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About

Slaapwel Records is a small record label specialized in music to fall asleep to.

Wim Maesschalck aka Wixel, who started the label, often found himself lying awake in bed, not sleepy enough to fall asleep, not lively enough to keep doing stuff. He figured it would be good if there was more music that soundtracks the thin border between being asleep and lying awake, deliberately choosing the sleepy side of things. So he set out, looking for people that would be good at making mind-soothing songs.

He asked them to write a sleep-inducing record, he listened to it, and when he failed to reach the end because he fell asleep, he released it as a musical record. All artists are various people he met through the years, different yet all connected with their unique talent, yet all very good at making "boring" music. This is not an insult.

"I love their music to death and I think they are all very capable of making wonderful sleep-inducing songs. In any case, don't make too much of it. It is all just good fun. Sleepy fun."

And that is still the philosophy of Slaapwel Records today. 

 

Demo Policy

We're really humbled by all the requests for releasing a record.

It's very flattering you think Slaapwel could be a good home, but, in all honesty: if you made an album and you're looking for a label to release it: Slaapwel can't do that for you.

Slaapwel only releases albums specifically made for people to fall asleep to. Much like scientists, we do a test with each submission before releasing it.

If you want to make something special, feel free to send it over. We promise we'll try it out, if it works, we'll get back to you, if it doesn't, we prefer staying quiet because it is no fun to say it didn't work. :-) 


Elsewhere
Saturday
Aug112012

Two New Releases!

Looks like we've got something to celebrate. Not only does Slaapwel Records exist five years, with this very blog post we're releasing our tenth sleep album! And we're celebrating it with an eleventh! 

Johan G. Winther
For Ingar Gustavsson grew out of a battered cd-r with old recordings made for Johan G. Winther's grandmother. After playing it to some friends, thinking & tinkering, a lengthy album was born - and a beautiful one at that; humble, restrained and precise, humming w/ respect & gratitude. Imagine Arvo Pärt as a bedroom musician, laptop processing his Für Alina pieces with the same understanding and confidence that he originally composed them. Read the full story here. You never fell asleep so calmly! (ps: more on Johan is here)

CD comes in our traditional Stumptown Arigato Pak + stitched picture, with one-of-a-kind xeroxed/screenprinted artwork by Tom ten Voorde. 300 copies. Buy Here.


Seaworthy
Our 11th publication is by the excellent Seaworthy. I just looked up the very first few e-mail conversations Cameron and I had about a release on Slaapwel Records. Not only does our first email date back to autumn 2008, it explains this release a good deal. Cameron explained that, round the time his first child was born, he recorded some tracks which he liked to call ‘sleep loops’, pieces of either guitar, electronics, ukelele or music box that were used as lullabies for his daughter. He reworked these tracks into one long piece of shimmery soundwaves. Meanwhile both Cameron and I got another child (not together, you silly :)), so he made another lullaby which is included here as a hidden 'bonus' track --- and suddenly we’re four years later and finally ready to release Sleep Paths, a patient, floating piece that’s absolutely sleepworthy.

CD comes in our traditional Stumptown Arigato Pak, yet stitched with original wallpaper of Cameron's childhood bedroom - first 50 copies came with a free xeroxed booklet (edit: booklets are alle gone now)  made by Seaworthy himself - no reservations/no extra charges, this one's a gift from Cameron to the early supporters. Comes with a free download only 'bonus' track if you order at slaapwel directly.  Almost 300 copies. (I lost count, there wasn't enough wallpaper). Buy Here.

Slaapwel Events
On saturday the 1st of September there's another Slaapwel Records labelnight! This edition features concerts by Greg Haines, Machinefabriek and a rare performance by SONMI451. Not to be missed if you ask me! So get your pyjama's ready and book a trip to Hasselt, BE. Tickets are available here: http://www.ccha.be/1213/pdetail.php?id=407

A week later, there's the Gaudeamus Muziekweek in Utrecht, NL. It might not be a labelnight, but they're hosting a place to enjoy a bed & a concert at the same time. Among the performers: Simon Scott, The Puddle Parade, Machinefabriek, Johan G. Winther/Tsukimono & Eli Keszler. Should be fun! Info: http://www.muziekweek.nl/programma/muziekweek12/ (go to 6th, 7th & 8th of September)

DateSaturday, August 11, 2012 at 10:38
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