Les Disques du Crépuscule
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| Les Disques Du Crépuscule | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Genre | Industrial Experimental Post-punk |
| Country of origin | Belgium |
Les Disques Du Crépuscule was a Belgian independent record label. The label was founded in 1980 by Michel Duval and Annik Honoré, residents of Brussels who had previously organised and promoted concerts in the city at the Plan K venue. Their first visible work as Crépuscule was the fanzine Plein Soleil, issued in June 1980.
Crépuscule translates as 'twilight' with most of the label's releases being prefixed by the letters TWI.
Initial releases were by Factory Records artists, and were labelled as being "Factory Benelux/Les Disques du Crépuscule" records. The first of these was a 7" by A Certain Ratio in August 1980, and singles by The Durutti Column and Section 25 followed in November 1980. Thereafter Factory Benelux was presented as a separate imprint, although the two labels operated out of the same premises.
Les Disques du Crépuscule went on to release diverse recordings by Michael Nyman, Wim Mertens, Josef K, Cabaret Voltaire, Mikado, Isabelle Antena, Louis Philippe (under the aliases of The Border Boys and The Arcadians), Bill Nelson, Richard Jobson, Isolation Ward, Paul Haig, The Pale Fountains, Gavin Bryars, Tuxedomoon, Repetition[1] and many others. Cosmopolitan, and notably popular in Japan, the label is also celebrated for the artwork of chief designer Benoit Hennebert.
Various compilations highlighting various aspects of the Crépuscule roster were issued by the label during its tenure, including the landmark cassette release, "From Brussels With Love", featuring John Foxx, Thomas Dolby, Bill Nelson, Brian Eno (in conversation), Durutti Column and The Names among others, "The Fruit of the Original Sin", a lavish double-vinyl set featuring Orange Juice, Durutti Column, Richard Jobson and many more as well as a handful of CDs, many available only as retail promos, "Non Peut Etre" being a key example (issued to highlight new releases on the label during 1988).
Having relocated to Paris in the late 1990s, the label became dormant after 2004. However many of the artists, including Isabelle Antena, Blaine L. Reininger (Tuxedomoon), Winston Tong (Tuxedomoon), Paul Haig, Gavin Bryars, Anna Domino, Devine & Statton and Isolation Ward have had their catalogue, old and new, re-issued by LTM Recordings with their original artwork. A few Crepuscule-themed collections have also appeared on LTM, including 2011's "After Twilight", a collection of previously-issued and specially-recorded tracks featuring curator Isabelle Antena, plus Anna Domino, Paul Haig, The Names, Blaine L.Reininger and Cathy Claret.
See also
- Factory Benelux discography
- L.A.Y.L.A.H. Antirecords - another Crépuscule sublabel
Further reading
- Nice, James. Shadowplayers: The Rise & Fall of Factory Records Aurum Press, 2010.
External links
- History of the label (Frank Brinkhuis)
- Factory Benelux (2012) on Facebook
