The Trikont label is celebrating its 50th anniversary
Trikont is Germany’s oldest independent record label. The company based in Munich was founded at the heights of the student rebellion at the end of 1967 as a publisher for radical left wing books including Che Guevera’s Bolivian diaries. In 1971 Trikont added a record label to its operations, documenting outsider music from all around the world. Trikont’s official motto “our own voice“ reflects this ideal to this day.
With now nearly 500 releases under its belt the Trikont catalogue covers the widest range of roots music styles from Finnish Tango, Rembetica and African Rap to obscure Americana, Deep Soul, Cajun and Zydeco. John Peel and Jon Savage compiled albums for Trikont, and Greil Marcus, Mick Farren and Rennie Sparks (The Handsome Family) wrote sleeve notes. Trikont gave the world Attwenger and LaBrassBanda, the “Flashback“-, “Dead and Gone“-, “Creative Outlaws-“ and ”La Paloma“-series, as well as compilations such as “England’s Dreaming“, “The Big Pig’s 78s“ and “American Yodeling“, which re-introduced the eccentric yodelers The DeZurik Sisters to the world after 70 years in oblivion. Trikont produced also albums of Embryo, Michael Hurley, Daniel Johnston and Accordions Go Crazy (featuring Clive Bell, Sylvia Hallett and Stuart Jones).
Trikont’s 50th anniversary will be marked by the publication of a biography of the label and its 50 year long history („Die Trikont-Story: Musik, Krawall und schöne Künste“ written by Christoph Meueler & Franz Dobler), the launch of a new website (homepage) and a series of re-issues in special vinyl editions.