Fruits de Mer Records


Fruits de Mer Records is an independent British record label established in 2008 by Keith Jones and Andy Bracken. It is based in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. The record label releases psychedelic rock, psychedelic folk, folk rock, space rock and krautrock music, with an international roster of artists spanning from the 1960s to the present. Fruits de Mer Records principally releases music on vinyl record format, but cassette tapes and compact discs have also been used. Some of the releases are reissues of classic albums or singles, while others are modern takes on psychedelia.

History

Prior to founding Fruits de Mer Records, Bracken operated his own record company, Bracken Records, which existed from 2004 to 2010. When Fruits de Mer Records was established in early 2008, it was operated as an imprint label of Bracken Records, and remained as such until the closure of the parent company in late 2010. Fruits de Mer Records' early releases featured cover versions of classic songs interpreted by modern bands. In 2011, Jones and Bracken established the imprint Regal Crabomophone with the intention of releasing original songs by modern bands. Outputs through Fruits de Mer Records bare catalog numbers starting with the word crustacean, while those through Regal Crabomophone bare catalog numbers starting with the word winkle. Bracken left the partnership in 2012, shortly after relocating to Virginia, United States. Jones has since assumed full ownership and continues to operate the record label with occasional help from his family and of close musical collaborators.
In 2013, Jones established the imprint "Strange Fish" with the intention of releasing bands and artists whose genres went beyond what Fruits De Mer Records and Regal Crabomophone normally released; mainly more experimental or hard-to-categorize artists. Outputs through Strange Fish bare catalog numbers starting with the words strange fish.
In 2014, Jones established the imprint "Friends of the Fish". The purpose of this imprint has been expanded over the years, but generally includes limited-edition lathe cut vinyls, series of Various Artists compilation albums given out for free to Fruits de Mer Records Club members and at live events, and releases financed by bands that benefit from Fruits de Mer Records' distribution network and fan-base. Outputs through Friends of the Fish Fish bare catalog numbers starting with the words friends of the fish and generally also include the Fruits de Mer Records logo.
In 2015, Jones established the imprint Head Cleaner with the intention of releasing cassette tape-format albums. Outputs through Head Cleaner bare catalog numbers starting with the words head cleaner.

Artists

This is a partial list of artists who record for Fruits de Mer Records, or one of its imprint labels.