Wallace Records

Wallace Records is an Italian independent record label specializing in underground and experimental music. Founded on April 26, 1999, in Trezzano Rosa, near Milan, by producer Mirko Spino, the label emerged from the desire to document the local underground scene. Inspired by 1980s American post-punk labels such as Dischord and Touch & Go, Wallace Records prioritizes artistic experimentation and independence over commercial success. The label's catalog includes releases by artists such as Zu, One Dimensional Man, Fuzz Orchestra, Bologna Violenta, Bachi da Pietra, Uochi Toki, OvO, and Damo Suzuki. Its best-selling records include Bugo's 'Sentimento westernato', A Short Apnea's 'llu ogod ellat rhagedia (Ustrainhustri)', and the first two albums by Rosolina Mar, each selling around 1,500 copies. Wallace Records has released several themed series, including the wallaceMailSeries (2003), Po Box 52 Series (2003), Phonometak series (10" vinyl splits), and Wallace Sessions (2016 digital series). The label maintains a critical stance against social media and streaming platforms, advocating for artist-friendly alternatives. Distribution partners include Audioglobe (Italy), Stickfigure (USA), Mandai (Benelux), TownTone (Japan), Minority Czech (Czech Republic), Ars2 (Poland), and Recomended UK (UK).

Wallace Records was founded on April 26, 1999, in Trezzano Rosa, near Milan, by producer Mirko Spino. The label was inspired by the experience of 1980s American post-punk labels such as Dischord and Touch & Go, and it distinguished itself through a greater emphasis on experimentation and artistic and commercial independence rather than seeking sales success. The label's first project was intended to be a 10" split vinyl featuring Jinx, One Dimensional Man, Six Minute War Madness, and Three Second Kiss. However, due to the unavailability of material from the latter band in a short time, the project was expanded into a compilation titled 'Tracce', featuring other active bands from the underground circuit. Over the years, Wallace Records has released four distinct series, each with a unifying concept and dedicated graphics. The first, wallaceMailSeries, launched in 2003, consists of ten 8cm CDs packaged in envelopes inspired by postal mail. Some projects from this series, such as EAReNOW, Claudio Rocchetti, The Shipwreck Bag Show, and Polvere, were studio-only projects, while others continued in the main catalog. Also in 2003, the Po Box 52 Series was released, comprising six CDs with music from 31 different bands, totaling 360 minutes. The selection was based on demos sent to the label's PO Box 52 in Trezzano Rosa. Some bands from this series, including Rosolina Mar, Taras Bul'ba, Claudio Rocchetti, and The Hutchinson, later joined the official catalog. The third series, Phonometak, was released on 10" vinyl in collaboration with Xabier Iriondo's Sound Metak project. It consists of ten split albums between artists associated with the label and Iriondo, featuring acts like Damo Suzuki, On Fillmore, Zu, Sinistri, Iceburn, Ovo, Scarnella, Lukas Ligeti, Mats Gustafsson, and Talibam!. The fourth series, Wallace Sessions (2016), was a digital series where, for 12 months, catalog artists made live recordings, demos, and unreleased tracks available for free download, one artist per month. The label's best-selling records include Bugo's 'Sentimento westernato', A Short Apnea's 'llu ogod ellat rhagedia (Ustrainhustri)', and the first two albums by Rosolina Mar, each selling around 1,500 copies. Other notable artists include Zu (who have collaborated with Mike Patton), One Dimensional Man, Fuzz Orchestra, Bologna Violenta, Bachi da Pietra, Uochi Toki & Eterea Post Bong Band, I Camillas, Damo Suzuki, OvO, and Tasaday. The album 'La chiave del 20' by Uochi Toki and Eterea Post Bong Band was judged by PIMI as one of the best independent albums of 2007. Distribution is handled by Audioglobe in Italy, Stickfigure in the USA, Mandai in Benelux, TownTone in Japan, Minority Czech in the Czech Republic, Ars2 in Poland, and Recomended UK in the UK. The label maintains a critical stance against entertainment multinationals and their market policies, and has considered a gradual withdrawal from social media and streaming platforms.

• 2016

  Wallace Sessions digital series launched, offering free downloads of live recordings and unreleased tracks for 12 months.

• 2003

  wallaceMailSeries launched, consisting of ten 8cm CDs in postal-inspired packaging.

• 2003

  Po Box 52 Series released, comprising six CDs with 31 bands, totaling 360 minutes.

• 1999

  Wallace Records founded on April 26 in Trezzano Rosa, near Milan, by Mirko Spino.

Independent underground music label focused on experimentation and artistic independence.

• Sentimento westernato by Bugo

• llu ogod ellat rhagedia (Ustrainhustri) by A Short Apnea

• First two albums by Rosolina Mar

• La chiave del 20 by Uochi Toki and Eterea Post Bong Band

1. 1Wallace Records official websitewallacerecords.com
2. 2About us | Wallace Recordswallacerecords.com
3. 3Wallace Records - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Wallace Records - Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org