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Established in 2003 by John Twells, better known as Xela, and graphic designer Stefan Lewandowski, Type has rapidly claimed a position as the UK's leading label for cinematic postrock electronica. Its string of visually and sonically outstanding releases come from an international cast of artists including Andreas Tilliander (as Mokira), Keith Kenniff (Helios and Goldmund), and Norway's Deaf Center.
According to legend, it all started in a Birmingham record shop where Twells and Lewandowski first met. A shared taste of music led to collaborations like club promotion (the 'Default' nights in Birmingham and later in London), cover design (Lewandowski did the sleeve for Xela's first album, 'For Frosty Mornings And Summer Nights' on Neo Ouija), and soon plans were made to start a label.
Following Xela's motto 'the true sound of total desolation', Type eventually came to life with the release of Rj Valeo's album 'September' in November 2003. However it is the label's subsequent releases, moreso than Valeo's laid-back clicks'n'cuts debut, that set the sonic direction that Type was aiming for: Andreas Tilliander's ambient masterpiece, the plainly titled 'Album' recorded by Mokira, 'Neon City' by Norwegian duo Deaf Center, and Khonnor's 'Handwriting' have all successfully combined cinematic soundscapes and contemporary electronica with natural instruments and song-writing elements; an aesthetic championed foremost by Keith Kenniff, whose successful recordings as Helios and Goldmund further helped to raise Type's profile in recent years. With over 40 releases Type shows little signs of slowing down. Recent signings include psychedelic rock act The Alps and modern classical composers Sylvain Chauveau and Peter Broderick, further taking the label's sound in a more acoustic direction. Desolation surely never sounded so sweet. |
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