V/A – Wasp Factory labelsampler 2003

Wasp Factory is an English label that has been around since 1999. The label was founded by Lee H., from The Chaos Engine, a band with a sound somewhat like Nine Inch Nails and Pitchshifter. After having experienced the disinterest of the (mainstream) music industry Lee decided to begin an alternative label of his own. His band was like a blueprint in the beginning when it comes to the bands the label attracted. Wasp Factory called itself a post-gothic label, but as said The Chaos Engine was more in NIN style, so the label could have better called itself post-industrial.

Since 1999 however the label had been evolving into the broader alternative music scene. Bands like Skinflowers and Earth Loop Foundation are more alternative rock when it comes to style. Skinflowers is somewhat like a lo-fi/post-grunge band with a heavy edge to it, while Earth Loop Foundation is like an electronic orientated My Bloody Valentine. Other groups featured on this sampler are, amongst others, Freudstein, with a dark-techno/EBM kind of sound, Tarantellla Serpentine, who sound a bit like a lo-fi Atari Teenage Riot and Goteki, a Japanese cyberpop act. Goteki could do well in the contemporary gothic scene and also Freudstein should by able to gain some interest in that scene. But the most interesting are the more guitar orientated acts like Skinflowers and Earth Loop Foundation. These bands sound promising and could help to build a good image for the label in the future.

artist: V/A
label: Wasp Factory
details: sampler