With its first release in 1982, Touch initially created sonic and visual productions that combined innovation with a level of care and attention under that care of highly-regarded visual designer Jon Wozencroft, Mike Harding, Neville Brody and the Hafler Trio's Andrew McKenzie, who left the label after disagreements with the other owners. Many early releases also featured design contributions from Panni Charrington.
These days Touch is a two-man operation: Mike Harding and Jon Wozencroft. In recent years, Touch is most known for its contemporary electronica releases by the likes of Fennesz, Biosphere, BJNilsen, Ryoji Ikeda, Mika Vainio, and the highly-acclaimed field recordings of Chris Watson.
From the start Touch never considered itself to be a record label, but more an audiovisual arts publishers releasing anything that interested the founders: manifestos, literature, visual art etc. Jon Wozencroft speaking about Touch, *surface magazine, Autumn 2000: "When we launched it, we envisioned Touch as the world's first 'audiovisual' label. We repeat, endlessly, 'Touch is not a Record Label!'. We depend more or less on a long-developed support system with the artists with whom we work and the key people who act as our antennae. It's all based around collaborations. We publish music and artworks in small editions just as a printmaker or photographer might make an edition of their work to sell in a gallery. Except we have to put up with the vagaries of the distribution system open to us, and its perception of where we should 'fit' - or not."
Day
(Track 01 on this Album)
is featured in Podcast #042:
The result is a surprisingly engaging and emotional hour of music, juxtaposing experimentalism and pop, noise and tranquillity. Highlights include the sublime 'pioneer IOO' from Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto's fantastic new album collaboration 'summvs', more...
This Album is featured in Update #055:
Ramadanman, Soul Clap, Gold Panda
March has marched on by, but not without pouring a vernal cornucopia of fantastic releases upon us. As usual our newsletter is filled to the brink with our personal favourites of the month, neatly split into genres for your browsing comfort.
In techno and more...
Composer and artist Carl Michael von Hausswolff's first full album for Touch is based on his travels to Harar, Ethiopia to compose for a play about the poet Arthur Rimbaud. He uses field recordings, a string instrument called the 'krar', oscilliators and morse code to realise beautiful, hypnotic compositions.