Éllet

Éllet is a Norwegian record label imprint operating as a sub-label of Tellé Records, the influential Bergen-based independent label founded by Mikal Telle in 1998. While Tellé Records built its reputation on electronic music, vinyl singles and the so-called Bergen Wave (Bergensbølgen) of the late 1990s and early 2000s, Éllet was created as a dedicated outlet for pop music released under the Tellé umbrella. The imprint shares the Tellé aesthetic and infrastructure, including the label's design heritage and its connection to the Bergen music scene. Éllet's catalogue is small but notable. Its first releases, numbered ÉL 001 through ÉL 003, were 7-inch singles by the Norwegian indie-pop duo Kings of Convenience, including tracks such as "Toxic Girl," "Failure" and "Brave New World." The label also issued a split 10-inch by Datarock and Stockhaus (ÉL 004) and a 10-inch by King Midas titled "The Man from the Gas Station" (ÉL 006). This places Éllet at the pop and indie end of the Tellé family, complementing sibling imprints Primitive Records (punk), Footnotes (house) and Tellektro (electro). As part of Tellé Records, Éllet is associated with the wider success of the Bergen scene. Tellé released early material by Röyksopp, Annie, Bjørn Torske and Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band, and its 2000 compilation Tellé Samleplate became both a commercial and critical breakthrough. Mikal Telle was celebrated as a key figure of the Bergen Wave and received the Bergen municipality artist prize in 2002. Tellé Records ran into financial difficulty in 2004, paused activity, and reactivated in 2007 with releases by international acts such as Matt & Kim and Familjen. Éllet itself is best understood as a niche imprint rather than a standalone company. It has no separate corporate identity, ownership or headquarters apart from Tellé Records, and its releases are catalogued under the ÉL prefix. The label remains of interest to collectors of Norwegian indie pop and to followers of the early-2000s Bergen music movement.

Éllet is a sub-label of Tellé Records, the Norwegian independent record label founded by Mikal Telle in 1998 in Bergen. Tellé Records initially conceived its first ten releases as vinyl singles with large jukebox holes that could be collected in a special box; the first release, TELLÉ 001, appeared in a plain white sleeve. The label soon moved beyond the jukebox-single-club concept, issuing Röyksopp's debut in a picture cover designed by Bjørn Torske, followed by vinyl releases from Annie, Bjørn Torske and Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band. Tellé's major breakthrough came in 2000 with its seventh release, the compilation Tellé Samleplate, which was paradoxically the label's first CD and became both a sales success and a critical favourite. Mikal Telle was hailed as the father of the Bergen Wave and received the Bergen municipality artist prize in 2002. Within this structure, Éllet served as the pop-oriented imprint. Its catalogue, numbered with the ÉL prefix, includes three 7-inch singles by Kings of Convenience (ÉL 001–ÉL 003), a split 10-inch by Datarock and Stockhaus (ÉL 004), and a 10-inch by King Midas, "The Man from the Gas Station" (ÉL 006). These releases placed Éllet alongside Tellé's other specialist sub-labels: Primitive Records for punk, Footnotes for house and Tellektro for electro. Tellé Records encountered serious financial problems in 2004 and had to let all its employees go. After releasing Kaptein Kaliber's album LP! Digitalt Remastret, the label entered a long dormant period. Activity resumed in August 2007, when Tellé Records came back to life with albums by American act Matt & Kim and Swedish act Familjen. The Tellé logo was designed by Tore Kroknes (DJ Erot), who was responsible for much of the label's cover design in its early years and was important to Tellé Records in its startup phase; Kroknes died in 2001. Éllet has no separate corporate history, ownership or headquarters apart from Tellé Records. Its significance lies in documenting the pop and indie side of the Tellé catalogue during the height of the Bergen music movement.

• 2007

  Tellé Records reactivates with releases by Matt & Kim and Familjen.

• 2004

  Tellé Records faces major financial problems and lays off all employees.

• 2002

  Mikal Telle receives the Bergen municipality artist prize.

• 2000

  Tellé Records achieves breakthrough with the compilation Tellé Samleplate (TELLÉ 007), its first CD release.

• 1998

  Tellé Records founded by Mikal Telle in Bergen, Norway.

Pop-focused imprint within the Tellé Records family, associated with the Bergen indie music scene.

• Kings of Convenience – Toxic Girl / Leaning Against the Wall 7"

• Kings of Convenience – Failure / I Don't Know What I Can Save You From / Surprise Ice 7"

• Kings of Convenience – Brave New World / An English House / The Beat of a Drum / Winning a Battle, Losing the War 7"

• Datarock/Stockhaus – Splitt 10"

• King Midas – The Man from the Gas Station 10"

1. 1Éllet – Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Tellé Records – Wikipedia (Norwegian)no.wikipedia.org