Kemado Records
Kemado Records is an independent New York record label known for releases spanning hard rock, heavy metal, psychedelic music, indie rock, folk, and experimental electronic music.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Kemado Records is an American independent record label founded in New York City in 2002 by Andrés Santo Domingo and Thomas Clapp. The label developed a catalog centered on adventurous guitar music and adjacent underground genres, including hard rock, heavy metal, psychedelic rock, indie rock, folk, and experimental music. Rather than operating as a narrowly defined genre imprint, Kemado built its identity around artist-led releases and a willingness to work across scenes that connected independent rock, metal, psychedelia, and alternative music. One of the label's best-known releases was The Sword's debut album, Age of Winters, issued in 2006. The record became a significant commercial success for the label and reportedly sold more than 80,000 copies. Kemado also broadened its profile through compilation projects, including Invaders, a 2006 collection that combined artists from the label's roster with contributions from hard rock and heavy metal acts such as Witchcraft, High on Fire, and Witch. These projects helped position the company as a curator as well as a conventional album publisher. Kemado expanded its activities in 2008 by introducing Mexican Summer, an imprint focused on digital releases and limited-edition vinyl. Mexican Summer eventually became an important vehicle for releases with a more art-oriented, experimental, and collector-focused approach. In October 2009, Kemado Records and Mexican Summer opened Co-Op 87 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Described by Santo Domingo as a vinyl co-op store, the venue brought several record labels together in a shared brick-and-mortar retail concept. The same location also housed Gary's Electric Studio, a commercial recording facility, extending the group's activities into physical retail and production infrastructure. In 2011, Mexican Summer and Kemado introduced Software Recording Co., a subsidiary devoted primarily to experimental electronic and dance music. The imprint was run by Daniel Lopatin, who performs as Oneohtrix Point Never. Its inaugural release was Channel Pressure, a collaborative album by Lopatin and Joel Ford. The launch demonstrated Kemado's interest in developing specialized labels rather than placing every release under one generalist identity. Artists associated with the Kemado catalog include The Sword, Dungen, Grails, Marissa Nadler, O'Death, Langhorne Slim, Xasthur, True Widow, Danava, Saviours, VietNam, The Soft Pack, Turzi, Lansing-Dreiden, Farmer Dave Scher, and others. The label's recorded output includes artist albums, singles, limited-edition vinyl, digital releases, and thematic compilations. Publicly available reference material identifies Santo Domingo as president and co-founder, Clapp as managing director and co-founder, Keith Abrahamsson as head of A&R, and Warren Konigsmark as general manager. The label's present operating status and corporate ownership are not clearly documented in the supplied sources.
History
Kemado Records emerged in New York City in 2002, founded by Andrés Santo Domingo and Thomas Clapp. The company entered the independent music market with a broad but recognizable taste profile: heavy and psychedelic guitar music, underground rock, experimental projects, and releases that sat between established genre categories. Its catalog approach allowed the label to sign or distribute work by artists with different audiences while maintaining an identity rooted in independent music culture. A major early milestone came in 2006 with the release of Age of Winters by The Sword. The album became one of Kemado's most successful titles and reportedly sold more than 80,000 copies. That same year, the label issued Invaders, a compilation that presented artists from its own roster alongside external hard rock and heavy metal performers, including Witchcraft, High on Fire, and Witch. The compilation format helped Kemado function as a tastemaker and connected its roster to a wider heavy-music audience. The label expanded beyond its initial structure in 2008 by creating Mexican Summer. The imprint emphasized digital music and limited-edition vinyl, combining contemporary distribution with the collector appeal of carefully produced physical releases. This expansion gave the broader Kemado operation a distinct platform for projects that were more experimental, art-driven, or oriented toward specialist audiences. In October 2009, Kemado and Mexican Summer opened Co-Op 87 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The store was conceived as a shared retail space for multiple record labels, an arrangement Santo Domingo described as a vinyl co-op store. The venture reflected the importance of independent record retail and physical music collecting during a period when digital distribution was rapidly reshaping the recorded-music business. The same premises also contained Gary's Electric Studio, a commercial recording facility that extended the operation into music production and studio services. In 2011, the company and Mexican Summer launched Software Recording Co. The subsidiary was run by Daniel Lopatin, known musically as Oneohtrix Point Never, and concentrated mainly on experimental electronic and dance music. Its first release was Channel Pressure, Lopatin's collaboration with Joel Ford. Software gave the organization a dedicated home for electronic work instead of requiring those releases to share exactly the same branding as Kemado's rock-oriented catalog. Across its documented catalog, Kemado has been associated with artists including Dungen, Grails, Marissa Nadler, O'Death, Langhorne Slim, Xasthur, True Widow, Danava, Saviours, VietNam, The Soft Pack, Turzi, Lansing-Dreiden, Farmer Dave Scher, and The Sword. It has also released or been associated with compilations such as Voyage: Facing the History of French Modern Psychedelic Music and Shout!: The Revolution Rave-Up Alive 1997–2003. The available reference material identifies Santo Domingo, Clapp, Keith Abrahamsson, and Warren Konigsmark in leadership or operational roles, but does not establish a current corporate structure, ownership arrangement, or definitive present-day status.
- 2011
Software Recording Co. launches
[1]A new subsidiary focused on experimental electronic and dance music begins operations with Channel Pressure.
- 2009
Co-Op 87 and Gary's Electric Studio open
[1]The Kemado and Mexican Summer operation expands into shared record retail and commercial recording facilities in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
- 2008
Mexican Summer is introduced
[1]Kemado creates an imprint dedicated to digital and limited-edition vinyl releases.
- 2006
The Sword's Age of Winters is released
[1]Kemado issues the debut album by The Sword, which becomes a major success for the label and reportedly surpasses 80,000 copies in sales.
- 2006
Invaders compilation is released
[1]The label publishes a compilation pairing its artists with other hard rock and heavy metal acts.
- 2002
Kemado Records is established
[1]Andrés Santo Domingo and Thomas Clapp found the independent label in New York City.
Products and positioning
An artist-focused independent label and music-curation platform with a strong emphasis on adventurous rock, metal, psychedelia, experimental music, and collectible physical formats.
Album · 2006
Age of Winters
The 2006 debut album by American heavy metal band The Sword. It is widely identified as Kemado Records' most commercially prominent release and helped establish the label's reputation in heavy, riff-driven guitar music. Reference material reports sales of more than 80,000 copies.
Compilation · 2006
Invaders
A 2006 Kemado compilation that brought together artists associated with the label and additional hard rock and heavy metal performers. The project served both as a catalog sampler and as a statement of the label's position within the broader underground heavy-music community.
Record-label imprint · 2008
Mexican Summer
An imprint introduced by Kemado in 2008 with an emphasis on digital music and limited-edition vinyl. Mexican Summer provided a separate platform for releases with specialized, experimental, and collector-oriented presentation.
Record-label imprint · 2011
Software Recording Co.
A subsidiary launched by Kemado and Mexican Summer in 2011 for experimental electronic and dance music. It was operated by Daniel Lopatin, also known as Oneohtrix Point Never, and began with Channel Pressure, his collaboration with Joel Ford.
Electronic album · 2011
Channel Pressure
The collaborative album by Daniel Lopatin and Joel Ford that served as the inaugural release of Software Recording Co. Its placement at the beginning of the imprint's catalog signaled the subsidiary's focus on experimental electronic and dance-oriented work.
Compilation
Voyage: Facing the History of French Modern Psychedelic Music
A Kemado-associated compilation centered on French modern psychedelic music and the historical development of that scene.
Compilation
Shout!: The Revolution Rave-Up Alive 1997–2003
A compilation associated with Kemado's catalog that documents a period of rave-up and alternative music activity from 1997 through 2003.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Co-Op 87 vinyl retail project
New York City
Kemado and Mexican Summer created a shared Greenpoint record store with several other labels, presenting independent-label retail as a cooperative physical destination.
Outcome. The project expanded the operation beyond recorded releases into retail and community-oriented music infrastructure.
- 2006Invaders compilation campaign
United States · International
Kemado used Invaders to present its own artists alongside established and emerging hard rock and heavy metal acts, creating a cross-roster showcase for the label's musical territory.
Outcome. The compilation strengthened Kemado's profile as a curator within underground heavy music.
Brand decisions
2011
Launch Software Recording Co.M&ABackground
Kemado and Mexican Summer identified experimental electronic and dance music as a distinct area requiring its own imprint.
Action taken
They established Software Recording Co. under the direction of Daniel Lopatin.
Aftermath
The inaugural release, Channel Pressure by Lopatin and Joel Ford, gave the new imprint an immediate catalog identity.
2009
Expand into shared retail and recording facilitiesStrategyBackground
Independent labels were adapting to changes in music distribution while physical vinyl remained important to specialist audiences.
Action taken
Kemado and Mexican Summer opened Co-Op 87 in Brooklyn and established Gary's Electric Studio at the same location.
Aftermath
The organization added brick-and-mortar retail and commercial studio capabilities to its label activities.
2008
Create the Mexican Summer imprintStrategyBackground
Kemado sought a distinct platform for digital releases and limited-edition vinyl projects.
Action taken
The company introduced Mexican Summer as a separate label identity.
Aftermath
The move broadened the organization's catalog architecture and created a platform for specialized releases.
Recent events
- 2011
Software Recording Co. launches[1]
Product launch
Kemado and Mexican Summer introduce Software Recording Co., an imprint focused primarily on experimental electronic and dance music.
- 2009
Co-Op 87 opens in Greenpoint[1]
Other
Kemado and Mexican Summer open a shared record store in Brooklyn, alongside several other labels, and establish Gary's Electric Studio at the same location.
- 2008
Mexican Summer imprint is introduced[1]
Product launch
Kemado launches Mexican Summer to develop digital releases and limited-edition vinyl projects.
- 2006
Kemado releases The Sword's Age of Winters[1]
Product launch
The label issues The Sword's debut album, one of its most commercially successful releases, with reported sales exceeding 80,000 copies.
- 2006
Invaders compilation expands Kemado's hard-rock profile[1]
Product launch
Kemado releases Invaders, a compilation combining label artists with outside hard rock and heavy metal acts.
- 2002
Kemado Records is founded in New York City[1]
Other
Andrés Santo Domingo and Thomas Clapp establish Kemado Records as an independent American record label.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/kemado-records · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled