GNAR TAPES!
Based in Los Angles and self-described as “freak music label specializing in weirdo art & sounds from all over the planet Earth,” Gnar tapes truly is reinventing the way music is consumed. Made up of life long friends Jimmy, Funkle, Izak, and Rikky, they set out to create a solid support system for underground and underrated musicians as well as give them a platform to share their art. Not only did they want to help promote the artists’ music, they also wanted to revive the lost art of physical music and tangible discography.
From the start, the four founders shared their passion for music by creating it themselves. In high school, they formed White Fang who to this day frequently releases music with the label. Intertwining snappy riffs and smoky vocals they managed to create the perfect blend of worn punk and skater rock. They'd skip class to practice or to go to their internship at Marriage Records where they'd spend hours listening to the latest music and curating their favorites. It was through those afternoons in the studio that the idea for their own label was sparked.
Born in a rainy basement in Portland, Oregon, the guys started pulling their favorite artists from the local scene and creating cassette tapes. It wasn't long until they became the pioneers of underground tape culture in Portland, however their art and fresh tunes started spreading beyond the city. Everyone was intrigued by the grainy, unrefined, authentic element that the tapes added and the guys began to be flooded with requests from artist wanting to work with them. They began working with bands from all over including Capetown South Africa with Le Elbow, Brighton UK with Keel Her, even Saitama Japan with Boys Age. Soon they were producing music through every medium: vinyl, cassettes, and even digital. They also worked with artists and sold zines, pins, and the band merch. It was in 2008 at only 18 years old that Erik Gage officially established Gnar Tapes.
In 2014 the label moved further down the west coast to sun-soaked LA to be in the heart of the emerging DIY music scene that was gaining so much traction and influence in the city. They opened a storefront that became an art gallery of music, the shelves and walls full of the most recent releases, limited edition cassettes, and vintage vinyl. Most importantly, they regained the sense of exploration that came with sorting through stacks of tapes and piles of records until the perfect one was found.
They continued to expand and in 2015 partnered with Burger records to create GNARBURGER. They also took on Marriage Records where they had interned all those years before. They integrated their collection and gained releases by bands such as Tune-yards, and Karl Blau amongst others. They continue to support and encourage the members of the DIY scene internationally by producing tapes ranging from fuzz rock to skate pop and everything in between. Some of their most notable releases can be ascribed to Free Weed, Mean Jeans, and White Fang. However, they continue to seek out the musical pioneers, the underrated, the quirky, the edgy, the weird. Nothing is off limits, nothing is too strange. They have the most eclectic label on the West Coast and it continues to grow each day.
CHECK OUT GNAR TAPES HERE + HERE
written by SAMANTHA SULLIVAN
