ObliqSound

ObliqSound is a record label based in New York City. It was established by Tobias Tanner, Michele Locatelli, and Ralf Schmid, who studied music together at The New School in Manhattan. The label’s stated purpose is to develop artists with backgrounds in jazz while supporting music that moves beyond conventional genre categories. Its catalog and artist community reflect that cross-genre orientation. The roster has included Gilfema, a multinational trio featuring Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke, Swedish-Italian bassist Massimo Biolcati, and Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth. Other associated artists and projects have represented a broad range of contemporary jazz, improvised music, global influences, singer-songwriter work, and experimental piano-based performance. Examples include New Zealand Maori singer Tama Waipara and Flügelschlag!, a German ensemble built around three pianos. The label’s broader roster has included Aisha Duo, Ablaye Cissoko, Anne Drummond, Luigi Bonafede, Bebo Ferra, Volker Goetze, Grégoire Maret, Andy Milne, Grand Pianoramax, Gretchen Parlato, Paolino Dalla Porta, Tobias Preisig, Renovation Unlimited, John Shannon, Somi, Tales in Tones Trio, Pietro Tonolo, Max Wild, and Alon Yavnai, in addition to the members and projects associated with Gilfema. This range suggests a curatorial model centered less on a single narrowly defined jazz style than on artist-led projects combining jazz musicianship with international, electronic, contemporary-classical, vocal, and experimental elements. ObliqSound has also been associated with the sub-label Backdrop. Publicly available reference material identifies the label, its founders, artistic rationale, roster, and sub-label, but does not provide reliable information about its founding year, ownership structure, current operating status, financial performance, distribution arrangements, or official website. Those details therefore remain unconfirmed in this dossier.

ObliqSound emerged from the musical and educational relationship between Tobias Tanner, Michele Locatelli, and Ralf Schmid, who studied music together at The New School in Manhattan. The founders created the label in New York City with an interest in supporting musicians grounded in jazz but not confined to traditional jazz categories. Rather than defining its identity through one subgenre, ObliqSound has been described through its emphasis on genre-crossing projects and artist development. The label’s roster illustrates that approach. Its associated artists have included performers from Europe, Africa, Oceania, and the United States, as well as ensembles working across jazz, contemporary composition, improvisation, electronic music, global music, and vocal performance. Gilfema became one of the clearest examples of the label’s international and stylistically open outlook. The trio brought together Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke, Swedish-Italian bassist Massimo Biolcati, and Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth. Other projects broadened the label’s profile further, including Maori vocalist Tama Waipara and the German three-piano group Flügelschlag!. The publicly documented roster also includes Aisha Duo, Ablaye Cissoko, Anne Drummond, Luigi Bonafede, Bebo Ferra, Volker Goetze, Grégoire Maret, Andy Milne, Grand Pianoramax, Gretchen Parlato, Paolino Dalla Porta, Tobias Preisig, Renovation Unlimited, John Shannon, Somi, Tales in Tones Trio, Pietro Tonolo, Max Wild, and Alon Yavnai. Taken together, these artists indicate a label strategy based on curating distinctive musicians and ensembles rather than maintaining a narrowly uniform sound. ObliqSound has been identified with the sub-label Backdrop, although the available reference material does not establish the sub-label’s launch date, ownership arrangements, or complete catalog. Likewise, public reference information does not reliably establish ObliqSound’s founding year, corporate structure, distribution partners, financial results, or present-day operational status. The label is therefore best documented as a New York-based record-label imprint with an internationally oriented, jazz-informed, cross-genre catalog, while its current status and business details require further verification.

• Founded by three New School musicians

  [1]ObliqSounden.wikipedia.org

  Tobias Tanner, Michele Locatelli, and Ralf Schmid established ObliqSound after studying music together at The New School in Manhattan. The available source does not specify the year.

• Development of a cross-genre roster

  [1]ObliqSounden.wikipedia.org

  The label developed a roster centered on musicians with jazz backgrounds whose projects extend into other genres and international musical traditions.

• Association with the Backdrop sub-label

  [1]ObliqSounden.wikipedia.org

  Backdrop was identified as a sub-label associated with ObliqSound. No launch date is provided in the available reference.

An independent New York record-label imprint oriented toward jazz-rooted artists whose work crosses stylistic, geographic, and genre boundaries.

• Record-label releases

  Music recordings

  ObliqSound’s principal output is recorded music by jazz-rooted artists and ensembles. Its documented roster spans contemporary jazz, improvisation, global influences, vocal music, and experimental projects, reflecting the label’s interest in work that crosses conventional genre boundaries.

• International jazz ensemble recordings

  Gilfema releases

  Gilfema is a multinational trio associated with ObliqSound, bringing together guitarist Lionel Loueke of Benin, Swedish-Italian bassist Massimo Biolcati, and Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth. The project represents the label’s emphasis on internationally connected musicians and genre-expanding jazz.

• Sub-label recordings

  Backdrop releases

  Backdrop is documented as a sub-label of ObliqSound. The available source does not provide enough information to describe its catalog, release chronology, or current status in detail.

1. 1ObliqSounden.wikipedia.org