Okla Records

13/01/2025

Hello Friends,

Three batches later we are in the new year, celebrating one year of Okla. A group effort makes running a label... real.

We are so proud that we could bring these seven records to your ears. Thank you for your patience, interest, streams, purchases, and likes. Huge shout-outs to our artists who have entrusted their works to us. We believe together we gave these records a fair fighting chance among the deluge of releases.

In tow, we would like to thank all of the journalists and media venues that have supported us through reviews, previews, interviews, and track placements. In alphabetic order, hit it Johnny:

, , , Daily, Brzmi w Trzcinie, , , .music, eternalfusionradio, , , .clay.radio, .knera, .union.cassette.resource, , , , , ,, Paradise Ajar, / Polifonia, Phantom Circuit, , , , , , , , , , .art.gallery, , The Moderns, , .co.

As grassroots music journalism is getting gutted left and right, these outlets and individuals are keeping the beacons lit for music discovery. We salute you.

We certainly don't expect to stop anytime soon. The releases for 2025 are being clarified as I type with the first ones to be unveiled shortly™.

Lastly, we are running a shelf-cleaning promo on our Bandcamp - order two cassettes and get one free! Just specify in the order comments and we'll get back to you shortly with a confirmation and BC codes. In the upcoming days we will also be posting some download codes via the BC community so be sure to share and partake.

Thank you for a great first year. Onto another.

Love,
okla

PS: there are a few more things we wanted to say but they've been cut from the IG post for brevity, check out the full text on our website.

19/12/2024

Predatory politics aside, it’s hard to deny the ease of use that Digital Streaming Platforms offer, thus, we have prepared Okla Records Playlists on Spotify and Apple Music* of our albums.

We encourage our listeners to switch to Bandcamp where one can truly support Artists (and Labels, *cough* *cough*).

Links are in bio.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Love ya.

*Apple Music has blocked several of our releases on the grounds of them being “field recordings” or “new age” and there’s nothing we can do. Yay digital molochs!

13/12/2024

09/12/2024

"Plasticene" has been included in A Closer Listen's () "The Year’s Best Album Covers". While Wound's album has been named and featured, the honour really goes to all of our covers and their creator - Michał Kęskiewicz. His tireless work enhances the experience offered by the music we release, giving it form and colour just enough to provide an enticing glimpse into the idiosyncratic soundscapes of our lovely artists.

Thank you Michał!

And thank you to A Closer Listen for being a stalwart supporter of okla. Go and read the full list, as well as other articles they've put out so far trying to bring 2024 to a close.

Love,
okla records

05/12/2024

We are elated to report that "Transmissions in Silver" has been included in the last Field Recordings round-up on Bandcamp. The site's editorial side has been a vital source of music journalism for the past few years so being featured is a small dream-come-true.

"Sannicandro’s ethereal synth responding in real time to Christoff’s languid guitar. Together, they produce minimalist, politically-minded post-rock—something like Godspeed You! Black Emperor in miniature—that’s always grounded in the urban environment, never too far from the people who are doing, conversing, making music in the streets." says Mr. Blackwell and we couldn't agree more.

Congrats to the guys and thank you Bandcamp!

Check the full article on . Limited edition cassettes still remain, for the time being.

Love ya,
okla records

19/11/2024

Piękne słowa o najnowszym albumie Manji, polecamy czytać (i słuchać ;))

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐣𝐚: Manja Ristić – Dew // Marek “Lokis” Nawrot

Preparowane skrzypce dostarczają delikatnej linii elektryczności, niosąc dźwięk w dal (pamiętacie najlepsze pozycje Michaela Northama?). Dodajmy do tego, już nie tylko nagrania otoczenia, ale jeden z rozpoznawalnych, moim zdaniem, znaków działalności Manji, nagrania rejestrowane przy pomocy hydrofonu – uszy ćwierkają z zadowolenia. Ich w pewnym sensie wielowymiarowość nadaje holograficznej jakości, a przeplatane z dźwiękami EMS Synthi 100 (zbudowanego na potrzeby belgradzkiego Electronic studio) aktywują śliniaki wyobraźni, prosząc o więcej.

Wydawca: Okla Records

15/11/2024

Batch3 launches today.

We are privileged to release new albums by regulars to the experimental scene, the ever-searching Manja Ristić from Serbia, and the journalist-activist duo from Canada, Stefan Christoff & Joseph Sannicandro.

OA06 Manja Ristić ~ Dew
Manja crafts two long-form compositions that evoke dusty memories of formative days, filled with promise and trepidation. These glacial arrangements on EMS Synthi 100 and processed violin are punctuated with field and hydrophone recordings from places on the threshold of mnemotopia, deeply personal, yet so universal.

OA07 Stefan Christoff & Joseph Sannicandro ~ Transmissions in Silver
The next chapter in the ongoing artistic conversation between two friends, shaped and built upon live improvisations weaving instruments, radio captures, and punctuated by binaural field recordings of cityscape walks.

Joseph’s synth work enhances circular, frantic guitar lines laid by Stefan as footsteps ground the work in a natural rhythm of bodies resonating with stimuli of time and space.

We do not take their cooperation for granted - the albums they’ve crafted are world-class and we couldn’t be happier to share them with you.

Listen on our Bandcamp (link in bio).

08/11/2024

OA07 / Stefan Christoff & Joseph Sannicandro ~ Transmissions in Silver

„I see this as spiritual music, it is translating the spirit of my life in those moments that I shared with Joseph in ways that are impossible to put into words, which is why I love it.” – Stefan

The next chapter in the ongoing artistic conversation between two friends, shaped and built upon live improvisations weaving instruments, radio captures, and punctuated by binaural field recordings of cityscape walks.

Joseph’s synth work enhances circular, frantic guitar lines laid by Stefan as footsteps ground the work in a natural rhythm of bodies resonating with stimuli of time and space.

Two lives intersecting in a room - mourning the dead, raging against injustices, channelling homeland lullabies to synthesize healing waves to pass forward.

“Take a walk at night, and walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears.” – Pauline Oliveros

Stefan Christoff () - acoustic and electric guitar, bells
Joseph Sannicandro () - synths, field recordings, production, mix
Mastered by Francesco Tonelli

/ About the Artists /

Stefan Spirodon Christoff is a media maker, community activist and artist living in Montréal. Stefan hosts the program Free City Radio, broadcasting weekly on seven community radio stations in Canada and shared globally as a podcast.

Joseph Sannicandro is a writer and artist based in Montreal, studying creative labor and (un)popular culture, with particular attention to sound. His work as a writer has appeared in publications including Oxford Art Journal, The Journal for Sonic Studies, Cultural Critique, and in edited book collections. 

~

Releases November 15th on our Bandcamp on digital and cassette.
Streaming in two months.

Love,
okla records

oklarecords.com
bandcamp.oklarecords.com

______

                                   

07/11/2024

OA06 / Manja Ristić ~ Dew

„Stepping onto the familiar ground, I had a flashback to my first arrival, my mother’s hug, and the sense of freedom that awaited me.”

Manja Ristić (.veltemar) crafts two long-form compositions that evoke dusty memories of formative days, filled with promise and trepidation.

These glacial arrangements on EMS Synthi 100 and processed violin are punctuated with field and hydrophone recordings from places on the threshold of mnemotopia, deeply personal, yet so universal. The strength of a mother’s hug, her velvety voice echoing among the quiet new reality; rain falling gently over the gravel between the train tracks; a soothing hum of distant landscapes; the secret life of ants, or the mysterious underwater sounds, in unison – an atomic structure of memory, dense and unique, slowly emerging through the veils of one’s psyche.

Manja has prepared a lovely story delving deeper into the origins of the album, the memories unearthed and stirred after laying dormant for years. Link is on our website or BC page for the album.

„Like morning dew, after the witching hour.”

Tools: EMS Synthi 100, Violin, Field & Hydrophone recordings
Mastering: Goran Simonoski / La Plant Studio
/ About the Artist /

Born in Belgrade in 1979, a violinist, sound artist, published poet, curator, and researcher. Ristić’s sound-related research besides contemporary performance in the field of instrumental electro–acoustics, is focused on interdisciplinary approaches to sound and field recording as well as experimental radio arts. She co-curated sonoAdriatic Tales at Ars Electronica 2020, and in the last 20 years curated and developed a distinctive number of cultural events, international projects, cultural conferences, and educational platforms in the fields of inter-media, experimental sound-related arts, scene, and multimedia arts. Works and lives on the island of Korčula, Croatia.

Releases November 15th on digital and cassette.
Streaming in two months.

Love,
okla records

11/10/2024

Batch3 preorders are now live

Memory merging with music, music merging with memory. Sounds that ground and those that cause us to float. Our Batch3 is the convergence of truly exceptional works by three artists contiuing their idiosyncratic careers.

We’re so so happy to present you:

~OA06~
Manja Ristić (.veltemar)- Dew
Manja presents two longform pieces that evolve subtly only to envelop the listener in emotion and reminiscence. These glacial arrangements on EMS Synthi 100 and processed violin are punctuated with field and hydrophone recordings from places on the threshold of mnemotopia, deeply personal, yet so universal.

~OA07~
Stefan Christoff () & Joseph Sannicandro () - Tranmissions in Silver
The next chapter in the ongoing artistic conversation between two friends, shaped and built upon live improvisations weaving instruments, radio captures, and punctuated by binaural field recordings of cityscape walks. Stefan’s guitar reaches for the sky, weaving lines with expressionistic energy while Joseph’s synth and production work set a potent emotional ground.

The albums will launch on the 15th of November 2024.
Pre-orders open on the 11th of October (NOW).

Both albums will be released digitally and on pro-dubbed cassette.

You can get them as a two-album batch as a special offer or, of course, individually.

Additionally, we also introduce a “Batch+” offer where, for an occasional price you will be able to get both albums plus one (chosen by you!) from the previous batches.

Love,
okla records

oklarecords.com
bandcamp.oklarecords.com

______

                     

23/09/2024

Okla szef grał w Nowej Hucie a kto ominął tego zapraszamy w te niedzielę do widoki.co

12/08/2024

Hello Friends,

Hope you’re having a nice summer. The time has come for our lovely Batch2 albums to jump into the black hole of streaming services*.

We love them very much and we hope that this will allow them to reach a wider audience than so far. They will, of course, remain on our Bandcamp (and are sure to be uploaded soon to the Artists’ own pages) and you can also grab them on cassette - while stocks lasts.

Tell a friend, wouldn’t you? We live and die by word of mouth.

Links are in bio.

*unfortunately, OA04 by Janek is not available on Apple Music and there seems to be no contesting the will of the Big Fruit

Love,
okla records

oklarecords.com
bandcamp.oklarecords.com

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