Profile on DiN and a special iNDEX05 compilation digital giveaway!
Prolonged analog electronics
UK-based DiN has a long-standing musical history going back to 1999 and Igloo Magazine recently had the privilege to organize a Sonic Exposure profile for the influential ambient imprint founded by Ian Boddy. DiN celebrates their 50th CD release (limited to 1,000 copies) with their 5th in the iNDEX compilation series iNDEX05. Learn more about the label, its history and how it all unfolded.
As an added bonus, Igloo is giving away 10 digital copies to the first 10 individuals who email us here. Simply let us know what you’ve enjoyed most about DiN over the years. 7/1/2016—Giveaway is now closed. Thank you for the all the entries!
The story?
Ian Boddy has been involved in electronic music since 1980 when he discovered an amazing sound studio at an arts center in Newcastle – upon – Tyne where he was studying at university, of all things, Biochemistry. He was really into the music of German electronic bands such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Ashra, Kraftwerk etc., and he was fascinated by the array of VCS3’s & Revox tape recorders that he saw in front of him and even more intrigued by the strange sounds that you could coax from them. The next few years saw Boddy developing his own style of experimental electronic music and he started to get some of his work released, first on cassette and then on vinyl. Although Boddy got to play some nice concerts at various electronic music festivals this style of music was always very niche and thus the daily pressures of normal life always impinged and the necessity of running a regular job alongside his musical activities (or should that be the other way round?) meant that progress was slow.
Into the 1990’s Boddy was releasing music on CD and starting to build a following due to his concert activity but he never felt like it had any real focus. He was starting to collaborate with other musicians too such as Mark Shreeve, Andy Pickford & Ron Boots and really enjoyed this process. He never felt the need to be in a regular band structure but working with other people for one off projects always brings a refreshing change of musical view point.
Toward the end of that decade Boddy became disillusioned with the haphazard way his releases were coming out and wanted this process to have more focus. He was also wanting to push the boundaries of how electronic music born from the German bands mentioned above could sound and to incorporate the sonic styles and to work with a wider group of musicians. With all these aims in mind Boddy launched the DiN label in the spring of 1999 with a trio of releases.
Sound & style?
The new album?
The latest release on DiN, iNDEX05 (DiN50), is the fifth DiN compilation album and includes two tracks each from the titles DiN41 – 49. The artists on show are Ian Boddy, Node, ARC, Dave Bessell (one of the members of Node) and collaborations between Parallel Worlds & Dave Bessell, Ian Boddy & Markus Reuter, Erik Wøllo & Bernhard Wöstheinrich and Parallel Worlds & Self Oscillate.
As with the previous four DiN samplers DiN label boss Ian Boddy has mixed and cross-faded the 18 tracks into a continuous ambient mix that not only showcases the albums featured on the release but presents an exciting and varied title in its own right. It also highlights the varied and intriguing music that the DiN label offers on its releases from deep analogue synth grooves through vibrantly melodic instrumentals to powerful, epic ambient atmospheres. An intoxicating mix of the old and new beautifully presented in a slimline cardboard wallet with an extra flap which just adds to the value and collectibility of this release.
Memorable reaction?
It’s always hard to grab the public’s attention when you’re a niche independent label. One of the things DiN has stuck to is it’s plan of every tenth album being a sampler release in the iNDEX series. The first of these, iNDEX01 (DiN10), was included with the subscriber run to the well respected UK music magazine the Wire in May 2001.
Here’s how they described it:
“Specially compiled for The Wire by DiN label boss Ian Boddy, the CD features 15 tracks, including material by Chris Carter, Markus Reuter, Arc and Dub Atomica, in a 74 minute trance – mix that moves through analogue synth odysseys, retooled industrial culture beatdowns and glitch – ridden dubscapes. The CD is being produced in a strictly limited edition pressing and will only be available free to subscribers with next month’s issue.”
That garnered a lot of praise and certainly helped DiN gain some much needed public attention in it’s early days.
Live
The many artists on DiN also run independent musical lives & as such play concerts all over the world. Ian Boddy as label boss not only plays his solo concerts at venues in the UK, Germany, The Netherlands & the USA but has collaborated live with several of his fellow DiN artists. These include Mark Shreeve in the Berlin school fuelled duo ARC, German touch guitarist Markus Reuter, American synth pioneer Robert Rich & Norwegian electronic artist Erik Wøllo. Indeed several of these concerts have featured on DiN releases such as Liverdelphia by Ian Boddy (DiN42), Arcturus, Church & Umbra by ARC (DiN19, 35 & 45), React with Robert Rich (DiN29) & EC12 with Erik Wøllo (DiNDDL16). These concerts are often one off projects and as such are highly charged events with both musicians bringing their respective strengths to bear in a live environment. Always very enjoyable and productive affairs.
On heavy rotation?
Spinning on the DiN turntable in recent weeks, and in no particular order, are:
666 by Aphrodite’s Child :: Totally bonkers, Vangelis & Roussos, you just couldn’t make an album like this these days.
50 Words For Snow by Kate Bush :: Really quite indulgently long tracks for a “pop” artist but all the better for that. Stunningly beautiful.
Trance Frendz by Nils Frahm & Olafur Arnalds :: Minimalist synth & piano gorgeousness from the excellent Erased Tapes label.
A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead :: Astonishing textures & production from a band at the top of their game.
Play Bach No.1 by Jacques Loussier :: The music of J.S. Bach interpreted by the French jazz great pianist – what’s not to like.
Ian Boddy: I’ve been buying a lot more vinyl albums recently simply because it’s a more satisfying listening experience. Apart from the fact it sounds great the simple mechanical process of putting on an album puts you in a frame of mind where you’re more likely to kick back & simply listen to the music.
For more information about DiN, visit din.org.uk.
