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Abridged Pause Recordings

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Independent Canadian record label based in Montreal, founded in 2008 by Alexander Julien, focused on avant-garde metal, post-rock, ambient and the music of Julien's own projects.

Last updated September 26, 2026

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Overview

Abridged Pause Recordings is an independent Canadian record label based in Montreal, Quebec. It was founded in February 2008 by Canadian-American musician Alexander Julien. The label emerged from the underground extreme music scene and initially set out to release any music, but over time it narrowed its focus to releasing solely the music of Alexander Julien and, occasionally, that of his close friends and collaborators. The label is currently closed to new demo submissions. The label's catalogue spans a wide range of avant-garde and experimental genres, including post-metal, post-black metal, atmospheric black metal, psychedelic black metal, sludge metal, sludge-core, atmospheric sludge metal, screamo, avant-garde metal, math metal, math rock, post-rock, experimental post-rock, ambient, dark ambient, black ambient, shoegaze, melogaze and artbient. Its releases are identified by catalogue numbers prefixed APR, beginning with APR1, a various-artists compilation titled Diluvian Temperals (2009), and continuing through APR15, Vision Eternel's For Farewell Of Nostalgia (2020). Abridged Pause Recordings is one of several imprints under the umbrella company Abridged Pause Enterprises, alongside Abridged Pause Publishing, Mortified Studios, Abridged Pause Apparel, Abridged Pause Productions and Abridged Pause Blog. The label has worked with a large roster of artists over the years, including Dreams Of The Drowned, Black Autumn, Vision Eternel, Ethereal Beauty, Parabstruse, Black Sand And Starless Nights, Ancestral, Feos, Smohalla, Kailash, Pet Slimmers Of The Year, Somnam, Semiosis, Tower, Sveta Istina Vještica, Last Minute To Jaffna, Omega Centauri, Dying Sun, Phlegma, Stagnant Waters, The Zyphoid Process, Great White North, Beyond The Dune Sea, Bonfires For Nobody, Orpheus, Valleys Of The Living, Fear The Setting Sun, My Talking Pua, Seven Nines & Tens, Wavre, Citadel Swamp, Brainscan, Černá, Oceanus, Soufferance, Den Andre Lys, Éphémère, Cara Neir, Sky Flying By, Feast, Spectrale, Vision Lunar, In Cauda Venenum, Sorrowbringer, Cetus, Ossific and The Sound Of Rescue. In recent years the label has been most closely associated with Vision Eternel, the ambient/post-rock project of Alexander Julien. Abridged Pause Recordings released Vision Eternel's boxed set An Anthology Of Past Misfortunes in 2018 and the extended play For Farewell Of Nostalgia on September 14, 2020. The label also maintains an active online presence through its official website, which publishes news, release announcements and merchandise updates.

History

Abridged Pause Recordings was founded in February 2008 by Canadian-American musician Alexander Julien. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the label was established as an independent outlet for avant-garde and extreme music. In its early years, the label released music across a broad spectrum of genres, including black metal, post-metal, post-rock and ambient. Its first release, APR1, was a various-artists compilation titled Diluvian Temperals in 2009. This was followed by a split release, Phlegma / Stagnant Waters – Sea Of Abandoned Polaroids (APR2, 2009), and the first Vision Eternel release, Abondance De Périls (APR3, 2010). Throughout the 2009–2016 period, the label built a diverse roster of underground artists. Notable signings and releases included Beyond The Dune Sea (APR4, 2010), Kailash (APR5, 2012), Vision Eternel's The Last Great Torch Song (APR6, 2012), and a series of albums by Soufferance: Travels (APR7, 2013), Adieu Tristesse (APR8, 2013), Bonjour Tristesse (APR9, 2013) and Memories Of A City (APR10, 2014). The label also released Vision Eternel's Echoes From Forgotten Hearts (APR11, 2015) and two Vision Lunar albums, Phase One (2006-2009) (APR12, 2015) and Luna Subortus (APR13, 2015). Over time, the label's focus shifted. While originally created with the purpose of releasing any music, Abridged Pause Recordings gradually prioritized releasing solely the music of Alexander Julien, and occasionally that of his close friends and collaborators. This shift is reflected in the later catalogue, which is dominated by Julien's projects Vision Eternel and Vision Lunar, as well as Soufferance. In 2018, the label released Vision Eternel's boxed set An Anthology Of Past Misfortunes (APR14). In 2020, it released Vision Eternel's concept extended play For Farewell Of Nostalgia (APR15), which was premiered on Invisible Oranges and released digitally on September 14, 2020. Abridged Pause Recordings operates as one of several imprints under the umbrella company Abridged Pause Enterprises. Sister entities include Abridged Pause Publishing, Mortified Studios, Abridged Pause Apparel, Abridged Pause Productions and Abridged Pause Blog. The label is currently closed to new demo submissions. It maintains an active online presence through its official website, which publishes news, release announcements and merchandise updates, and its catalogue is documented on Discogs.

  • Abridged Pause Recordings founded by Alexander Julien in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

  • First release: Various Artists – Diluvian Temperals (APR1).

  • Release of Phlegma / Stagnant Waters – Sea Of Abandoned Polaroids (APR2).

  • Release of Vision Eternel – Abondance De Périls (APR3).

  • Release of Beyond The Dune Sea – Beyond The Dune Sea (APR4).

  • Release of Kailash – Past Changing Fast: Faster Ahead (APR5).

  • Release of Vision Eternel – The Last Great Torch Song (APR6).

  • Release of Soufferance – Travels (APR7), Adieu Tristesse (APR8) and Bonjour Tristesse (APR9).

  • Release of Soufferance – Memories Of A City (APR10).

  • Release of Vision Eternel – Echoes From Forgotten Hearts (APR11), Vision Lunar – Phase One (2006-2009) (APR12) and Vision Lunar – Luna Subortus (APR13).

Products and positioning

Independent avant-garde and extreme music label focused on niche experimental genres and the personal projects of its founder.

  • 2009

    Diluvian Temperals

  • 2009

    Sea Of Abandoned Polaroids

  • 2010

    Abondance De Périls

  • 2010

    Beyond The Dune Sea

  • 2012

    Past Changing Fast: Faster Ahead

  • 2012

    The Last Great Torch Song

  • 2013

    Travels

  • 2013

    Adieu Tristesse

  • 2013

    Bonjour Tristesse

  • 2014

    Memories Of A City

  • 2015

    Echoes From Forgotten Hearts

  • 2015

    Phase One (2006-2009)

  • 2015

    Luna Subortus

  • 2018

    An Anthology Of Past Misfortunes

  • 2020

    For Farewell Of Nostalgia

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