Germany’s long-running house and techno festival Time Warp is entering the recorded music business with the launch of Time Warp Records, a new label housed within Insomniac Music Group, the label arm of Insomniac Events. The first releases arrive Nov. 20, with all titles planned for both digital and vinyl.
The label is based in Mannheim, Germany. Its first two releases come from German artists who have not yet been named; one has what the company describes as “a decades-long history with Time Warp.” Releases will span house and techno as well as other electronic genres. The label’s stated filter is: “a line-up of established heroes and rising emerging artists, measured against one essential filter. Quality and underground… Genre is secondary.”
Distribution and catalog plans#
Release strategy, catalog management and digital distribution will be handled through Insomniac’s existing partnership with FUGA / Virgin. Physical distribution partners include:
- Handle With Care
- Word and Sound
- Onyx
Those partners will service catalog vinyl pressings in Germany, Europe and North America.
Partnership background#
The label launch comes two years after Cosmopop, the Germany-based event promoter behind Time Warp, announced a partnership with Insomniac Events to develop and execute events outside Germany. Insomniac’s events calendar currently lists upcoming Time Warp festivals in:
- Mexico City
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Mannheim, Germany, in April
Previous international editions were held in Miami and São Paulo. Time Warp also hosted stages at EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival) Colombia earlier this month and EDC Las Vegas in May.
Executive comment#
Steffen Charles, Time Warp founder, said in a statement:
“Having started out in the music world with my own record shop, I am especially proud that after more than three decades of events under the Time Warp flag, Time Warp is now launching its own music releases including the sale of vinyls. It was particularly important to me to create the first release with an artist who has been with us for a very long time, who plays only vinyl and who carries the spirit of Time Warp forward.”
Joe Wiseman, head of Insomniac Music Group, added:
“When our events team partnered with Time Warp, we knew there was a great opportunity to help one of the most respected names in underground house and techno launch its own label and build on its incredible legacy. We are really excited to be part of this next chapter and to have the chance to release music from some of the most talented artists in electronic music through Time Warp Records.”
Insomniac Label Group encompasses more than 20 sub-labels, many of them artist-fronted imprints including Max Styler‘s Nu Moda, Joseph Capriati‘s Metamorfosi, Sidepiece‘s Lip Service and Slander‘s Gud Vibrations and Heaven Sent. While many of those labels host showcases and events, none are a promoter first and label second, making Time Warp Records a distinct entry in the group as the first label born from a partnered festival brand rather than an artist or genre.
