Music
Local manoeuvres in the dark Atlanta based record label Geographic North celebrates the intersection of music, art and design. With an undeniable and unique aesthetic, this music imprint weaves itself into the tapestry of hallowed labels. Harmony In an ideal collision of function and aesthetics, art harmonizes the two. Music is a compelling example, in that it’s a medium within a medium. Whether browsing a dusty record store or clicking through online catalogs, you are in a combination museum and library. The art hides behind art. It speaks to you before you ever hear it. Of course, a record sleeve is first and foremost a container. It keeps the product safe. It is responsible for revealing the contents of what it holds, like a practical container should. But almost as early as the first pressings of vinyl records, design has evolved into a symbiotic relationship with the music it presents. History The ambassadors of Geographic North do not take this lightly. While a record sleeve is nothing without the record, the Atlanta label is curatorial, blending sounds with visual accompaniment in a way that lets that symbiosis breathe. Geographic North’s design is a doorway into the music, but importantly there are stairs that spiral back outside to the design, a circle that speaks to itself beyond the initial experience on the turntable. Founded in late 2007, the four operators of Geographic North have adhered to their passions. From the first moments of choosing the label’s name—two words that were at home together—Farbod Kokabi, Farzad Moghaddam, Bobby Power, and Lee Summers wanted to put the music they loved out into the world. And to do so in a fashion that would truly deepen the legacy of the artists they admired.
Legacy Like many labels they started life on a small scale, but that’s where the word curatorial really sinks its gentle claws in. A limited-edition seven-inch from beloved Michigan duo Windy & Carl might not warrant pages of mentions in the scope of their discography. But fan out their many records and the Geographic North release, Vol. 7 of the label’s subscription series of singles, stands out with its vivid transparent blue vinyl and starkly textured design. And the inimitable feeling of holding one of only three hundred copies focuses that connection with legacy. Mystery As curators Geographic North launched the “You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever” seven-inch vinyl subscription series in 2008. A subscription to Geographic North requires an additional layer of trust; one is buying blindly without even knowing whose music will show up in the mailbox. But that trust denotes yet another symbiotic relationship. The music enthusiast receives a periodic burst like a love letter, crafted to the last detail by fellow music lovers. Each thrives upon the other. Maybe the postal carrier will deliver a double dose of ambient drones from Windsor for the Derby, a sound normally woven into the band’s work but rarely allowed to flourish with real majesty on their studio albums. Or perhaps a dreamy pair of comedown club tracks from up-and-coming duo Test House, the sleeve of which features a playfully post-modern typesetting complimented on the flip side by a gorgeous black and white photo of a small canyon partially erased by brushstrokes. Either way, in the interchangeable cover art, the post-modern snuggles up against the organic when you slide the record sleeve from its plastic. Intrigue blooms. Trust is rewarded.