Sockets Records is an independent record label based in Washington, DC. Sockets primarily focuses on DC artists, releasing experimental pop music. The label began in 2004 and currently releases music on vinyl, CD, tape, and digital formats. Based in Washington, DC, Sockets has released over 70 recordings of experimental, incidental, minimal and arranged sounds. Since 2004, Sockets has supported artists and musicians interested in the intersection of a challenging audio language with community accessibility. Until 2008, Sockets was a CDR label releasing ad-hoc, limited runs of local Washington, DC experimental music. For the last two years, the label has focused on building a larger community of artists and performers who release some of the more challenging, but accessible, music within a pop-music framework.
Sockets Records accepts all demos for review, but the label focuses mainly on musicians and artists from the Washington, DC area. Please send demos to socketsrecords (at) gmail (dot) com.
Sockets threw a big showcase in January 2010. Here are some photos from the night by Mark Silva:
Hey there! Here's a little message from Sean about Sockets Records:
I’m not sure what to call it exactly, but I consider Sockets a record label. The term “label” is dated, I guess. But physical copies of good music is still important to me. The label is based in Washington, DC. And its purpose is to celebrate, document, and promote DC’s experimental pop music and musicians.
I romanticize the thriving environment of independent music in the 1990s when independent labels hit their stride. It’s pretty different now, in both good and bad ways. But I think that challenge of figuring out how people listen to music is fun to think through. I don’t think I’ve found the secret yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s got to do with releasing music that I really like and working with people who believe in creating really awesome art.
I moved to Washington, DC for school in 1998. I was drawn to the city’s music, which had an enormous impact on me as a teenager. I started Sockets as small, boutique CDR (recordable CD) label. It was my little way of feeling like I was a part of DC’s rich musical tradition. I made about 50 to 100 copies of each CDR and then printed up some art and tossed it in a DVD case. It was a cheap and easy way to document some really weird sounds coming out of DC from 2004 to 2007. The label released about 45 CDRs in that 3 year period. After a year break, I decided Sockets was going to start over and build a catalog of strong releases with some of my favorite bands. Some of these bands happened to be in New York, but most are here in DC. In 2010, the label turned 5 years old.
-Sean Peoples
October 2010
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