[microsound-announce] It was 20 years ago today....Big thanks to everyone!

[Alan Herrick]

20 years ago, October 16th, 1989, my wife and I  signed a lease on a small retail space in the Lower Haight of San Francisco. This was to become our brand new experiment - Kaleidoscope Records - a record store dedicated primarily to Indie and Do-It-Yourself artists and releases focusing on experimental, industrial, and ambient/soundart music.

Almost 24 hours after signing the lease on the property the Loma Prieta earthquake rocked the sands of San Francisco and our uninsured our new locale held up - untouched - unaffected - and ready for the future onslaught and a name change from Kaleidoscope  Records to Auricular Records. 

It was not long before Auricular Records started to produce the Auricular Audio Magazine, a frequent cassette compilation notorious for its ambitious packaging as much as for its obscure musical contributions from around the world. The DIY cassette label slowly evolved to release a small handful of individual artists in addition to the compilations and they became a networked family of friends and partners in a growing movement of experimental/industrial/noise music. 

Many brilliant performances, visiting artists, duped cassettes, odd packaging designs and CD burns later we now celebrate our 20th year! In that 20 years almost 120 artists have graced our little label! (http://www.auricular.com/auricular2/artists.shtml)

I want to take this moment to thank everyone - new friends and old friends - anyone at all who contributed to our many years of bringing difficult music to the world and  a big thanks to all the artists, friends, family (related and adopted), and of course all those noises big and small, discovered and uncovered and yet to be unearthed...this is a birthday for all of us!

Happy 20th Everyone!

We have some very special plans for the coming 20th year and will keep you all informed!

http://www.auricular.com
http://www.ambitdin.com