Etherworld

Etherworld is an independent American record label and mail-order business rooted in San Francisco's underground music scene. It began as a small mail-order operation run from an apartment building in the Japantown neighborhood of San Francisco. In 1995, Etherworld released its first CD, catalog number EtW 001, a reissue of "At Stockholm" by Genesis P-Orridge and White Stains, originally released in Sweden in 1990. Around the same time, the label became an importer of electronic, goth, industrial, and avant-garde music from the United Kingdom, carrying artists such as Current 93, Nurse With Wound, and Death in June through the distributor World Serpent, as well as releases from Warp Records and Beyond. In 1996, Etherworld expanded into physical retail, opening a small shop in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco on Sutter Street. The store sold music, toys, and games directly to the public and greatly widened its range of distributed labels, including Pete Namlook's Fax label, Jonah Sharp's Reflective Records, em:t Recordings, Asphodel, and Musica Maxima Magnetica. Alongside music, Etherworld has published or distributed esoteric books, including "Thee Psychick Bible — Thee Apocryphal Scriptures of Genesis P-Orridge & Thee Third Mind of Psychick TV," compiled and edited by J.A. Rapoza and published as Alecto Enterprises in 1994, and "Esoterrorist II" by Genesis P-Orridge, published by MediaKaos & Alecto Enterprises in 1995. As a label, Etherworld has continued to release new music into the 2020s. The official website announced a new Merzbow album, "Vapor Hoof," on CD, catalog number EtW007, with preorders open and a release date of Friday, July 17, 2026. The label's catalog and retail history place it within the international network of industrial, noise, and experimental music distribution that coalesced in the 1990s. Etherworld remains active as a mail-order and label operation, with its website serving as the primary point of sale and information.

Etherworld began as a small mail-order outlet operating from an apartment building in the Japantown neighborhood of San Francisco. In 1995, the label released its first CD, catalog number EtW 001, "At Stockholm" by Genesis P-Orridge and White Stains, a re-release of the 1990 Swedish version of the same name. During this period, Etherworld also became an importer of electronic, goth, industrial, and avant-garde music from the United Kingdom, carrying bands such as Current 93, Nurse With Wound, and Death in June from World Serpent. Other notable labels it distributed included Warp Records and Beyond. In 1996, Etherworld opened a small retail shop in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco on Sutter Street and began selling music, toys, and games directly to the public. The shop greatly expanded its range of record labels, including Pete Namlook's Fax label, Jonah Sharp's Reflective Records, em:t Recordings, Asphodel, and Musica Maxima Magnetica. Alongside music, Etherworld was involved with esoteric publications. It published or distributed "Thee Psychick Bible — Thee Apocryphal Scriptures of Genesis P-Orridge & Thee Third Mind of Psychick TV," compiled and edited by J.A. Rapoza and published as Alecto Enterprises in 1994 (ISBN: 978-0964113602). It also handled "Esoterrorist II" by Genesis P-Orridge, published by MediaKaos & Alecto Enterprises in 1995, described as a short-run re-binding of unused galleys from the original "Esoterrorist" (1989), edited and compiled by Tom Banger, with a new cover and back cover blurb written in a cut-up method style by GPO, Timothy Leary, Joseph Matheny, and Joe Rapoza. As a record label, Etherworld continued to issue new releases. Its official website announced a new Merzbow album, "Vapor Hoof," on CD, catalog number EtW007, with preorders open and a release date of Friday, July 17, 2026. The label's history reflects the cross-pollination of industrial, noise, and experimental music distribution networks that developed in the 1990s and continue into the present.

• 2026

  Announced Merzbow album "Vapor Hoof" (EtW007) on CD, release date July 17, 2026.

• 1996

  Opened a retail shop in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco on Sutter Street.

• 1995

  Released first CD, EtW 001: Genesis P-Orridge & White Stains – At Stockholm.

Independent esoteric and avant-garde music label and mail-order specialist.

• 1995

  At Stockholm

• 2026

  Vapor Hoof

• 1994

  Thee Psychick Bible — Thee Apocryphal Scriptures of Genesis P-Orridge & Thee Third Mind of Psychick TV

• 1995

  Esoterrorist II

1. 1Esoteric Books for Curious Minds | Etherworldetherworld.com
2. 2Wikidata Q140385655wikidata.org