C/Z Records

C/Z Records
Founded 1985
Founder Chris Hanzsek
Tina Casale
Defunct 2001
Genre Grunge
Indie rock
Alternative rock
Punk rock
Country of origin United States
Location Seattle, Washington
Los Angeles, California
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 is currently owned and run by Daniel House.

History

The label was first founded in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale. 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 band's 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, 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 partnered with C/Z. Zoo provided a modest operating and recording budget and assisted in the development of new artists. In 1997 Zoo was to 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.

Releases

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?" on C/Z's Kiss tribute album Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation.

C/Z Records bands

See also

External links

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