13 Years of IF? Records

Z-13.1: 13 Years of IF? Records, Vol. 1
Various Artists
(IF? Records - IF046)

It’s somehow appropriate that this new compilation from IF? starts off with a brand new track by current Melbourne electronic music enfant terrible, Pat Stormont, and it finishes on a track recorded in 1995 by Zen Paradox—the same city’s undoubted techno/electro elder statesman, and a man still amazingly relevant 13 years later.

Which is exactly how old IF? Records itself is this year; the baby that was also kick-started - again in Melbourne - in 1995, is now an unwieldy teenager.

BACKGROUND GUFF

Over the years, both in the studio and on the live stage, IF? has worked closely with fellow Melburnians Steve Law (Zen Paradox), Voiteck, TR-Storm, Little Nobody, David Haberfeld (Pura/Honeysmack), Artificial, FSOM, Q-Kontrol, Adam Raisbeck (Soulenoid/Sense), Guyver 3, Son Of Zev, Isnod, Nordcore, Blimp, David Thrussell (Snog/Black Lung), Beam Up, DJ Fodder, Kandyman, Amnesia, and Mute Freak, and more recently Pat Stormont, Bitch Shift, Cuznmatt, and Enclave.

Since relocating to Japan in 2001, we’ve also taken on board a wad of cool Japanese artists including Captain Funk (Sublime/Model Electronic), Toshiyuki Yasuda (Megadolly), Magnet Toy (Trope), Mumeishi (TTAK), Yamaoka (Holzplatten), Dick Drone, Admiral Anderision, Masaya Sasaki, Shin Nishimura (Plus Tokyo), Naotoxin, CHIZQ, and Alone Together.

Other international artists involved with IF? during the past 13 big ones (or set to in 2009) have included Si Begg, Tobias Schmidt, Dave Tarrida, Thomas Heckmann, Biochip C, Jammin’ Unit, Jason Leach (Subhead), Pnau, Cinnaman (Dirty House), DJ Hi-Shock, Pocket, Brixton, Tal, Steve Cobby (Fila Brazillia), Dr. Walker, Gene Farris, Paul Birken and Steve Stoll.

This time around, the intention was not so much to glorify the label’s 13 years (which probably wouldn’t have a hope of standing up to such glorification, anyway, given the slack way in which it’s been run over the years by this particular hack), but to continue what we’ve always tried to do: Showcase our current favourite artists (especially new ones) and musical directions, give diversity a healthy shake, and put the spotlight on our city of birth, Melbourne, along with our adoptive home in Japan—then the rest of the world as well.

The brilliant artwork is by IF? flyer artwork veteran and former Zebra mag cover designer, Haydn Dean, at Ennis & Perry.

Cheers to all the artists involved, and for god’s sake go check out their own music. These guys seriously rock.

COMPILATION AVAILABLE NOW ONLINE EXCLUSIVE TO ADDICTECH:
http://ifrecords.addictech.com


TRACK-LIST

1 Pat Stormont - Badly Grounded
2 CHIZQ - Broccoli
3 Jammin’ Unit - Where Distinguished People Congregate (2008 Version)
4 DJ Hi-Shock - Dark Pop
5 Jason Leach - Decomposed (Little Nobody remix)
6 TR-Storm - Sulphur Burn
7 Little Nobody - Bonny Voyager (Veronica du Lac remix)
8 Son Of Zev - Flyboy
9 Pat Stormont - You’re A
10 Xtronik - Leal
11 Sebastian Bayne - Driving Sideways
12 Little Nobody - Metropolis How?
13 Bitch Shift - Wicked Pitch Of The West (Schlock Tactile remix)
14 Son Of Zev - Missing Parts (Ernst Borgnein und Wolfgang Klein’s Last Cadaver mix)
15 Zen Paradox - Tubetribe

You can find out more about our aging label over on Discogs.

WAYWARD VIDEO-CLIP OF ONE BIT OF THIS COMP: