Belle Antique

Belle Antique is a Japanese record label specializing in progressive rock, founded in 1984 in Kyoto. It was established to release the debut album of the Kyoto-based progressive rock band Fromage, which had been unable to secure a release. The label's name, French for "beautiful antique" or "good old days," was suggested by Fromage keyboardist Yoshie Shimamura. Over the decades, Belle Antique has issued live albums by Bijaku Konran (美狂乱), reissues of Swedish band Dice, and many other progressive rock titles. As the market shifted from LP to CD, the label continued to deliver quality progressive rock to Japanese fans. Today, Belle Antique is part of the Marquee label group, operating under Marquee Inc., and is known for high-quality reissues using paper sleeves (紙ジャケット) and SHM-CD formats, as well as domestic releases by current progressive rock bands. The label also runs its own record shop, World Disque, through which it sells its releases and offers free shipping within Japan when orders include Belle Antique, Avalon, or Heresie titles. Belle Antique remains a key player in the global progressive rock scene, bridging classic and contemporary acts for Japanese audiences.

Belle Antique was founded in 1984 in Kyoto, Japan, with the primary goal of releasing the debut album of the local progressive rock band Fromage. At the time, Fromage had been unable to secure a release for their album, and the label's founders considered it their mission to make it available. The label's name, meaning "beautiful antique" or "good old days" in French, was chosen from several candidates based on an idea by Fromage's keyboardist, Yoshie Shimamura. The name reflects the hope that both current bands and out-of-print classics would become works that endure in history. Following the Fromage release, Belle Antique continued with a live album series by the Japanese band Bijaku Konran (美狂乱) and reissues of Swedish band Dice, among others. As the music market transitioned from LP to CD, the label adapted and persisted in its mission to bring quality progressive rock albums to Japanese fans. In the 2000s and beyond, Belle Antique became known for reissuing classic albums in paper sleeve (紙ジャケット) formats with SHM-CD, as well as releasing domestic CDs by contemporary progressive rock bands. The label operates under Marquee Inc., alongside the Marquee and Avalon labels, and runs its own record shop, World Disque. Through these activities, Belle Antique has played a role in leading the global progressive rock scene, particularly in Japan.

• 2025

  Pre-orders begin for January 25, 2025 releases on World Disque Web Shop.

• 1984

  Belle Antique label founded in Kyoto to release Fromage's debut album.

• Release of Bijaku Konran live album series.

• Reissues of Swedish band Dice.

• Transition from LP to CD format, continuing progressive rock releases.

• Adoption of paper sleeve (紙ジャケット) + SHM-CD reissue format.

Specialist label for progressive rock, focusing on high-quality reissues and domestic releases, serving the Japanese and international prog rock community.

• Fromage debut album

  First release on Belle Antique, by the Kyoto progressive rock band Fromage.

• Bijaku Konran live album series

  Live recordings by Japanese progressive rock band Bijaku Konran.

• Dice reissues

  Reissues of albums by Swedish progressive rock band Dice.

• SHM-CD paper sleeve reissues

  High-quality reissues of classic progressive rock albums in mini-LP cardboard sleeves with SHM-CD discs.

1. 1HOME - Belle Antique Label｜ベル・アンティーク・レーベルmarquee.co.jp
2. 2Belle Antique - Wikidatawikidata.org