Founded 1992 by John Loder, Southern Records is an independent record label (Loder also ran the recording facility Southern Studios). It is based in London and until 2008 had offices in the United States, France and Berlin. The label is closely associated with Crass Records, Corpus Christi Records and Dischord Records.

History

Background

Southern Studios was a recording label owned and operated by John Loder from the 1970's until his death. Loder became friends with musician Penny Rimbaud and collaborated with him in an experimental band called EXIT. Rimbaud later formed anarchist punk band Crass, and Loder and his Southern Studios were chosen to record their first album The Feeding of the 5000. That record was originally released on Small Wonder Records. When Small Wonder encountered problems manufacturing the release, due to the allegedly blasphemous nature of the lyrics, Crass decided they needed their own label to take full control of their output. Loder facilitated this by acting as the business manager behind Crass Records. He arranged manufacture, distribution and accounting. After the Crass record's success in 1978, Loder became the go-to alternative distributor for a generation of independent musicians. This connected Loder with the emerging international independent record business. He formed alliances with small distributors around the world to distribute Crass's output, and in the process U.S. labels like Touch and Go found outlets for their releases overseas. Circa 1984, he formed a lasting partnership with Dischord Records. In 1986, Ian MacKaye traveled to London looking to forge a deal with Loder that would satisfy the demand for Minor Threat records in the UK. The deal struck resulted in the manufacture of Dischord records in a factory that Southern had contracted with on the European mainland, and for decades Minor Threat records were stamped "Made in France." Southern served as their pressing agent and distributor through 2008.

First releases

The first release on Southern Records was Babes in Toyland's album Fontanelle, in August 1992.

2000s

Label founder Loder died in 2005. In the same year Allison Schnackenberg, label boss, set up the Latitudes imprint to record and release one sessions, in a similar spirit to the BBC's Peel Sessions. Starting in late 2008, Southern closed its international office and moved all operations to London. Chicago closed November 2008, Le Havre closed July 2009, and Berlin closed December 2012. On 14 December 2023, Nomeansno posted on their Facebook page that the label has been selling their records without payment to the band for years and are not an authorized source of their recordings.

Imprints

Other label imprints operated by Southern include Black Diamond, Latitudes, Midwich Records, and Truth Cult.

Roster

Southern imprints

Black Diamond

Latitudes

• Aidan Baker & Plurals • A (Fallen) Black Deer • Alexander Tucker & Decomposed Orchestra • Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti • A Storm Of Light • Bardo Pond • Blood & Time • Boduf Songs • Bohren und der Club of Gore • Chelsea Wolfe • Circle • Daniel Higgs • Dälek • Drcarlsonalbion • The Entrance Band • Gang Gang Dance • Ginnungagap • Gowns • Grails • Grumbling Fur • The Haxan Cloak • Magik Markers • The Master Musicians Of Bukkake • Miasma & The Carousel Of Headless Horses • Mount Eerie • Nadja • Paradise Island • Shit and Shine • Sir Richard Bishop • Sylvester Anfang II • White Magic • William Elliott Whitmore

Midwich Records

Truth Cult