Erased Tapes

Erased Tapes is a London-based independent record label established by Robert Raths in early 2007. The label began with the release of Ryan Lee West's Vemeer EP under his Aparatec moniker and developed into a home for artists working across experimental electronic music, contemporary classical, ambient, modern composition, minimalism and adjacent forms of avant-garde music. Rather than operating around a single genre, Erased Tapes has built its identity around a broad but recognizable artistic sensibility: exploratory sound, carefully developed artist projects and a strong relationship between music, artwork and physical design. The label's catalogue has included releases by artists such as Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Kiasmos, Rival Consoles, A Winged Victory for the Sullen, Lubomyr Melnyk, Penguin Cafe, Masayoshi Fujita, Peter Broderick, Douglas Dare, Ben Lukas Boysen, Daniel Brandt, Hatis Noit, Qasim Naqvi, Shards and Woodkid, alongside projects associated with the wider contemporary and experimental music community. Its roster has consequently connected solo electronic producers, composers, instrumental ensembles, vocal artists and interdisciplinary performers. This range has helped Erased Tapes occupy a position between an independent label, a curatorial platform and a cultural brand. A notable aspect of the label's reputation is its attention to packaging and visual identity. Erased Tapes has collaborated with designers and visual artists including FELD, Supermundane and Gregory Euclide. The emphasis on artwork, physical formats and coherent presentation has made the label's releases recognizable beyond their recordings alone. Until the release of ERATP100, 1+1=X, in 2018, the label also maintained a tradition of issuing a free compilation after every ten releases. These compilations functioned as both catalogue markers and introductions to the label's creative universe. In late 2011, Erased Tapes expanded into music publishing through the creation of Erased Tapes Music. The publishing arm broadened the organisation's involvement with its artists and compositions beyond recorded releases. In 2014, it launched the Meet The Composer series, an initiative focused on presenting composers and their creative practices in a format complementary to the label's recording activity. The organisation also pursued a physical cultural-space initiative. In February 2017, it opened the Erased Tapes Sound Gallery in London, near Victoria Park. The gallery was intended to provide a place where artists could present work and audiences could engage with sonic and visual art. Robert Raths described the project as a response to the lack of affordable or accessible places for artists to practise and perform. The gallery has since closed, but its creation illustrated the label's broader interest in supporting experimental artistic activity rather than limiting itself to conventional record distribution. Erased Tapes remains associated with independent, internationally distributed music releases and with an unusually integrated approach to sound, design, publishing and live or exhibition-based presentation. Its current corporate ownership, financial performance and executive structure are not established in the supplied reference material.

Erased Tapes Records was founded in London by Robert Raths in early 2007. Its first release was Ryan Lee West's Vemeer EP, issued under the Aparatec name. From that starting point, the label developed a catalogue centred on experimental and avant-garde electronic music while also incorporating contemporary classical composition, ambient work, minimalism, acoustic instrumentation and interdisciplinary performance. The label's activity has been defined less by a narrow genre boundary than by a consistent curatorial interest in unusual forms, detailed production and artists with distinctive sonic identities. The label became particularly associated with the close relationship it established between recorded music and visual presentation. Its releases have placed substantial emphasis on artwork, packaging and physical design, with collaborations involving FELD, Supermundane and Gregory Euclide. This design-led approach helped distinguish Erased Tapes within the independent-label field and reinforced the idea of the label as a coherent artistic platform rather than merely a distribution channel. Until 2018, when the label reached the ERATP100 release with 1+1=X, it also followed a practice of issuing a free compilation for every ten releases. The compilations provided catalogue retrospectives and offered listeners a way to encounter multiple artists connected to the label. Erased Tapes broadened its activities in late 2011 by establishing Erased Tapes Music, a publishing arm. This move extended the organisation's role from releasing recordings into the administration and presentation of musical works. In 2014, the publishing operation introduced the Meet The Composer series, which focused on composers and their creative work. The series complemented the label's interest in composition and helped frame its roster in a wider cultural context. The organisation later developed an exhibition and performance venue. In February 2017, it opened the Erased Tapes Sound Gallery in London near Victoria Park. The gallery was conceived as a venue for artists from different disciplines and as a place where audiences could develop a deeper appreciation of sonic and visual art. According to Robert Raths, the project responded in part to the difficulty many artists faced in finding places to practise or perform. The gallery is now closed, but its establishment marked an expansion of the Erased Tapes concept into a physical cultural space. The label's recorded catalogue has included A Winged Victory for the Sullen, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie, Anne Müller, Bell Orchestre, Ben Lukas Boysen, Daniel Brandt, Daniel Thorne, David Allred, Dawn of Midi, Douglas Dare, Guy Andrews, Hatis Noit, Högni, Kiasmos, Kevin Richard Martin, Lubomyr Melnyk, Masayoshi Fujita, Michael Price, Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Penguin Cafe, Peter Broderick, Qasim Naqvi, Rival Consoles, Sebastian Plano, Shards, Vessel and World's End Girlfriend, among others. This roster reflects the label's continuing movement between electronic production, modern composition, experimental ensemble music and related forms of contemporary art. The supplied sources do not establish a detailed current management structure, ownership arrangement or financial profile.

• 2018

  The label reaches its ERATP100 release

  [1]Erased Tapes Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The release 1+1=X marks the catalogue's ERATP100 milestone and the end of the label's stated tradition of a free compilation every ten releases.

• 2017

  Erased Tapes Sound Gallery opens

  [1]Erased Tapes Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label opens a sonic and visual arts space near Victoria Park in London.

• 2014

  Meet The Composer begins

  [1]Erased Tapes Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Erased Tapes Music launches the Meet The Composer series to present composers and their work.

• 2011

  Erased Tapes Music is launched

  [1]Erased Tapes Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation opens a music-publishing arm, extending its activity beyond recorded releases.

• 2007

  Erased Tapes is established

  [1]Erased Tapes Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Raths establishes the London independent label, whose first release is Ryan Lee West's Vemeer EP under the Aparatec moniker.

Independent, artist-focused and design-conscious label for experimental electronic, contemporary classical, ambient and avant-garde music.

• Music recordings · 2007

  Recorded music catalogue

  The core Erased Tapes offering consists of albums, EPs and other recordings by artists working in experimental electronic music, contemporary classical, ambient, minimalism and related avant-garde fields. The catalogue brings together solo composers, electronic producers, ensembles and interdisciplinary artists, including releases associated with Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Kiasmos, Rival Consoles and A Winged Victory for the Sullen.

• Compilation releases

  Erased Tapes Collection

  The label's collection and compilation releases present multiple artists from its catalogue in a single programme. Until the 2018 ERATP100 release, Erased Tapes followed a practice of making a free compilation available after every ten releases, giving listeners a periodic overview of its developing roster and aesthetic.

• Music publishing · 2011

  Erased Tapes Music

  Established in late 2011, Erased Tapes Music is the organisation's publishing arm. It extends the brand's work into the representation and presentation of musical compositions, complementing the label's recording programme.

• Composer series · 2014

  Meet The Composer

  Launched by Erased Tapes Music in 2014, Meet The Composer is a series focused on composers and their creative practices. It provides a publishing and editorial context for the label's interest in contemporary composition and artist-led musical research.

• 2017

  Creation of the Erased Tapes Sound GalleryStrategy

  Background

  The label sought to create a venue for artists and audiences amid concerns about the limited availability of spaces for practising and presenting experimental work.

  Action taken

  Erased Tapes opened a gallery near Victoria Park in London for sonic and visual arts.

  Aftermath

  The gallery later closed; no further operational details are established in the supplied sources.

  Source

• 2011

  Expansion into music publishingStrategy

  Background

  After several years focused on independent recording releases, Erased Tapes broadened its scope to support musical works and composers through a dedicated publishing arm.

  Action taken

  The organisation established Erased Tapes Music in late 2011.

  Aftermath

  The publishing activity was followed by the Meet The Composer series in 2014, reinforcing the label's connection to contemporary composition.

  Source

1. 1Erased Tapes Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Erased Tapes official websiteerasedtapes.com