The Leaf Label

website: http://www.posteverything.com/leaf/
based in London

profile

The Leaf Label sprouted into life in late 1994; a simple tale of a love affair with music that, naturally, become an obsession. Tony Morley, then Press Officer at 4AD, was a fan and friend of Graham Sutton's outfit, Bark Psychosis, and when Bark Psychosis disintegrated after parting company with Virgin, Sutton began making the music that would come to be known as Boymerang. Nobody seemed bvery interested in picking up Boymerang's music, so Morley (and associate Julian Carrera) started a record label purely to release that one 12".

They called the label Leaf, lovingly hand stamped the 12" sleeves, and within two weeks the 1,000 copies pressed had all but sold out. There was no grand scheme behind the label's genesis, beyond releasing Boymerang, but everything went so swimmingly that Leaf released a total of eight EPs in the following two years, growing incrementally from a labour of love to the point where the label demanded more serious attention. Boymerang later went on to sign to Regal/Parlophone, and after the first two years Carrera had gradually slipped out of the frame. By the end of 1996, Morley had decided that it was about time to make Leaf a full-time priority.

Morley has been DJing since around 1990, playing an eclectic mix of tunes in back rooms at raves in his student days to the international DJ slots and radio broadcasts of the moment. In 1996 Morley began promoting Scratch with Rob Young (now editor of The Wire) and Jon Tye (Lo Recordings), a much missed club night that ran for three years, providing a home for performers and DJs who didn't fit into the rigid genrefication of London clubland.

The ethos of Scratch ran parallel to that of Leaf. Well aware of how labels get pigeonholed into scenes that briefly burn bright and are soon overtaken by the flavour of next month, Leaf has always exhibited an admirable refusal to be pinned down. Each project is treated individually, the aim being to release striking music with equally impressive artwork, to create a unique artifact that's equally lovely sitting on top of the pile as it is on the turntable. Though some of the label's output could be described as experimental, there is enough warmth, melody, playfulness and emotion running through the music to differentiate Leaf from its contemporaries.

Morley's time at 4AD impressed strong ideas on him about the look, emotional feel and texture of records, and this has been borne out in collaborations with designers v23 and EkhornForss/Non-Format and an eclectic, but never less than impeccable range of artists who have a spirit of musical adventure about them. Amongst the current recording roster of Eardrum, Susumu Yokota, 310, Rob Ellis and Manitoba, there is little to suggest a common musical link, and yet they are bound together with an understanding of aesthetics and a strong mark of individuality and quality. These recordings will retain their freshness for years to come and will exert subtle, long-lasting influence.

The label has developed in two distinct phases, with the August 1999 compilation Osmosis something of a watershed. Osmosis was a way of focussing on the future, introducing a group of new artists, as previously regular recording outfits like The Sons of Silence and A Small Good Thing went into extended recess. Osmosis led the way for albums from Faultline, Eardrum and Beige as well as a stunning series of releases from Japanese producer Susumu Yokota. The label's most recent success has been the music of Canadian producer Dan Snaith (aka Manitoba).

The ongoing, quietly successful Invisible Soundtracks series of limited edition 12" EPs and CD compilations is perhaps the bridge between these phases. Invisible Soundtracks is a long-running project that has reaped the benefits from another arm of Morley enterprises, the music press office No9, that brings Leaf into contact with artists from all over the world. No9's recent press successes include Pole, Burnt Friedman, Four Tet and 23 Skidoo, among others.

Future plans include more live work, both in the UK and abroad. New signings for 2002 include Boom Bip & Doseone, Asa-Chang and Murcof, and the split EP series of remixes, started way back with The Sons Of Silence v Ronnie & Clyde and more recently with Pole v Four Tet, is another continuing thread.

We're always on the lookout for great new (and we mean new) music. Leaf is always open to suggestions and offers of support from new friends - so get in touch.

releases

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