| C/Z Records | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Chris Hanzsek Tina Casale |
| Genre | Grunge Indie rock Alternative rock |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Seattle, Washington |
| Official Website | http://www.czrecords.com |
C/Z Records is a Seattle-based record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale with the release of the now-legendary, Deep Six LP, which collected the earliest recordings of the real pro-genitors of what later came to be known as grunge.
The label's first release (September 1, 1985) was titled Deep Six (CZ001). This was a compilation LP that featured early grunge bands Soundgarden, The Melvins, Green River, Skin Yard, Malfunkshun, and The U-Men. Nationally, the record was something of a disappointment, and after about 18 months, Chris & Tina realized that running a record label was not a career they wanted to pursue.
Daniel House, bass player for Skin Yard, was in the midst of putting together the bands first record, and took over the operation of C/Z records. For several years C/Z was little more than a hobby, but quickly became an outlet for many unnoticed Seattle bands that House felt were making great music. In 1989 House began working as director of sales for a new Seattle independent record label by the name of Sub Pop. Eventually he left as C/Z became successful in its own right. He subsequently released early albums and singles by notable bands like The Presidents of the United States of America, The Melvins, Built to Spill, 7 Year Bitch, The Gits, Silkworm and Hammerbox.
In 1993, C/Z entered into a production and distribution deal with Sony-owned RED Distribution. The deal quickly went sour and bled the label dry in less than a year. House was forced to downsize and re-organize, and it would be over a year before any new releases would see the light of day.
In 1996 the BMG-owned Zoo Entertainment parternered with C/Z. Zoo provided a modest operating and recording budget and assisted in the development of new artists. In 1997 Zoo was be purchased by Volcano Entertainment and all third party ventures were dropped.
Daniel House returned C/Z to part-time status, releasing only occasional records on an infrequent basis.
In 2002 C/Z released an odds-n-sods collection of unreleased and unavailable Skin Yard material, entitled Start at the Top.
C/Z released several Teriyaki Asthma compilations, one of which contained Nirvana's "Mexican Seafood". Nirvana also released their version of "Do You Love Me?" for C/Z's Kiss tribute album.
See also
C/Z Record bands
- 7 Year Bitch
- Alcohol Funnycar
- Big Poo Generator
- Built to Spill
- Coffin Break
- Engine Kid
- The Gits
- Hammerbox
- The Melvins
- Monks of Doom
- Porn Orchard
- The Presidents of the United States of America
- Semibeings
- Silkworm
- Skin Yard
- Tone Dogs
- Treepeople
- Voodoo Gearshift
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
