Denver isn’t a part of the pantheon of historical musical meccas quite like Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, or New York, but it has carved itself a unique, music loving community within the mountains that happens to be the fastest rising music scene in America currently. After all, Denver has a growing population, it’s home to Red Rocks Amphitheater, one of the most iconic venues in America, and a massive new music festival. But the nexus of music being created in Denver happens at several Denver record labels you should get familiar with.
5 Denver record labels you should get to know
Bangsnap
This record label specializes in avant-garde releases and includes bands such as Dreaming Machines and Animal / object. The latter addition should be no surprise as the founder of the label is Kurt Bauer of Animal / Object. There is no shortage of releases on this independent Denver record label. Their releases are sure to include something to everyone’s liking.
Third & James Records
Third & James records prides itself on being composed of “artists, producers, engineers, and industry professionals dedicated to each other’s success; dedicated to community and dedicated to empowering artists by fundamentally changing the way labels and artists interact.”
Graven Earth Records
With a name like Graven Earth Records, it should be no surprise that this record label specializes in the heavy underground scene. Artists include Dekadent, Professor, Sarcoptes and more.
Grouphug
Grouphug started as a collective to make publishing music easier, but has grown into a record label that pushes out a ton of Colorado-based musician’s work. Artists include Jungle Jungle, Civil Engineer, Wazonek, and more.
Vacant Decade
Members of the industrial band Voight bring you, perhaps, the youngest of the Denver record labels, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve your attention. The number of music releases may be small, but they’re highly curated and, if you’re looking beyond the mountains, they’re not strictly Colorado artists only.
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