ATP! Label Profile: Engineer Records
As part of our on-going 'Alter The Press! Label Profile' feature, the latest label to be highlighted to East Sussex-based Engineer Records.Formed in 1999 under the name of Ignition, the label has since expanded across the Atlantic with its US home in New Jersey and its dense back catalog includes releases from Hot Water Music, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Kyoto Drive, Call Off The Search, The Morning Of and many more. The labels punk rock and hard work ethic has led the label to release many releases underground and up and coming alternative rock bands.
Year Founded: 1999
First Release: We did two at the same time to start with, IGN001 was Hunter Gatherer's amazing album 'Low Standards for High Fives'on CD and IGN002 was the Hot Water Music/Rydell European tour split on 7" vinyl.
The Lion And The Wolf - 'The Lion And The Wolf'
Call Off The Search - 'What Doesn't Kill Us'
Setting The Woods On Fire - 'Ruins'
Jonah Matranga/Mikee J Reds - 'Countrysides' (split)
Her Only Presence - 'You’re Never Back'
The Morning Of/Kyoto Drive - Tour Split CD
Nikson - 'Preachers Go To Hell'
The World Concave - Harbor
Fugo - Avant 93.43 (triple CD)
Road To Kansas - 'The Contract With The Ghosts' (We keep ourselves pretty busy!).
5 Essential Releases: They are all pretty good, that's the point of the label, but I would say absolute essentials would be:
Chamberlain - Exit 263
Crosstide - Seventeen Nautical Miles
Rydell - Hard On The Trail
Canaan - Gehenna Made Flesh
Kyoto Drive - This Is All We Ever Wanted. Then again, there's Elemae, Joshua, Kover, Planes Mistaken For Stars, The Moirai, Junior Achiever, etc too.
Number of Releases: About 150 right now.
Current Roster: Mainly the latest releases above. We have bands from all over the world. The main UK ones right now are Call Off The Search, Kyoto Drive, The Startover, The Separation, The Lion and the Wolf, Mikee J Reds, Vic Payne, Failsafe For Tomorrow and Hold The Fight. From Europe we have Her Only Presence, The Satellite Year, Setting The Woods On Fire, Argetti, Same Old Story, Road To Kansas, Fugo, The Blackout Argument, Nutcutters, Nikson, etc and from North America we have Nathniel Sutton, Ramona, Breaching Vista, Jonah, The Morning Of, Exeter and Sound & Shape.
Why did you form Engineer Records? Well, I'd always played in bands and been an active part of the alternative scene. I had a lot of good friends in bands too and had helped out with other labels. It's just something I wanted to do, to help bands get better known, in a certain way. It's a passion really. A full time hobby.
How did you come up with the name Engineer Records?
Initially the label was actually called Ignition. But about two years in we had some major hassles with Oasis management company and frankly those dicks have more money than us, so we chanegd the name to Engineer Records. We just liked it.
Why should people take an interest in Engineer Records?
Because all our bands rock and all our releases are quality, but beyond that, we try to do the right thing by every one of our bands and everyone we deal with. That's what it's about, the true alternative, the real underground. If someone orders a CD, they usually get three or four. If someone books our bands, we help them promote the show. If someopne works with us we will do all we can to work with them. It is about the music, but it is alos an attitude to life that seems to be going missing.
What are your future plans for Engineer Records?
Our goal is to get our bands and their releases better known, like any label. We'd like to increase sales but a lot of it seems to have moved online to downloads now so CDs and vinyl become promo copies unless we sell them at shows. We have a video company on board now so are tyring to get our bands vids on TV.
We also have our own YouTube channel with many partners, all the social media set ups and a brand new label website in the pipeline. We have some big tours coming up - Fugo are out with Rival Schools and Trail of the Dead, Kyoto Drive are out with The Morning and Paige, and then later Holiday Parade too. Mikee J Reds is out again with Jonah Matranga. We have pretty good distro partners worldwide but need more and we are always looking for good bands too. Right now we are speaking with several in fact! There is always room to improve and we always intend to.
Engineer Records Official Website
Engineer Records on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Tumblr and MySpace.
