Spotlight on: Blackest Ever Black

Over the last few years, the UK-based Blackest Ever Black label have quietly released some of the most substantive and remarkable records in recent memory. Started in 2010 by Kiran Sande, an editor for FACT, the imprint focuses on music with a darker, more challenging sound, but as with labels like Hospital and Modern Love, Blackest Ever Black isn't really a "dance" label or an "experimental" label, but exists somewhere in the grey area between both poles; part of what's so impressive about the label is the range and quality control they've displayed so far. Raime's "Quarter Turns Over A Living Line", released last year, was a minor masterpiece of simmering tension and atmosphere, and they've already released several stellar full-lengths this year, including a re-release of Dominick Fernow's (Prurient/Vatican Shadow) Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement project, the inaugural release by Shampoo Boy - a 'supergroup' of sorts featuring Peter 'Pita' Rehberg of Mego fame, and the excellent debut from Alexander Lewis ("A Luminous Veil") a bleak, dystopian vision of hell that recalls the early output of artists like Hunting Lodge. They've got lots more on the docket for this year, including more music from label mainstays Raime - we're really looking forward to seeing what else they put out this year!!!