roots Of Rumba Rock 2
- Bio Muse: Wrong
- Zelwer: Les dieux sont fâchés/The Gods Are Angry
- Aural Expansion: Surreal Sheep
- Tek 9: It's Not What You Think It Is !!?!
- Snooze: The Man In The Shadow
- Various Artists: Freezone 3: Horizontal Dancing, 23 exclusives by Herbert, Kruder&Dorfmeister, Carl Craig...
- Various Artists: Miscellaneous, The 2nd Edition
- Endemic Void Equations
- Hugo: La Formule
- Aural Expansion: Remixed Sheep
- Various Artists: Moving House, compiled by DJ Geoffroy a.k.a. Mugwump
- Various Artists: Junglized
- Various Artists: The Deepest Shade Of Techno, compiled by 4hero
- Ziryab Trio: Mashreq Classics
- Carl Craig More Songs About Food And Revolutionary Art
- Barbara Gogan with Hector Zazou: Made On Earth
- Various Artists: Freezone 4: Dangerous Lullabies, 22 exclusives by Basement Jaxx, Rhythm And Sound, Thievery Corporation...
- Juryman vs Spacer: Mail-Order Justice
- Tuxedomoon: The Ghost Sonata
- Kočani Orkestar: L'Orient est rouge
- Elixir: Alien Rainbow
- Meira Asher: Dissected
- Qmoog: The Arc Of Blueness
- Subject 13: The Black Steele Project
- Tao: Esoteric Red
- Various Artists: Moving House 2, compiled by DJ Geoffroy a.k.a. Mugwump
- Various Artists: Lysergic Factory, compiled by DJ Morpheus
- Taraf de Haïdouks: Dumbala Dumba
- Buckfunk 3000: First Class Ticket To Telos
- Auto Repeat: The Unbearable Lightness Of Auto-Repeating
- Circadian Rhythms: Internal Clock
- Various Artists: Freezone 5: The Radio Is Teaching My Goldfish Ju-Jitsu, 21 exclusives by Shawn J.Period, Jigmastas, Joe Claussell...
- Bossacucanova: Revisited Classics
- Telex: I Don't Like Music, a collection of remixes
- Various Artists: Moving House 3, compiled by DJ Geoffroy a.k.a. Mugwump
- Various Artists: If U Can Beat 'Em, Break 'Em, compiled by DJ Morpheus
- Various Artists: Phax'n'Phixion, The Nu Hip Hop Underground, compiled by DJ Morpheus
- Various Artists: Junglized 2
- Various Artists: The Family Album, exclusive tracks by artists on the Language label
- Kevin Saunderson: Faces & Phases
- Telex: I Don't Like Music 2, a collection of remixes
- Meira Asher: Spears Into Hooks
- Various Artists: Freezone 6: Fourth Person Singular, 22 exclusives by Alex Gopher, Stacey Pullen, Mark Pritchard...
- Zuco 103: Outro Lado
- Phosphorus: Pillar Of Salt
- Various Artists: Brasil 2mil - The Soul Of Bass-O-Nova
- Suba : São Paulo Confessions
- Niko Marks & Eddie Fowlkes: City Boy Players
- Various Artists: Moving House At Food Club
- Various Artists: Tags Of The Times 2.0
- Various Artists: The Beyond Real Experience, produced and compiled by DJ Spinna
- Various Artists: Electric Kingdom - New Skool Breaks & Electro
- Various Artists If It's Not 100% U.K. Hip Hop You Can Have Your Money Back, compiled by Tony Thorpe & Dave Watts
- Bebel Gilberto: Tanto Tempo
- Sandy Dillon & Hector Zazou: 12
- Tek 9: Simply
- Juryman: The Hill
- Le PM: Les Petits Chefs
- Sussan Deyhim: Madman of God
- Various Artists: In My Bag, compiled by DJ Morpheus
- Taraf de Haïdouks: Band of Gypsies
- Zuco 103: The Other Side of Outro Lado
- Various Artists: Freezone: Seven Is Seven Is, 23 exclusives by Cibelle, Kid Koala, Tim 'Love' Lee...
- Trio Mocotó: Samba Rock
- Various Artists: Samba Soul 70
- Snooze: Goingmobile
- Bossacucanova: Brasilidade
- Bebel Gilberto: Tanto Tempo Remixes
- Kočani Orkestar: Alone at my Wedding
- Suba : Tributo
- Zuco 103: Tales of High Fever
- Juryman: Escape To Where
- Sussan Deyhim/Bill Laswell: Shy Angels
- Various Artists: Ziriguiboom: The Now Sound Of Brazil
- Electric Gypsyland 1
- Cibelle: Cibelle
- Celso Fonseca: Natural
- Benjamin Lew: Compiled Electronic Landscapes
- Zuco 103: One Down, One Up
- Bebel Gilberto: Bebel Gilberto
- Tuxedomoon: Cabin In The Sky
- Tuxedomoon: Seismic Riffs
- Mahala Rai Banda: Mahala Rai Banda
- Trio Mocotó: Beleza! Beleza!! Beleza!!!
- Bossacucanova: Uma Batida Diferente
- Konono Nº1: Congotronics
- Minimal Compact: Returning Wheel
- Celso Fonseca: Rive Gauche Rio
- Bebel Gilberto: Bebel Gilberto Remixed
- Apollo Nove: Res Inexplicata Volans feat. Cibelle, Seu Jorge etc.
- DJ Dolores: Aparelhagem
- Zuco 103: Whaa!
- Cibelle: About A Girl EP
- Various Artists: Ziriguiboom: The Now Sound Of Brazil 2
- Taraf de Haïdouks: The Continuing Adventures Of...
- Congotronics 2, Buzz'n'Rumble in the Urb'n'Jungle, feat. Konono No.1, Kasai Allstars, Basokin...
- Tartit Abacabok
- Think Of One: Trafico
- Cibelle:The Shine Of Dried Electric Leaves
- Electric Gypsyland 2
- Tuxedomoon: Bardo Hotel Soundtrack
- Hugo: La Nuit des Balançoires
- Wise In Time: The Ballad of Den The Men
- Various Artists: Roots Of Rumba Rock 1+2
- Tuxedomoon: Vapour Trails
- Tuxedomoon: 77o7 TM
- Bebel Gilberto: Momento
- Taraf de Haïdouks: Maskarada
- Flat Earth Society: Psychoscout
- Balkan Beat Box: Nu Med
- Think Of One: Camping Shaabi
- Shantel Disko Partizani!
- Konono Nº1: Live At Couleur Cafe
- Various Artists: Sex & The Single Rabbit
- Kasai Allstars In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish...
- Kočani Orkestar: The Ravished Bride
- DJ Dolores: 1 Real
- Allá Es Tiempo
- Balkan Beat Box: Nu-Made
- Lonely Drifter Karen Grass Is Singing
- U-cef: Halalwood
- Hector Zazou & Swara: In The House Of Mirrors
- Staff Benda Bilili Tres Tres Fort
- Bossacucanova: Ao Vivo
- Mocky Saskamodie
- Shantel:Planet Paprika
- Chicha Libre: Sonido Amazonico!
- Les Tueurs de la lune de miel : Special Manubre
- Akron/Family Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free
- Megafaun Gather, Form & Fly
- Flat Earth Society: Cheer Me, Perverts
- Zeep People & Things
- Konono N°1 Assume Crash Position
- Lonely Drifter Karen: Fall Of Spring
- Balkan Beat Box: Blue Eyed Black Boy
- Cibelle: Las Venus Resort Palace Hotel
- Axel Krygier: Pesebre
- Various Artists: The Roots Of Chicha 2
- Radioclit Presents: The Sound Of Club Secousse
- Tradi-Mods vs Rockers: Alternative Takes on Congotronics feat. Deerhoof, Andrew Bird, Juana Molina, Micachu, Glenn Kotche & more
- Megafaun: Heretofore
- Skeletons: People
- Taraf de Haïdouks & Kočani Orkestar: Band of Gypsies 2
- Hoquets: Belgotronics
- Various Artists: The Karindula Sessions
- Tuxedomoon: Unearthed, previously-unreleased music and videos
- Megafaun: Megafaun
- The Real Tuesday Weld: The Last Werewolf
- La Chiva Gantiva: Pelao
- Maïa Vidal: God Is My Bike
- Baloji: Kinshasa Succursale
- Zita Swoon Group: Wait For Me
- Lonely Drifter Karen: Poles
- Balkan Beat Box: Give
- Jagwa Music: Bongo Hotheads
- Chicha Libre: Canibalismo
- Staff Benda Bilili: Bouger Le Monde
- SKIP&DIE: Riots In The Jungle
- Amatorski: TBC
- Maïa Vidal: Spaces
- NYNKE: Alter
- Yasmine Hamdan: Ya Nass
- Cibelle : ∆UNBINDING∆
- SKIP&DIE : Remixed Riots
- Amatorski : re:tbc
- Brown Reininger Bodson : Clear Tears | Troubled Waters
- Juana Molina : Wed 21
- La Chiva Gantiva: Vivo
- OY: No Problem Saloon
- Amatorski: from clay to figures
- Tuxedomoon: Pink Narcissus
- Kasai Allstars: Beware The Fetish
- Juana Molina: Segundo
- Juana Molina: Tres Cosas
- Juana Molina: Son
- Juana Molina: Un día
- Chancha Via Circuito: Amansara
- Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul: Ex-Futur Album
- Jozef Van Wissem: It Is Time For You To Return
- Taraf de Haïdouks: Of Lovers, Gamblers and Parachute Skirts
- Axel Krygier: Hombre de piedra
- SKIP&DIE: Cosmic Serpents
- Bérangère Maximin: Dangerous Orbits
- Soapkills: The Best of Soapkills
- Maïa Vidal: You're The Waves
- Tuxedomoon & Cult With No Name: Blue Velvet Revisited
- Tuxedomoon: The Vinyl Box
- Konono N°1: Konono N°1 meets Batida
- Various Artists: Give Me New Noise: Half-Mute Revisited
- Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul: Je pleure tout le temps EP
- OY: Space Diaspora
- Acid Arab: Musique de France
- Aquaserge: Guerre EP
- Fauna Twin: The Hydra EP
- Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul: 16 Visions of Ex-Futur
- Lula Pena: Archivo Pittoresco
- Aquaserge: Laisse ça être
- Le Ton Mité: Passé composé futur conditionnel
- Yasmine Hamdan: Al Jamilat
- Kasai Allstars: Around Félicité
- Juana Molina: Halo
- Matias Aguayo & The Desdemonas: Sofarnopolis
- Juana Molina: Un día
- Yasuaki Shimizu: Music For Commercials
- Zazou Bikaye CY1: Noir et Blanc
- Aksak Maboul: Un peu de l'âme des bandits
- Aquaserge: Déjà-vous?
- Lio: Lio canta Caymmi
- Yasmine Hamdan: Jamilat Reprise
- Nova Materia: It Comes
- Don The Tiger: Matanzas
- Scott Gilmore: Two Roomed Motel
- Ekiti Sound: Abeg No Vex
- Stubbleman: Mountains And Plains
- Band Apart: Band Apart
- Matias Aguayo: Support Alien Invasion
- Juana Molina: Forfun EP
- Zap Mama: Adventures in Afropea
- Various Artists: Kinshasa 1978 - feat. Konono No.1, Sankayi, Martin Meissonnier
- Doctor Fluorescent: Doctor Fluorescent
- Aksak Maboul: Figures
- Zenobia: Halak, Halak
- Nihiloxica: Kaloli
- Ekiti Sound: Abeg No Vex Remixes vol.1
- Stubbleman: The Blackbird Tapes
- Nova Materia: Live At Home
- It's A Crammed, Crammed World 1
- It's A Crammed, Crammed World 2
- The World According To Crammed
- Crammed Global Soundclash 80-89
- 20 Ways To Float Through Walls, a selection of tracks released between 2001 & 2007
- It's A Crammed, Crammed World 3, tracks from 2008/2009
- Crammed Walks With The Animals, tracks with titles containing animal names
- Crammed Goes To The Movies'', tracks from or inspired by films
Awards and nominations
- Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration : Konono No1
- Songlines Award for Best Group : Staff Benda Bilili
- Womex Artist Award of the Year: Staff Benda Bilili
- Womex/World Music Charts Europe Label Of The Year: Crammed Discs
- BBC Awards for World Music : Konono No1
- BBC Awards for World Music : Shantel
- Edison Award : Taraf de Haïdouks
- World Music Charts Europe Label Of The Year: Crammed Discs
- Womex Award of the Year: Marc Hollander and Crammed Discs
- BBC Awards for World Music : Think Of One
- Mobo Award : Bebel Gilberto
- BBC Awards for World Music : Taraf de Haïdouks
- Edison Award : Zelwer
- Grammy Awards : Konono No1
- Grammy Awards : Bebel Gilberto
- Impala Awards : Maïa Vidal
- UK Music Video Awards: Maïa Vidal
Crammed Discs Artists (past and present)
- 4hero
- Akron/Family
- Acid Arab
- Aksak Maboul
- Allá
- Amatorski
- Apollo Nove
- Aquaserge
- Auto Repeat
- Axel Krygier
- Balkan Beat Box
- Baloji
- Bebel Gilberto
- Bel Canto
- Benjamin Lew
- Bérangère Maximin
- Bio Muse
- Karl Biscuit
- Bobvan
- Bossacucanova
- Buckfunk 3000
- Carl Craig
- Celso Fonseca
- Chancha Via Circuito
- Chicha Libre
- Cibelle
- Circadian Rhythm
- Colin Newman
- Cult With No Name
- Daniel Schell
- DJ Dolores
- DJ Morpheus
- Dominic Sonic
- Don The Tiger
- Ekiti Sound
- Family Fodder
- Fauna Twin
- Flat Earth Society
- Fred Frith
- Hector Zazou
- Hermine Demoriane
- Hoquets
- Hugo
- Jagwa Music
- Jozef Van Wissem
- Juana Molina
- Juryman / Ian Simmonds
- Kasai Allstars
- Koçani Orkestar
- Konono n°1
- La Chiva Gantiva
- Le PM
- Lonely Drifter Karen
- Lula Pena
- John Lurie
- Juana Molina
- Mahala Rai Banda
- Maïa Vidal
- Matias Aguayo & The Desdemonas
- Megafaun
- Meira Asher
- Minimal Compact
- Mocky
- Nynke
- Nova Materia
- Nihiloxica
- OY
- Peter Principle
- Qmoog
- Ramuntcho Matta
- Scott Gilmore
- Shantel
- Skeletons
- Skip&Die
- Snooze/ Dominique Dalcan
- Sonoko
- Staff Benda Bilili
- Stubbleman /
- Suba
- Sussan Deyhim
- Taraf de Haïdouks
- Tartit
- Tek 9
- Telex
- The Gruesome Twosome
- The Honeymoon Killers
- The Moody Boyz
- The Real Tuesday Weld
- Think Of One
- Trio Mocoto
- Tuxedomoon
- U-cef
- Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul
- Wise In Time
- Yasmine Hamdan
- Zap Mama
- Zeep
- Zelwer
- Zenobia
- Zita Swoon Group
- Zuco 103