ABOUT

History

Dim Mak Records started in 1996. A friend of mine was in this band called Stickfigurecarousel and they just recorded a two song record that was going to be released by this label Bastille, Jon and Gabe Bowne (both pursuing law degrees now). At some point, I got involved and Bastille and what was now Dim Mak joined our money together to put out this record pressed to 600.

Eventually, the records sold, we got some of our money back and later in the next few months I saw a band called I Wish I play at Koo's Cafe in Santa Ana, CA. A strong friendship between the drummer, Gabe, and I was formed and since then I released their full length LP/CD that is now sold out and Gabe's recent band The Landslide. I Wish I went on to bands like Jejune, Kill Holiday, The Landslide, and Love Light Shine.

At this point I was just planning on releasing bands in the area that were my friends. So I put out Give Until Gone, which was Dan Sena and Jim Schwartz from Stickfigurecarousel, the first band DM released. During this time, I was also reviewing records for HeartattaCk. I came across this band called Blank, from Baltimore and wrote them telling them how much I liked the 7"s they put out. Ryan Shelkett of Blank called back and told me of his new band Cross My Heart and said it was similar to Blank. I heard the tape that they sent and was excited to not only put out this band that I really liked to begin with but that this band was from the east coast, far far from southern California. For some reason, I just wanted to put something out by a band somewhere not anywhere near me. Ryan and I became great friends, visited him and Evan Tanner on occasion and in the span of Cross My Heart's days Dim Mak released three of their records. Their first LP, their EP - 12"/CD and their last LP.

I was also doing shows in my apartment with roommate Mike Phyte, Andy Fraire, Brett Bezsylko, and Gabe Wyatt (all living there at different times) and recording all the shows with a local, Dan Weiss. We recorded everything to a four track and eventually put out a live compilation CD of just 20 of the estimated 400 + bands that we've recorded. This new band called Planes Mistaken For Stars came through. It was their first tour and I think that it wasn't going so good either. Their van got fucked or something and they spent all their money in renting another piece of shit and here they were playin in our house to about 20 kids. They blew me away and we kept in touch. Out of joking around on the phone, they asked me to put out a 7" and I was quite honored because I liked them so much as a band and as the crazy fuckers they were. They are the biggest sweethearts I know.

Then came a LP with the only local band I've released to date, Stratego. It was a split release with the singer Dylan Ostendorf's label, Strategem. They soon broke up after the record and their US tour. I still have a few hundred copies lying around if anyone wants one. I then released the Planes Mistaken For Stars "Knife in the Marathon" LP that were all handscreened by the band themselves.

Lars from Germany, who is a big part of Dim Mak, and takes responsibility in doin the Dim Mak Europe distro released a split 7" from his band Linsay and Stickfigurecarousel. Both bands that recently broke up afterwords. Coincidentally, I released a split 7" by two defunct bands right after this split of defunct bands, the Former Members of Alfonsin from LA and Bay area, and Sawpit from Tokyo, Japan. That record is almost gone now and it was one of the most underrated records I've released. Former Members of Alfonsin were the most amazing political live band and really shot down a lot rhetoric most people try to spit out. I really miss that band.

So I get this call from this kid Jesse Lyell from Richmond and he asked me to release his band The Exploder. Ryan from Cross My Heart were constantly telling me about them and after I got their LP on Reptilian, I was definitely into doin something with them in the future. They recorded 6 songs and it became that CDep. The vinyl version came out on Florida based label Independence Day.

So I was still doing shows at the Pickle Patch but now we just recently got kicked out of our apartment and hijacked this fraternity house that was booted for doin some fucked hazing shit. We had a trailer to do rad shows for that year and one of the best shows was with this band No Knife. They told me that there were planning on going to Japan and Europe soon and I told them that I'd love to release the import versions for Japan and Europe. So I did which became the Fire In the City of Automatons release.

Give Until Gone just finished recording 12 songs for their new record and it came out soon after. Meghan from the old east coast band Copper came and sang and she did some cool shit on it. They soon broke up after that album which really fucking sucked because the production on that record was so expensive, and they broke up. I am still pissed about that.

The band that took Dim Mak out of the financial ditch that was getting deeper was Nine Days Wonder from Japan. Their record sold so well right after it was released, mainly in Japan. It is such a great record and they are such great people. This Machine Kills and The Exploder soon after the album came out to Japan to tour with them and Envy and I'll never forget that tour. As I was saying before, at this moment the Cross My Heart final LP came out and while that was in the press, Evan Tanner aka Pos-E and the Yellow Peril were engaging in serious freestyling to possibly put out some great phone battling on vinyl. But it never came to promise but will always be remembered. Watch out for Pos-E, he carries an arsenal of wit. I soon started up this other band called The Fire Next Time in Goleta and we recorded a demo that was to be Dim Mak 020. We made 200 and sold out. It is now out of print. Mikey Ott joined the band later on and we recorded a LP/CD "Sound of A Threat" to be released May 2002.

On the earlier Japan tour I hear of this band called There is a Light That Never Goes Out from friends out there, namely Ryo Matsuura and Katoman. I asked them if I can release their vinyl version LP of the CD they put out in Japan and it came out as DM021. The hip hop graffiti cover is somewhat misinterpreted as bad rap core to fucking idiots. Get it fucking straight. Go see Wild Style or Breakin' 2: Electric Bugaloo.

So as I was saying earlier, Gabe Gamboa of I Wish I and Kill Holiday fame started up The Landslide with Steve Miller, Unbroken and Kill Holiday, and the two song single came out. Then they broke up 2 months after. Great. I've had some bad luck in my day, let me tell you. And the next release was the anticipated LP of Bluebird's "The Two" that took a good year to actualize but it came out and I'm super happy about it as well. I love that record. And Dim Mak will be releasing the CD version of it in the near future as well. Kill Sadie's full length "Experiments in Expectation" LP and Cd came out at different times but I was so fucking excited about this one to come out. Maybe because it took a solid 3 and half years to get a firm answer from these guys when this was goin to happen. And it did. And it turned out fucking phenomenal.

Pretty Girls Make Graves "Pretty Girls Make Graves" CDep came out with Sound Virus's 12" at the same time and that pretty much changed the label altogether, at least in my opinion. Dim Mak releasing one of the most timetelling bands that will fuck up the sound of punk and indie or whatever you want to call it. The Envy "All the Footprints You've Ever Left and The Fear Expecting Ahead" CD , the longest album title of anything I will ever release and the best fucking hardcore that I've ever heard. Envy made people emotionally convulse on their tour. They made people cry. I saw it myself. They almost made me fucking cry because of the fucking intensity that pours out of them. They are amazing.

Monochrome 7" soon came out after this. This Stuttgart, German band has always been in my stereo ever sine their 12"ep came out years back. It took a good year for this one to come out but I'm so glad it did. The CD that followed up the Nine Days Wonder and No Knife tour came out soon after and the songs are departures to the band. Really catchy math stuff. Great artwork too. And now we are here at the present. The Radar and the From Monument To Masses albums both came out and both sound like ambient landscapes in their own right. Radar's took three years plus to compose and record. From Monument To Masses took a year to build their sampling status and looping signatures. Onalaska from Seattle asked us to release this album of material. I've been friends with most of them, and have worked with Erin Tate and Corey Murchy from Kill Sadie for years.

Things are good at Dim Mak. I'm happy to what has become of the label and I'm happy to where it will go. For every vinyl release and with some CD releases I've celebrated different folks that have inspired me. Check out the Hearts and Minds section to know what I'm talking about.

Thanks. Steve Aoki

(An updated history from 4/4/02 to what will be the present will come later when I'm not overloaded with other work to do.)

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