Key Production: CD, DVD, Vinyl manufacture and packaging.

We’ve been extremely hard at work on a very special project over the last few months here at Key. A number of times during its production, we’ve wanted to run outside, climb to the top of the highest building and declare it to the world. Now, finally, the manufacturing is all complete, and we are proud to be able to announce the imminent arrival of the super-deluxe edition of David Lynch‘s critically acclaimed album, Crazy Clown Time released by Sunday Best Recordings.

But first, some background: last year, David Lynch unveiled his debut LP, Crazy Clown Time, his first, fully-fledged foray into music. Recorded over a period of several months at his own studio near Mulholland Drive with engineer Dean Hurley, it was a majestic, yet powerfully idiosyncratic vision of “modern blues” that could only have germinated from the unique mind of Lynch himself, accompanied with lush, dark, off-kilter imagery.

We are particularly excited about this project for many reasons: as well as containing a CD version of the 14 track album, the super-deluxe edition also includes a version on heavyweight double 12″ vinyl, along with exclusive artwork by David Lynch and a twenty four page lyrics book. As if that wasn’t enough, the whole thing is beautifully packaged in a red leatherette covered book and a rigid black suedelle slipcase for maximum tactile effect, designed by renowned graphic artist Vaughan Oliver at v23.

In Oliver’s own words: ‘I was aiming for a sexy, kitsch quality with the black suede slipcase and red foil-blocked type. The book that slides out enhances this concept with a red leatherette finish and silver clothed spine whilst adding an “art book” touch with the “tipped in” image of the red die set into a debossed square centred on the book cover. The overall effect exudes, sex, sleaze and “roulette wheel” ambience.’

The super-deluxe edition of Crazy Clown Time will be released on 23rd January 2012. It is currently available to pre-order here, from the Sunday Best webstore and also from www.davidlynch.com. But you better act quickly – it’s strictly limited to just one thousand individually numbered copies worldwide!

To celebrate the release of his new album, The Search Engine, DJ Food and Ninja Tune will be putting on a spectacular, bespoke AV live show at the Royal Observatory Greenwich on January 19th 2012.

DJ Food at The Royal Observatory Greenwich

Made in conjunction with astronomers, the show, which features a remixed version of the album with exclusive material, will be presented on a huge hemispherical screen, with a single high-resolution laser projector creating an immersive 360 degree virtual environment.  We’re so excited about this unique event that we’re giving you the chance to win two free tickets. Simply head over to www.facebook.com/thinktankm and follow our simple instructions.

Please read the terms and conditions.

This post was originally published on the Think Tank Blog

Wake The President is made up of Bjorn and Erik Sandberg – Scottish twins who run a label and club night on the Glasgow indie scene.

We have just manufactured their second album Zumutung! (German for ‘imposition’), which the band has recently released on its own label We Can Still Picnic.

The band has noticeably become quite a lot darker and more introspective since their excellent 2009 debut, You Can’t Change That Boy. Zumutung! contains all the indie-pop elements of the first, and just seconds in has the catchy guitar riffs you would expect. It’s fast-paced, with quirky beats and pop guitar blended with hard emotion.

Already receiving some very positive reviews (Metro, Ravechild), no doubt Zumutung! will go on to become one of the highlights of 2012.

To find out more:

@wakethpresident

www.soundcloud.com/wake-the-president

www.myspace.com/wakethepresidentband

www.facebook.com/wakethepresident

www.facebook.com/wecanstillpicnic

It’s the end of the year – the days are steadily getting colder, and ‘Fairytale of New York’ once again graces the radio waves as Oxford Street’s Christmas lights shine in through various coffee shops’ windows, illuminating their newly stocked mince pies. But Christmas isn’t just a time to sit in a high street chain, gorging yourself on seasonal treats; more importantly, it’s a time to reflect upon the year that’s passed – its triumphs and successes – and to pat yourself, and others, firmly on the back.

Which is exactly what various websites and magazines have been doing. This in itself is not surprising as end of year lists are a firm tradition in the world of the music press. What is surprising, however, is the number of artists on these lists that are on independent labels. 2011 has seen a definite increase in independent label output and success, with artists such as Adele (XL Recordings) showing us that you do not have to be on a major label to win the hearts of millions: as of November 2011, the singer’s second album 21 has sold over 3.3 million copies in the UK and 4.75 million in the United States, and is currently ranking number seven in the Billboard 200 chart.

Symbolic of this new surge in success for independent artists was the first ever AIM Independent Music Awards, which were held by the Association of Independent Music. Outstanding independent bands such as SBTRKT, Adele and Frank Turner picked up the main accolades, which made us all very proud as they happen to be clients of Key Production and our partners Think Tank Media – we manufactured Turner’s England Keep my Bones, Adele: Live At The Royal Albert Hall, and many of the other winners’ products!

Last week, Rough Trade released their incredibly influential ‘Albums Of The Year’ list, which was completely dominated by independent artists (and some of our clients), the coveted number one spot being awarded to the melancholy, bearded Texan, Josh T. Pearson (Mute Records). Q Magazine also released their list of best albums, and – surprise surprise – independent artists Adele, Bon Iver and WU LYF (all of whom we have manufactured CDs and DVDs, and pressed vinyl for) were all in the top ten.

And the fervour isn’t yet over – December 10^th sees the Independent Label Market take to Spitalfields, in what will be the first Saturday market held at the famous venue in more than one hundred years. We’re hugely excited about the Independent Label Christmas Market, as loads of labels we manufacture for will be attending, such as Chemikal Underground, Fabric, Memphis Industries, Ninja Tune and Sonic Cathedral. (Follow @keyproduction on Twitter for live updates on the day.)

So, if you’re a musician who thinks the only route to success is to secure a major record deal, the year of 2011 would suggest that you’re wrong – just give us a call, we’ll manufacture some vinyl, CDs and merchandise for you, and before you know it your album will be number seven on the Billboard chart. Huzzah!

On December 10^th, the brains behind the increasingly ambitious Independent Label Market will put on a special Christmas market at Spitalfields (near Liverpool Street Station in East London). The market is taking place in order to support the various labels that lost their stock in the PIAS/Sony warehouse fire during the London riots earlier this year, who are still reeling from the disaster. The heads of various PIAS distributed labels will be selling their wares directly to the customers.

The market, which is in association with AIM, will be one of the first Saturday markets held in more than one hundred years at Spitalfields, and will feature labels such as Chemikal Underground, Domino, Fabric, Memphis Industries, Ninja Tune, Sonic Cathedral and Stolen Records, among others. Some exclusive releases and artist appearances have been promised.

Key Production manufactured the packaging and pressed the vinyl for many of the labels attending, so we will also be there, tweeting about proceedings while rummaging around, hunting for rare gems and Christmas presents. If you’re unable to make it to the market (or if you’re anti-social enough to be reading about the event on Twitter while you’re there yourself) follow us at @keyproduction.

Joe Daniel, founder of both the Independent Label Market and Angular Recording Co, recently said of the warehouse fire: “We lost all of our stock. It was quite distressing. It reminded me a bit of the end of ‘The Wicker Man’”. Read the full interview here.

For more information:

http://independentlabelmarket.tumblr.com/

https://www.facebook.com/independentlabelmarket

@IndieLabelMkt

@keyproduction

It’s rare for a band to remain interesting, important and influential over four decades, but that’s exactly what The Cure have done. On Tuesday night, the band played a masterful show at the Royal Albert Hall, performing the entirety of their first three albums back-to-back (Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds and Faith).

And on the 5^th December, Sunday Best Recordings will release the long-anticipated The Cure: Bestival Live 2011. Key Production has been hard at work manufacturing the album, and the end result is pretty special; it isn’t just any old live album – the iconic group’s show at Bestival was widely acclaimed, the band playing an intense two and a half hour set of thirty-two songs (which included a staggering twelve song encore). What’s more, all profits from the sale of the album will go to The Isle of Wight Youth Trust: a charitable, independent organisation offering counselling, advice, information and support services to young people aged 25 and under on the Isle of Wight.

“We had such a great time in the Isle of Wight at Bestival that we wanted to release this show as a way of thanking fans and islanders alike”, explained lead singer Robert Smith, and fans of the band will certainly be delighted – the double album will contain their complete Bestival set, which spans the band’s entire career, featuring such classics as ‘The Lovecats’, ‘Close To Me’, ‘Friday I’m In love’ and ‘Lullaby’.

For more information on The Cure: Bestival Live 2011 and the full track listing, go to: http://www.thecure.com/blog/default.aspx?nid=37049

Key Production was made proud last Thursday night (November 10^th) when the winners of the first ever AIM awards were announced. Many of the artists and labels that we and our partners Think Tank Media have worked with received awards, including Stolen Recordings, Ninja Tune, Matador and SBTRKT. Two labels in particular dominated the Association of Independent Music’s ceremony: XL and Xtra Mile, who won two awards each.

Adele (XL Recordings) – whose upcoming live DVD we’ve recently finished work on – won the ‘PPL Award for Most Played Independent Artist’ and the bizarrely worded ‘Best Difficult Second Album’. Frank Turner (Xtra Mile Recordings), who performed at the ceremony, picked up the coveted award of ‘Best Live Act’, and ‘Hardest Working Artist’.

You can see the full list of winners here.

On Wednesday night, The Star of Kings played host to the official ticket launch of the Camden Crawl 2012, and the opening event of the festival’s new fortnightly ‘VARIETY’ club night. VARIETY is described as “four great nights out in one”, and that’s exactly what we were treated to in the form of a quiz, two comedians, two live bands and a DJ set. And all for free!

A steady stream of people kept pushing and piling into The Star of Kings in Kings Cross, as if they couldn’t believe their luck.  It soon became hard to move around in the average-sized pub, but rather than a hindrance, it was a testament to the popularity of the Camden Crawl and the instant success of its young club night.

People began to relax and settle down for the Rough Trade Shops Pop Quiz that was kicking of proceedings. As we squeezed into seats next to one another and collected our quiz sheets, there was a distinct festive feeling in the air – I even found myself checking to see if mulled wine was on the menu. The crowd initially took the quiz seriously, silence falling, heads bowing, before it realised many of the questions were tongue-in-cheek. To the dismay of those of us with a competitive nature, our host asked: “Which band was better, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” Afterwards, listening to the answers, many were relieved to find out there was in a fact a correct answer (The Beatles, of course!), apart from one solitary, hardcore Rolling Stones fan somewhere at the back, groaning in agony and booing as if at a pantomime.

At this point, the generous happy hour had taken its toll, which proved to be a challenge for comedians Tiernan Douieb and Perrier Award winner Phil Nichol, but they ultimately succeeded in converting the crowd’s chatter into giggles. Next came the music, with Ramones-esque Two Wounded Birds and post-hardcore Young Legionnaire both delivering energetic, heartfelt sets that caused the crowd to really sit up and listen. When it was all finally over, we left the Star of Kings in a daze, unable to believe our luck that there was such an eclectic new club night in town.

The next VARIETY will be at The Star of Kings on Wednesday 9th November, and will see comedians James Redmond and Joel Dommett share a stage with Echo Lake and Icona Pop.

To find out more, go to: http://www.thecamdencrawl.com/

It’s around this time each year that everyone gets excited for Halloween & Bonfire night – we’re pretty sure you have at the very least envisaged/dreamt about your ideal costume for the multiple party offers you have in the post (go for the one with the apply bopping – always a winner). For us, there’s just one costume that figures in the weeks before, never to become a reality. It’ll remain a secret because the idea is alive: this year, this year (or so it’s said).

This year, infact, this next month is the date for release of the forthcoming single by newly Neon Gold(ed), Savoir Adoire, entitled ‘Dreamers’. Coming out on limited edition 7” on the 11^th November 2011 (that’s 11/11/11 for anyone wondering), this show is calling out all the stops – and why not.

Savior Adore are Brooklyn-based, five piece stargazers making electric, up-beat electro-pop in an off-set manner that you can’t help but dance to.  More than explaining, the vibrancy of their music is felt no place better than the accompanying ‘Dreamers’ video – alright, hint of a video – which has a similar mystical vibe to it, in keeping with the general allure of the band (follow the link below!).

http://youtu.be/Lee2EovYBxo

As bands go, there aren’t many out there more exciting than Bo Ningen. A collective of Japanese Londoners, Bo Ningen play a brand of “East Electric Psychedelic”, tinged with sounds of metal, hardcore and funk along the way. Playing live, they set the stage alight at every opportunity – antics that bring back an era of old. Whilst watching from the audience – their pure enjoyment of the music they make is realised by anyone and everyone – boy, do they get into it (and go for it!).

The band themselves, describe that: “being psychedelic means to us that stand quietly / loudly in the middle of interzone and stare at both sides at once. We are Enlightenment activists from far east psychedelic underground”.

Such sentiment is evident in the naming for their latest single, with A-side ‘Henkan’ translating to “Lost in translation from mind to words” and ‘Jinseilchido Kiri’ translates to “Life comes Just once”.

The single will come out on limited 7” vinyl – only 500 copies –and will be released on 31^st October, with hand silk screened artwork designed by Kohhei Matsuda.

Find out more information at: http://www.stolenrecordings.co.uk/