Ghostly International

Headquarters: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Founded: 1999

Founded by: Sam Valenti IV

Link: http://www.ghostly.com/

Genre(s): Electronica, Techno, Avant-Pop, Dance, IDM

Active Roster

 * Aeroc
 * Cepia
 * Dabrye
 * Dykehouse
 * Kill Memory Crash
 * Kiln
 * Lawrence
 * Lusine
 * Charles Manier
 * Midwest Product
 * Mobius Band
 * Tadd Mullinix
 * Outputmessage
 * Skeletons & the Girl-Faced Boys
 * Solvent
 * Twine
 * Daniel Wang

Key Releases

 * Dabrye - One/Three
 * Various Artists - Tangent 2002: Disco Nouveau
 * Various Artists - Idol Tryouts: Ghostly International Vol. 1

Biography
Built from the ground up by Sam Valenti IV, Ghostly International has grown from a small, American electronica/dance outlet known for forward-thinking sound to an internationally renown cultural hotbed for artists and producers who not only want to make the dancefloor move, but also experiment within the realms of beat-oriented music. Founded in 1999 while Valenti was still studying art history at the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor-based label/store/clothing-chain/event curator/cultural phenomenon set out mimicing do-it-all labels like 4AD and succeeded to the fullest extent. Based around the minimalist techno sound of artists like Matthew Dear and Dabrye, Ghostly has effectively established an individual sound, though they seem to refuse to be pigeonholed by it. In the last few years, their catalog has grown to encapsulate not only various styles of techno but also the likes of abstract IDM, avant-pop, electro-acoustic, leftfield electronica, electropop and every other ecclectic combination of styles that you can think of. Ghostly also does an amazing job of developing and promoting the personalities behind the turntables and laptops, so that they become as important as the music being created. And thanks to Valenti's art background, there is a huge emphasis on their visual presence through packaging, advertising and other artwork. Recently, a sub-label called Spectral was created to release solely the many incarnations of techno stalwart Matthew Dear. But it too has grown exponentially, and is now home to a whole new set of like-minded artists that includes Dear's side-project Audion, James T. Cotton and Geoff White. Ghostly International is one of the few existing labels out there that truley are the complete cultural package.