Launched in mid 2014, Party Smasher Inc, the multi-faceted collective founded by Ben Weinman (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra), has announced a global partnership with Cooking Vinyl, a UK based independent record company, home to artists such as THE PRODIGY, ROYKSOPP or MARILYN MANSON. See the detail below.
Photo: THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.
A network for cultural saboteurs of various disciplines – music, art, fashion, and beyond – Party Smasher was established by Weinman in 2009 as a way to unite and empower creative people doing things their own way. He explains: “I was well into my twenties, with a college degree and a corporate job, playing music with no intention of generating money or some massive fanbase. Before I had even realized it, I was making 100% of my living creating art. How did this happen? Because we ignored ‘the rules.’ It wasn’t until I started living my artistic life with that mindset that I became a responsible creator – one who could move people through honest expression. And that is what Party Smasher Inc is all about. We are here to celebrate the artists that are following their own path, undeterred by the trends.”
One of the many ventures currently in motion under the Party Smasher Inc umbrella is a record label with three heavy-hitting releases in 2016:
Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – Giraffe Tongue Orchestra (GTO) is the brainchild of William DuVall, lead singer of rock superstars Alice in Chains; Brent Hinds, lead guitarist of heavy metal giants Mastodon; and Ben Weinman, founder and lead guitarist of The Dillinger Escape Plan. The band plays its inaugural live shows at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK this August, and releases its debut album this year via Party Smasher Inc.
The Dillinger Escape Plan – With five studio albums and countless tours around the globe, The Dillinger Escape Plan have ascended from the underground to become one of the biggest names in metal and hardcore, all while maintaining a strong DIY ethic. With coverage in mass media from Rolling Stone to The New York Times, Billboard chart status, performances on network television such as Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and tours with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, and Deftones, The Dillinger Escape Plan is often cited as one of the most important bands to have emerged over the last decade and a half. The band is at work on its sixth album now, to be released this year on Party Smasher Inc.
Primitive Weapons – One of the definitive up-and-coming bands in today’s Brooklyn scene, post-hardcore outfit Primitive Weapons’ new, sophomore album, The Future of Death, was released digitally by Party Smasher Inc in April, with CD and LP versions coming this summer. An 8.0 review on Pitchfork hails The Future of Death as “a balance of brains, brawn, and heart”; NPR Music has declared, “the New York band is adept at mixing metallic violence with eerie, melodic sweetness.” GO HERE to read the band’s latest interview with IDIOTEQ!
Founded in London in 1986, now in its 30th year, Cooking Vinyl has evolved into one of the world’s leading independent labels, with a current roster boasting Marilyn Manson, Billy Bragg, The Cranberries, The Prodigy, and more. The partnership between Cooking Vinyl and Party Smasher Inc will help the label expand into new realms, and to continue to be one of the top tastemaker indie labels.
Rob Collins, Director of Cooking Vinyl, expressed his excitement for the deal: “We share the vision that Party Smasher has. They bring the art, we bring muscle. I couldn’t be more excited about this partnership.”
Howie Gabriel, of the newly launched Cooking Vinyl America, shared in the sentiment: “We’re excited to have Party Smasher Inc’s DIY ethic, along with Cooking Vinyl’s independent focus, to bring both labels to a larger global audience.”
