| DFA Records | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Founded | 2001 (2001) |
| Founder | Tim Goldsworthy James Murphy Jonathan Galkin |
| Distributor(s) | The Orchard (North America),Liberation Music (Australasia),PIAS Group (Rest of World) |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | New York City |
| Official website | dfarecords |
DFA Records is an Americanindependent record label based inNew York City.
The label was originally founded in 2001 byTim Goldsworthy, musicianJames Murphy,[5] and managerJonathan Galkin.[6] Goldsworthy and Murphy were formerly a production team calledThe DFA until Goldsworthy's relocation to the UK.
James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy met while working in New York on theDavid Holmes albumLet's Get Killed.[7] After the recording was completed, Goldsworthy stayed in New York, and the two began to throw parties in theLower East Side. They created the production duo, The DFA, but wished to grow The DFA into more than what it was. It was not until they met Jonathan Galkin, who subsequently quit his event-production job to work with James and Tim, that they turned DFA into a label.[6]
DFA Records began on a series of 12" single vinyl releases starting withThe Rapture's "House of Jealous Lovers" andThe Juan Maclean's "By the Time I Get to Venus". "House of Jealous Lovers" went on to sell 7500 copies.[8] Many of the early releases of DFA's catalog were released inEurope through Trevor Jackson'sOutput Recordings. After completing production on The Rapture's debut full-length albumEchoes, DFA began to shop around the album. Although The Rapture eventually signed toUniversal Music Group, the DFA label secured a deal withEMI for distribution of its acts outside the United States, along with several distributors within the U.S.[9]
The label has grown steadily since. Notable releases include the twice-Grammy nominated, eponymousdebut album of James Murphy's bandLCD Soundsystem and its follow-upsSound of Silver,This Is Happening andAmerican Dream, and a number of compilation albums featuring artists such asThe Rapture,The Juan Maclean,Black Dice,Shit Robot, Delia Gonzalez &Gavin Russom (also as Black Leotard Front), J.O.Y.,Pixeltan, andHot Chip.
As a production team, the DFA have produced and remixed artists includingRadio 4,Le Tigre,N.E.R.D.,Soulwax,Blues Explosion,Nine Inch Nails,Automato,Gorillaz,UNKLE, andThe Chemical Brothers. The DFA remix of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" appeared onA. R. Rahman'sAcademy Award-winningSlumdog Millionaire soundtrack. They spent an afternoon writing a song withBritney Spears, and were also approached byJanet Jackson to collaborate.[10][11] The production duo effectively came to an end when Tim Goldsworthy left New York to return to his native UK.[12] The label was primarily run by Jonathan Galkin and Kris Petersen.[13]
In 2007 DFA Records started an imprint label titledDeath From Abroad. This offshoot is used to release 12" singles by artists not based in North America, such asMock & Toof and ALTZ.[14] The imprint also released a CD compilation of tracks released on theBerlin-based Supersoul Recordings.[15]
The label's original name was Death From Above Records, dating from Murphy's nickname for the sound system he had helped build forSix Finger Satellite. This name was deemed inappropriate for aNew York City-based label following theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks and subsequently shortened to its abbreviation DFA.
In 2004, DFA Records forced theCanadian duo Death From Above to change their name toDeath from Above 1979. Murphy explained his side of the story in a 2005 interview withPitchfork Media:
We knew about them for a long time, the name thing wasn't a big deal. It wasn't until they signed to a major label, which wouldn't release the record until we signed off on the name. That's how this all came about.... [Parent company of Death From Above 1979's label, Vice] Atlantic's not gonna release a record by a band with the same name as another entity in music.... We spent a lot of money because we didn't just wanna be total fucking assholes and just say no. We were trying to find a way for it to actually work.... I was like, "What the hell's wrong with Death From Above 1979?" But the copyright attorney was like, "No, that's not fine." And I said, "If they become a totally different name, and it delays their record, that's something I'm not comfortable with." So we just tried to make it work as well as possible.[16]
The band would later go on to change their name back to Death from Above in 2017 without any legal repercussions, reverting back to Death from Above 1979 in 2020.[17]
In 2013 Murphy filed a lawsuit against Goldsworthy, alleging Goldsworthy owed money from unauthorized bank account withdrawals and improper use of the company credit card.[18]
In 2020, Murphy dismissed Galkin, citing concerns about finances and artist relationships. The split was acrimonious and led Galkin to file suit to resolve an unsettled dispute over Galkin's minority ownership interest in the DFA label.[19]
In addition to Murphy'sLCD Soundsystem, the label is currently home toThe Juan Maclean,Hot Chip (North America only),Shit Robot,Gavilán Rayna Russom,Prinzhorn Dance School,Shocking Pinks,Holy Ghost!, Still Going, Syclops,Planningtorock andYacht. They are also jointly releasing music with fellow New York City-based label Rong Music by artists such as Free Blood and Woolfy.[20] The label reissued the first two albums bynew wave bandPylon on CD, previously only available on vinyl,[21] and a retrospective collection of tracks byPeter Gordon and the Love of Life Orchestra.[22]
The influence of musicians and bands likeBrian Eno,Talking Heads,Liquid Liquid,ESG,Blondie,Yazoo,New Order, andChicago house music can be heard throughout the DFA catalog.[23][24][25] Rather than retread, however, the DFA have taken the live dance music of the time and infused the techniques and themes with a modern aesthetic—alternately faster, heavier, dubbier, noisier, and generally more intense than their influences[citation needed].
Artists who have released music on DFA Records include:
