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{{Short description|British electronic music record label}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{infobox record label
{{infobox record label
| image = [[File:Ghost_Box_Logo.jpg|240px]]
| image = Ghost_Box_Logo.jpg
| image_size = 240px
| founded = 2004
| founded = 2004
| founder = [[Julian House (musician)|Julian House]]<br/>[[Jim Jupp]]
| founder = [[Julian House (musician)|Julian House]]<br/>[[Jim Jupp]]
| country = [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| genre = [[Electronic music|Electronic]], [[hauntology#Hauntological music|hauntology]], [[library music]], [[musique concréte]], [[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]
| genre = [[Electronic music|Electronic]], [[library music]], [[hauntology (music)|hauntology]], [[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]
| url = [http://www.ghostbox.co.uk Ghost Box Records]
| url = {{url|http://www.ghostbox.co.uk}}
}}
}}


'''Ghost Box''' is an independent, UK-based [[electronic music]] record label, launched in [[2004 in music|2004]] by artists [[Julian House]] and [[Jim Jupp]]. It is known for its distinctive aesthetic, which draws on esoteric British cultural sources from the [[postwar period]] and became associated with the 2000s music trend known as [[hauntology #Music|hauntology]].
'''Ghost Box''' is an independent, UK-based [[electronic music]] record label, launched in [[2004 in music|2004]] by graphic designer [[Julian House]] and producer [[Jim Jupp]]. Its roster includes artists such as Jupp's [[Belbury Poly]], House's [[The Focus Group]], and [[the Advisory Circle]], as well as releases by [[Broadcast (band)|Broadcast]] and [[John Foxx]] among others.

The label's distinctive aesthetic draws on outdated and esoteric British cultural sources from the [[Postwar Britain (1945–1979)|postwar period]], including early electronic and [[library music]], [[public information film]]s, educational resources, [[occult]] stories, and [[BBC]] [[science-fiction]] programs. Ghost Box consequently became associated with the 2000s music trend known as [[hauntology (music)|hauntology]].


==Background==
==Background==
Ghost Box was established in London in 2004 by producer [[Jim Jupp]] and music industry graphic designer [[Julian House]].<ref name="wire"/> It was originally created as an outlet for their own musical experiments, with the idea that each release’s packaging would display a similar design sensibility and allude to a shared imaginary landscape; a very British parallel world of [[public information film]]s and TV soundtracks, [[cosmic horror]] stories, vintage [[library music]] and antique [[synthesiser]]s, folk song, educational programmes, English [[psychedelia]], occult stories and folklore.<ref name="wire">{{cite web|last1=Reynolds|first1=Simon|title=Haunted Audio a/k/a SOCIETY OF THE SPECTRAL: Ghost Box, Mordant Music and Hauntology|url=http://reynoldsretro.blogspot.com/2012/05/|website=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|accessdate=25 November 2017}}</ref>
Ghost Box was established in London in 2004 by producer [[Jim Jupp]] and music industry graphic designer [[Julian House]].<ref name="wire"/> The label was formally launched on January 10, 2005, and was originally created as an outlet for their own musical experiments, with the idea that each release’s packaging would display a similar design sensibility and allude to a shared imaginary landscape; a very British parallel world of [[public information film]]s and TV soundtracks, [[cosmic horror]] stories, vintage [[library music]] and antique [[synthesiser]]s, folk song, educational programmes, English [[psychedelia]], occult stories and folklore.<ref name="wire">{{cite web|last1=Reynolds|first1=Simon|title=Haunted Audio a/k/a SOCIETY OF THE SPECTRAL: Ghost Box, Mordant Music and Hauntology|url=http://reynoldsretro.blogspot.com/2012/05/|website=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|access-date=25 November 2017}}</ref>


Jupp and House have described the label as existing in an imagined or misremembered past. Influenced by school textbooks and the rigid design grid of [[Penguin Publishing|Penguin]] and [[Pelican Publishing|Pelican]] [[paperback book]]s, Ghost Box records and CDs were always intended to look and sound like artefacts from a parallel world, familiar, elegant, but somehow "wrong". It’s a world outside of time where cultural references from a roughly 20-year period (1958-1978) are happening all at once.<ref>[http://www.factmag.com/2009/02/04/interview-belbury-poly/ ''Interview: Belbury Poly''], [[FACT magazine]]</ref>
Jupp and House have described the label as existing in an imagined or misremembered past. Influenced by school textbooks and the rigid design grid of [[Penguin Publishing|Penguin]] and [[Pelican Publishing|Pelican]] [[paperback book]]s, Ghost Box records and CDs were always intended to look and sound like artefacts from a parallel world, familiar, elegant, but somehow "wrong". It’s a world outside of time where cultural references from a roughly 20-year period (1958-1978) are happening all at once.<ref>[http://www.factmag.com/2009/02/04/interview-belbury-poly/ ''Interview: Belbury Poly''], [[FACT magazine]]</ref>
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Their work has been described as an attempt to evoke "a nostalgia for a future that never came to pass, with a vision of a strange, alternate Britain, constituted from the reorder refuse of the [[postwar period]]."<ref name="Oxford">{{cite book|first1=Sheila|last1= Whiteley|first2=Shara|last2=Rambarran|title=The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality|date=January 22, 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=412}}</ref>
Their work has been described as an attempt to evoke "a nostalgia for a future that never came to pass, with a vision of a strange, alternate Britain, constituted from the reorder refuse of the [[postwar period]]."<ref name="Oxford">{{cite book|first1=Sheila|last1= Whiteley|first2=Shara|last2=Rambarran|title=The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality|date=January 22, 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=412}}</ref>


==Roster==
==Artists and Guests==
Ghost Box’s key artists are House's own [[The Focus Group]] and Jupp’s [[Belbury Poly]] as well as [[The Advisory Circle]], the recording name for the work of producer and longest serving Ghost Box collaborator [[Jon Brooks]].
Ghost Box’s key artists are House's own [[The Focus Group]] and Jupp’s [[Belbury Poly]] as well as [[The Advisory Circle]], the recording name for the work of producer and longest serving Ghost Box collaborator Cate Brooks. Jupp and Brooks have collaborated together as The Belbury Circle. Ghost Box have also released albums by [[Pye Corner Audio]], [[Mount Vernon Arts Lab]], Hintermass (formed by Brooks with former [[Broadcast (band)|Broadcast]] and Seeland member Tim Felton), The Soundcarriers and Roj (also formerly of Broadcast), as well as the comeback album by [[Plone (band)|Plone]], who are acknowledged by the label as progenitors of the Ghost Box style. Ghost Box has recently began to expand their roster to showcase artists from other countries, such as ToiToiToi from [[Berlin]], [[Germany]] and [[Beautify Junkyards]] from [[Lisbon]], [[Portugal]].

Ghost Box have also released albums by [[Pye Corner Audio]], [[Mount Vernon Arts Lab]], Hintermass, The Soundcarriers and Roj.

There have also been releases by guest artists sometimes in collaborating with members of the regular roster over an ongoing series of Ghost Box singles. First the [[Study Series]] (nos. 1-10) and more recently the ongoing [[Other Voices (TV series)|Other Voices]] series.


Guests have included include [[Broadcast (band)|Broadcast]], [[John Foxx]], Cavern of Anti-Matter, Sean O'Hagan, Steve Moore, The Listening Center and ToiToiToi.
There have also been releases by guest artists sometimes in collaborating with members of the regular roster over an ongoing series of Ghost Box singles. First the [[Study Series]] (nos. 1-10) and more recently the ongoing [[Other Voices (Irish TV series)|Other Voices]] series. Guests have included include Broadcast, [[John Foxx]], [[Paul Weller]], [[Moon Wiring Club]], Cavern of Anti-Matter, [[Sean O'Hagan]], Steve Moore and The Listening Center.


== Reception ==
== Reception ==
Music journalist [[Simon Reynolds]] coined the genre term [[hauntology]] to describe Ghost Box's uniquely surreal visual and musical output.<ref>[http://www.thewire.co.uk/back/2006_11.php ''Society of the spectral''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223035654/http://www.thewire.co.uk/back/2006_11.php |date=23 February 2007 }}, ''The Wire'' no. 276, November 2006</ref><ref>[https://diaboliquemagazine.com/misremembered-musical-history-parallel-world-interview-jim-jupp-ghost-box-records/ ''Interview with Jim Jupp 2017''], [[Diabolique Magazine]]</ref> ''[[Boing Boing]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Mark Pilkington (writer)|Mark Pilkington]] noted Ghost Box founders "fused pop concrète, soundtrack and library music with sharp design and a swarm of esoteric pop-cultural references to create a parallel reality built upon memories of a very British past."<ref name="Boing Boing">{{Cite web|url=http://boingboing.net/2012/10/12/hauntologists-mine-the-past-fo.html|title=Hauntologists mine the past for music's future - Boing Boing|author=Mark Pilkington|date=12 October 2012|work=|publisher=[[Boing Boing]]|accessdate=29 July 2014}}</ref>
Music journalists [[Simon Reynolds]] and [[Mark Fisher (theorist)|Mark Fisher]] borrowed [[Jacques Derrida]]'s philosophical term [[hauntology]] to describe Ghost Box's uniquely surreal visual and musical output.<ref name=Reynoldsretro>{{cite web|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|title=Hauntology: Ghost Box label profile, Frieze magazine October 2005|url=http://reynoldsretro.blogspot.com/2017/10/hauntology-ghost-box-label-frieze-2005.html|work=[[Reynoldsretro]]|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref><ref>[http://www.thewire.co.uk/back/2006_11.php ''Society of the spectral''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223035654/http://www.thewire.co.uk/back/2006_11.php |date=23 February 2007 }}, ''The Wire'' no. 276, November 2006</ref><ref>[https://diaboliquemagazine.com/misremembered-musical-history-parallel-world-interview-jim-jupp-ghost-box-records/ ''Interview with Jim Jupp 2017''], [[Diabolique Magazine]]</ref> ''[[Boing Boing]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Mark Pilkington (writer)|Mark Pilkington]] noted Ghost Box founders "fused pop concrète, soundtrack and library music with sharp design and a swarm of esoteric pop-cultural references to create a parallel reality built upon memories of a very British past."<ref name="Boing Boing">{{Cite web|url=http://boingboing.net/2012/10/12/hauntologists-mine-the-past-fo.html|title=Hauntologists mine the past for music's future - Boing Boing|author=Mark Pilkington|date=12 October 2012|publisher=[[Boing Boing]]|access-date=29 July 2014}}</ref>
In reviewing ''[[Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age]]'', ''[[PopMatters]]'' called ''Ghost Box'' "[o]ne of the most rousing (oc)cult phenomena of the past decade" with having "created a career conjuring past futurisms and collectively buried fears to create music that quite literally feels like it’s in a different league, even another dimension, than other modern musicians."<ref name=popmatters>{{cite web|last=Gabriele|first=Timothy|title=Broadcast and the Focus Group: Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age - PopMatters|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/115360-broadcast-and-the-focus-group-broadcast-and-the-focus-group-investig/|work=[[PopMatters]]|accessdate=6 August 2014|date=12 November 2009}}</ref>
In reviewing ''[[Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age]]'', ''[[PopMatters]]'' called ''Ghost Box'' "[o]ne of the most rousing (oc)cult phenomena of the past decade" having "created a career conjuring past futurisms and collectively buried fears to create music that quite literally feels like it’s in a different league, even another dimension, than other modern musicians."<ref name=popmatters>{{cite web|last=Gabriele|first=Timothy|title=Broadcast and the Focus Group: Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age - PopMatters|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/115360-broadcast-and-the-focus-group-broadcast-and-the-focus-group-investig/|work=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=6 August 2014|date=12 November 2009}}</ref>


==Discography==
==Discography==
=== [[Albums]] ===

{|class="wikitable"
{|class="wikitable"
! width=8% style="background:lightgray;" | Musician
! width=8% style="background:lightgray;" | Musician
! width=25% style="background:lightgray;" | Title
! width=10% style="background:lightgray;" | Title
! width=8% style="background:lightgray;" | Release Date
! width=4% style="background:lightgray;" | Format
! width=4% style="background:lightgray;" | Format
! width=5% style="background:lightgray;" | Catalogue Number
! width=4% style="background:lightgray;" | Catalogue Number
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly || ''[[Farmer's Angle]]'' (2004) || 3" CD-EP || GBX001
| Belbury Poly || ''[[Farmer's Angle]]'' || 10 January 2005<br>28 October 2022 <small>(re-issue)</small> || Mini CD-EP<br>CD/7" EP <small>(re-issue)</small> || GBX001
|-
|-
| [[The Focus Group]] || ''[[Sketches and Spells]]'' (2004) || CD/LP || GBX002
| [[The Focus Group]] || ''[[Sketches and Spells]]'' || 10 January 2005<br>4 February 2011 <small>(LP re-issue)</small><br>11 November 2022 <small>(2022 re-issue)</small> || CD<br>LP <small>(2011 re-issue)</small><br>CD/LP <small>(2022 re-issue)</small> || GBX002
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly || ''[[The Willows (album)|The Willows]]'' (2005) || CD/LP || GBX003
| Belbury Poly || ''[[The Willows (album)|The Willows]]'' || 10 January 2005<br>4 February 2011 <small>(LP re-issue)</small> || CD<br>LP <small>(2011 re-issue)</small> || GBX003
|-
|-
| [[Eric Zann]] || ''[[Ouroborindra]]'' (2005) || CD || GBX004
| [[Eric Zann]] || ''[[Ouroborindra]]'' || 4 April 2005 || CD || GBX004
|-
|-
| The Focus Group || ''[[Hey Let Loose Your Love]]'' (2005) || CD || GBX005
| The Focus Group || ''[[Hey Let Loose Your Love]]'' || 4 April 2005 || CD || GBX005
|-
|-
| [[The Advisory Circle]] || ''[[Mind How You Go (The Advisory Circle album)|Mind How You Go]]'' (2005) || 3" CD-EP || GBX006
| [[The Advisory Circle]] || ''[[Mind How You Go (The Advisory Circle album)|Mind How You Go]]'' || 17 October 2005 || Mini CD-EP || GBX006
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly || ''[[The Owl's Map]]'' (2006) || CD || GBX007
| Belbury Poly || ''[[The Owl's Map]]'' || 10 September 2006<br>14 July 2017 <small>(LP re-issue)</small> || CD<br>LP <small>(2017 re-issue)</small> || GBX007
|-
|-
| The Focus Group || ''[[We Are All Pan's People]]'' (2007) || CD || GBX008
| The Focus Group || ''We Are All Pan's People'' || 27 March 2007 || CD || GBX008
|-
|-
| [[Mount Vernon Arts Lab]] || ''[[The Séance at Hobs Lane]]'' (2007) || CD/LP || GBX009
| [[Mount Vernon Arts Lab]] || ''[[The Séance at Hobs Lane]]'' || 31 May 2007<br>12 June 2015 <small>(LP re-issue)</small> || CD<br>LP <small>(2015 re-issue)</small> || GBX009
|-
|-
| The Advisory Circle || ''[[Other Channels]]'' (2008) || CD/LP || GBX010
| The Advisory Circle || ''[[Other Channels]]'' || 10 March 2008<br>12 June 2015 <small>(LP re-issue)</small> || CD<br>LP <small>(2015 re-issue)</small> || GBX010
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly || ''[[From an Ancient Star]]'' (2009) || CD || GBX011
| Belbury Poly || ''[[From an Ancient Star]]'' || 30 January 2009 || CD || GBX011
|-
|-
| Roj (musician)|Roj || ''The Transactional Dharma of Roj'' (2009) || CD || GBX012
| Roj (musician)|Roj || ''The Transactional Dharma of Roj'' || 28 September 2009 || CD || GBX012
|-
|-
| The Advisory Circle || ''Mind How You Go (Revised Edition)'' (2010) || CD/LP || GBX013
| The Advisory Circle || ''Mind How You Go (Revised Edition)'' || 5 March 2010 || CD/LP || GBX013
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly || ''Farmer's Angle (Revised Edition)'' (2010) || CD/10" || GBX014
| Belbury Poly || ''Farmer's Angle (Revised Edition)'' || 10 September 2010 || CD/10" || GBX014
|-
|-
| The Advisory Circle || ''[[As The Crow Flies]]'' (2011) || CD/LP || GBX015
| The Advisory Circle || ''[[As The Crow Flies]]'' || 8 July 2011 || CD/LP || GBX015
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly || ''[[The Belbury Tales]]'' (2012) || CD/LP || GBX016
| Belbury Poly || ''[[The Belbury Tales]]'' || 24 February 2012 || CD/LP || GBX016
|-
|-
| [[Pye Corner Audio]] || ''Sleep Games'' (2012) || CD/LP || GBX017
| [[Pye Corner Audio]] || ''Sleep Games'' || 19 October 2012 || CD/LP || GBX017
|-
|-
| The Focus Group || ''The Elektrik Karousel'' (2013) || CD/LP || GBX018
| The Focus Group || ''The Elektrik Karousel'' || 10 May 2013 || CD/LP || GBX018
|-
|-
| [[John Foxx]] and The Belbury Circle || ''Empty Avenues'' (2013) || CD/10" || GBX019
| [[John Foxx]] and The Belbury Circle || ''Empty Avenues'' || 6 September 2013 || CD/10" || GBX019
|-
|-
| The Soundcarriers || ''Entropicalia'' (2014) || CD/LP || GBX020
| The Soundcarriers || ''Entropicalia'' || 20 May 2014 || CD/LP || GBX020
|-
|-
| The Advisory Circle || ''[[From Out Here]]'' (2014) || CD/LP || GBX021
| The Advisory Circle || ''[[From Out Here]]'' || 5 December 2014 || CD/LP || GBX021
|-
|-
| Various artists || ''In a Moment... Ghost Box'' (2015) || CD/LP || GBX022
| Various artists || ''In a Moment... Ghost Box'' || 9 October 2015 || CD/LP || GBX022
|-
|-
| Hintermass || ''The Apple Tree'' (2015) || CD/LP || GBX023
| Hintermass || ''The Apple Tree'' || 18 March 2016 || CD/LP || GBX023
|-
|-
| The Belbury Poly || ''[[New Ways Out]]'' (2016) || CD/LP || GBX024
| The Belbury Poly || ''[[New Ways Out]]'' || 9 June 2016 || CD/LP || GBX024
|-
|-
| Pye Corner Audio || ''Stasis'' (2016) || CD/LP || GBX025
| [[Pye Corner Audio]] || ''Stasis'' || 26 August 2016 || CD/LP || GBX025
|-
|-
| The Pattern Forms || ''Peel Away the Ivy'' (2016) ||CD/LP || GBX026
| The Pattern Forms || ''Peel Away the Ivy'' || 6 November 2016 ||CD/LP || GBX026
|-
|-
| ToiToiToi || ''Im Hag'' (2017) ||CD/LP || GBX027
| ToiToiToi || ''Im Hag'' || 16 June 2017 ||CD/LP || GBX027
|-
|-
| The Focus Group || ''Stop-Motion Happening with The Focus Groop'' (2017) ||CD/LP || GBX028
| The Focus Group || ''Stop-Motion Happening with The Focus Groop'' || 1 October 2017 ||CD/LP || GBX028
|-
|-
| The Belbury Circle|| ''Outward Journeys'' (2017) || CD/LP/Cass. || GBX029
| The Belbury Circle|| ''Outward Journeys'' || 12 November 2017 || CD/LP/Cassette || GBX029
|-
|-
| Beautify Junkyards|| ''The Invisible World of Beautify Junkyards'' (2018) || To be released March 2018 || GBX030
| [[Beautify Junkyards]]|| ''The Invisible World of Beautify Junkyards'' || 9 March 2018 || CD/LP || GBX030
|-
| [[The Advisory Circle]]|| ''Ways of Seeing'' || 10 June 2018 || CD/LP || GBX031
|-
| [[Pye Corner Audio]]|| ''Hollow Earth'' || 15 February 2019 || CD/LP || GBX032
|-
| Justin Hopper & [[Sharron Kraus]] with The Belbury Poly || ''Chanctonbury Rings'' || 21 June 2019 || CD/LP || GBX033
|-
| [[Plone (band)|Plone]]|| ''Puzzlewood'' || 17 April 2020 || CD/LP || GBX034
|-
| Belbury Poly|| ''The Gone Away'' || 28 August 2020 || CD/LP || GBX035
|-
| Beautify Junkyards|| ''Cosmorama'' || 13 January 2021 || CD/LP || GBX036
|-
| Various Artists|| ''Intermission (Ghostbox Contemporary Connections)'' || 12 August 2021 || CD/LP || GBX037
|-
| ToiToiToi|| ''Vaganten'' || 19 August 2021 || CD/LP || GBX038
|-
| Pye Corner Audio|| ''Entangled Routes'' || 26 November 2021 || CD/LP || GBX039
|-
| Pneumatic Tubes|| ''A Letter From TreeTops'' || 25 February 2022 || CD/LP || GBX040
|-
| Large Plants|| ''The Carrier'' || 22 April 2022 || CD/LP || GBX041
|-
| The Advisory Circle|| ''Full Circle'' || 30 September 2022 || CD/LP || GBX042
|-
| Belbury Poly|| ''The Path'' || 4 August 2023 || CD/LP || GBX043
|-
| Large Plants|| ''The Thorn'' || 17 November 2023 || CD/LP || GBX044
|-
| Pye Corner Audio|| ''The Endless Echo'' || 5 April 2024 || CD/LP || GBX045
|-
| Beautify Junkyards|| ''Nova'' || 20 September 2024 || CD/LP || GBX046
|}
|}


=== Seven Inch & Download Singles ===
=== [[Single (music)|Singles]] & [[Extended play|EPs]] ===
{|class="wikitable"
{|class="wikitable"
! width=8% style="background:lightgray;" | Musician
! width=8% style="background:lightgray;" | Musician
! width=29% style="background:lightgray;" | Title
! width=29% style="background:lightgray;" | Title
! width=4% style="background:lightgray;" | Format
! width=5% style="background:lightgray;" | Catalogue Number
! width=5% style="background:lightgray;" | Catalogue Number
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly and Moon Wiring Club || ''Study Series 01: Youth and Recreation'' (2010) || GBX701
| Belbury Poly and [[Moon Wiring Club]] || ''Study Series 01: Youth and Recreation'' (2010) || Single || GBX701
|-
|-
| The Advisory Circle with Hong Kong in the 60s || ''Study Series 02: Cycles and Seasons'' (2010) || GBX702
| The Advisory Circle with Hong Kong in the 60s || ''Study Series 02: Cycles and Seasons'' (2010) || Single || GBX702
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly and Mordant Music || ''Study Series 03: Welcome to Godalming'' (2010) || GBX703
| Belbury Poly and Mordant Music || ''Study Series 03: Welcome to Godalming'' (2010) || Single || GBX703
|-
|-
| [[Broadcast (band)|Broadcast]] and The Focus Group || ''Study Series 04: Familiar Shapes and Noises'' (2010) || GBX704
| [[Broadcast (band)|Broadcast]] and The Focus Group || ''Study Series 04: Familiar Shapes and Noises'' (2010) || Single || GBX704
|-
|-
| [[Hintermass]] || ''Study Series 05: The Open Song Book'' (2011) || GBX705
| [[Hintermass]] || ''Study Series 05: The Open Song Book'' (2011) || Single || GBX705
|-
|-
| [[Jonny Trunk]] || ''Study Series 06: Animation and Interpretation'' (2011) || GBX706
| [[Jonny Trunk]] || ''Study Series 06: Animation and Interpretation'' (2011) || Single || GBX706
|-
|-
| Pye Corner Audio with The Advisory Circle || ''Study Series 07: Autumnal Activities'' (2011) || GBX707
| Pye Corner Audio with The Advisory Circle || ''Study Series 07: Autumnal Activities'' (2011) || Single || GBX707
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly and The Advisory Circle || ''Study Series 08: Inversions'' (2012) || GBX708
| Belbury Poly and The Advisory Circle || ''Study Series 08: Inversions'' (2012) || Single || GBX708
|-
|-
| [[Listening Center]] with Pye Corner Audio || ''Study Series 09: Projections'' (2013) || GBX709
| [[Listening Center]] with Pye Corner Audio || ''Study Series 09: Projections'' (2013) || Single || GBX709
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly and Spacedog || ''Study Series 10: Message and Method'' ([[2013 in music|2013]]) || GBX710
| Belbury Poly and Spacedog || ''Study Series 10: Message and Method'' (2013) || Single || GBX710
|-
|-
| [[Brooks and O'Hagan]] || ''Other Voices 01: Calibair/ Mulcair'' (2014) || GBX711
| Brooks and [[Sean O'Hagan|O'Hagan]] || ''Other Voices 01: Calibair/ Mulcair'' (2014) || Single || GBX711
|-
|-
| Listening Center || ''Other Voices 02: Quotidian Forgotten/ Our Material'' (2014) || GBX712
| Listening Center || ''Other Voices 02: Quotidian Forgotten/ Our Material'' (2014) || Single || GBX712
|-
|-
| [[The Pattern Forms]] || ''Other Voices 03: Fluchtwege/ The Sacrifice'' (2015) || GBX713
| [[The Pattern Forms]] || ''Other Voices 03: Fluchtwege/ The Sacrifice'' (2015) || Single || GBX713
|-
|-
| [[Steve Moore (musician)| Steve Moore]] || ''Other Voices 04: The Moon Occults Saturn At Dawn/ Val Sans Retour'' (2015) || GBX714
| [[Steve Moore (musician)|Steve Moore]] || ''Other Voices 04: The Moon Occults Saturn At Dawn/ Val Sans Retour'' (2015) || Single || GBX714
|-
|-
| Pye Corner Audio with Belbury Poly || ''Other Voices 05: Machines are Obsolete/ Pathways'' (2015) || GBX715
| Pye Corner Audio with Belbury Poly || ''Other Voices 05: Machines are Obsolete/ Pathways'' (2015) || Single || GBX715
|-
|-
| [[Cavern of Anti-Matter (band)|Cavern of Anti-Matter]] || ''Other Voices 06: Pulsing River Velvet Phase/ Phototones'' (2015) || GBX716
| [[Cavern of Anti-Matter (band)|Cavern of Anti-Matter]] || ''Other Voices 06: Pulsing River Velvet Phase/ Phototones'' (2015) || Single || GBX716
|-
|-
| [[ToiToiToi]] || ''Other Voices 07: Odin's Jungle/ Golden Green'' (2015) || GBX717
| [[ToiToiToi]] || ''Other Voices 07: Odin's Jungle/ Golden Green'' (2015) || Single || GBX717
|-
|-
| [[Beautify Junkyards]] || ''Other Voices 08: Constant Flux/ Pirâmide'' (2016) || GBX718
| [[Beautify Junkyards]] || ''Other Voices 08: Constant Flux/ Pirâmide'' (2016) || Single || GBX718
|-
|-
| Belbury Poly & Moon Wiring Club || ''Other Voices 09: The Music Room/ Moonling'' (2017) || GBX719
| Belbury Poly & [[Moon Wiring Club]] || ''Other Voices 09: The Music Room/ Moonling'' (2017) || Single || GBX719
|-
| Sharron Kraus with Belbury Poly || ''Other Voices 10: Something Out of Nothing/Something Out of Nothing (Belbury Poly Mix)'' (2019) || Single || GBX720
|-
| [[Paul Weller]] || ''In Another Room'' (2020) || EP || GBX721
|-
| Beautify Junkyards & Belbury Poly || ''Painting Box/Ritual in Transfigured Time'' (2021) || Single || GBX722
|-
| Large Plants || ''La Isla Bonita/Please Don’t Be There for Me'' (2021) || Single || GBX723
|}
|}


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|-
|-
| Various artists || ''[[Ritual and Education]]'' (2008) || GBXSAMP01
| Various artists || ''[[Ritual and Education]]'' (2008) || GBXSAMP01
|-
| Various artists || ''Intermission'' (2020) || MSFGBXD008
|}
|}


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* [http://www.ghostbox.co.uk Official Ghost Box Website]
* [http://www.ghostbox.co.uk Official Ghost Box Website]


{{GhostBox}}
{{Hauntology}}
{{Hauntology}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ghost Box Music| ]]
[[Category:Ghost Box Music| ]]
[[Category:Electronic music record labels]]
[[Category:Electronic music record labels]]
[[Category:Hauntology]]
[[Category:British independent record labels]]
[[Category:British independent record labels]]

Latest revision as of 10:18, 25 September 2024

Ghost Box Records
Founded2004
FounderJulian House
Jim Jupp
GenreElectronic, library music, hauntology, psychedelia
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Official websitewww.ghostbox.co.uk

Ghost Box is an independent, UK-based electronic music record label, launched in 2004 by graphic designer Julian House and producer Jim Jupp. Its roster includes artists such as Jupp's Belbury Poly, House's The Focus Group, and the Advisory Circle, as well as releases by Broadcast and John Foxx among others.

The label's distinctive aesthetic draws on outdated and esoteric British cultural sources from the postwar period, including early electronic and library music, public information films, educational resources, occult stories, and BBC science-fiction programs. Ghost Box consequently became associated with the 2000s music trend known as hauntology.

Background

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Ghost Box was established in London in 2004 by producer Jim Jupp and music industry graphic designer Julian House.[1] The label was formally launched on January 10, 2005, and was originally created as an outlet for their own musical experiments, with the idea that each release’s packaging would display a similar design sensibility and allude to a shared imaginary landscape; a very British parallel world of public information films and TV soundtracks, cosmic horror stories, vintage library music and antique synthesisers, folk song, educational programmes, English psychedelia, occult stories and folklore.[1]

Jupp and House have described the label as existing in an imagined or misremembered past. Influenced by school textbooks and the rigid design grid of Penguin and Pelican paperback books, Ghost Box records and CDs were always intended to look and sound like artefacts from a parallel world, familiar, elegant, but somehow "wrong". It’s a world outside of time where cultural references from a roughly 20-year period (1958-1978) are happening all at once.[2]

Their work has been described as an attempt to evoke "a nostalgia for a future that never came to pass, with a vision of a strange, alternate Britain, constituted from the reorder refuse of the postwar period."[3]

Roster

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Ghost Box’s key artists are House's own The Focus Group and Jupp’s Belbury Poly as well as The Advisory Circle, the recording name for the work of producer and longest serving Ghost Box collaborator Cate Brooks. Jupp and Brooks have collaborated together as The Belbury Circle. Ghost Box have also released albums by Pye Corner Audio, Mount Vernon Arts Lab, Hintermass (formed by Brooks with former Broadcast and Seeland member Tim Felton), The Soundcarriers and Roj (also formerly of Broadcast), as well as the comeback album by Plone, who are acknowledged by the label as progenitors of the Ghost Box style. Ghost Box has recently began to expand their roster to showcase artists from other countries, such as ToiToiToi from Berlin, Germany and Beautify Junkyards from Lisbon, Portugal.

There have also been releases by guest artists sometimes in collaborating with members of the regular roster over an ongoing series of Ghost Box singles. First the Study Series (nos. 1-10) and more recently the ongoing Other Voices series. Guests have included include Broadcast, John Foxx, Paul Weller, Moon Wiring Club, Cavern of Anti-Matter, Sean O'Hagan, Steve Moore and The Listening Center.

Reception

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Music journalists Simon Reynolds and Mark Fisher borrowed Jacques Derrida's philosophical term hauntology to describe Ghost Box's uniquely surreal visual and musical output.[4][5][6] Boing Boing's Mark Pilkington noted Ghost Box founders "fused pop concrète, soundtrack and library music with sharp design and a swarm of esoteric pop-cultural references to create a parallel reality built upon memories of a very British past."[7]

In reviewing Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age, PopMatters called Ghost Box "[o]ne of the most rousing (oc)cult phenomena of the past decade" having "created a career conjuring past futurisms and collectively buried fears to create music that quite literally feels like it’s in a different league, even another dimension, than other modern musicians."[8]

Discography

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Albums

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Musician Title Release Date Format Catalogue Number
Belbury Poly Farmer's Angle 10 January 2005
28 October 2022 (re-issue)		 Mini CD-EP
CD/7" EP (re-issue)		 GBX001
The Focus Group Sketches and Spells 10 January 2005
4 February 2011 (LP re-issue)
11 November 2022 (2022 re-issue)		 CD
LP (2011 re-issue)
CD/LP (2022 re-issue)		 GBX002
Belbury Poly The Willows 10 January 2005
4 February 2011 (LP re-issue)		 CD
LP (2011 re-issue)		 GBX003
Eric Zann Ouroborindra 4 April 2005 CD GBX004
The Focus Group Hey Let Loose Your Love 4 April 2005 CD GBX005
The Advisory Circle Mind How You Go 17 October 2005 Mini CD-EP GBX006
Belbury Poly The Owl's Map 10 September 2006
14 July 2017 (LP re-issue)		 CD
LP (2017 re-issue)		 GBX007
The Focus Group We Are All Pan's People 27 March 2007 CD GBX008
Mount Vernon Arts Lab The Séance at Hobs Lane 31 May 2007
12 June 2015 (LP re-issue)		 CD
LP (2015 re-issue)		 GBX009
The Advisory Circle Other Channels 10 March 2008
12 June 2015 (LP re-issue)		 CD
LP (2015 re-issue)		 GBX010
Belbury Poly From an Ancient Star 30 January 2009 CD GBX011
Roj The Transactional Dharma of Roj 28 September 2009 CD GBX012
The Advisory Circle Mind How You Go (Revised Edition) 5 March 2010 CD/LP GBX013
Belbury Poly Farmer's Angle (Revised Edition) 10 September 2010 CD/10" GBX014
The Advisory Circle As The Crow Flies 8 July 2011 CD/LP GBX015
Belbury Poly The Belbury Tales 24 February 2012 CD/LP GBX016
Pye Corner Audio Sleep Games 19 October 2012 CD/LP GBX017
The Focus Group The Elektrik Karousel 10 May 2013 CD/LP GBX018
John Foxx and The Belbury Circle Empty Avenues 6 September 2013 CD/10" GBX019
The Soundcarriers Entropicalia 20 May 2014 CD/LP GBX020
The Advisory Circle From Out Here 5 December 2014 CD/LP GBX021
Various artists In a Moment... Ghost Box 9 October 2015 CD/LP GBX022
Hintermass The Apple Tree 18 March 2016 CD/LP GBX023
The Belbury Poly New Ways Out 9 June 2016 CD/LP GBX024
Pye Corner Audio Stasis 26 August 2016 CD/LP GBX025
The Pattern Forms Peel Away the Ivy 6 November 2016 CD/LP GBX026
ToiToiToi Im Hag 16 June 2017 CD/LP GBX027
The Focus Group Stop-Motion Happening with The Focus Groop 1 October 2017 CD/LP GBX028
The Belbury Circle Outward Journeys 12 November 2017 CD/LP/Cassette GBX029
Beautify Junkyards The Invisible World of Beautify Junkyards 9 March 2018 CD/LP GBX030
The Advisory Circle Ways of Seeing 10 June 2018 CD/LP GBX031
Pye Corner Audio Hollow Earth 15 February 2019 CD/LP GBX032
Justin Hopper & Sharron Kraus with The Belbury Poly Chanctonbury Rings 21 June 2019 CD/LP GBX033
Plone Puzzlewood 17 April 2020 CD/LP GBX034
Belbury Poly The Gone Away 28 August 2020 CD/LP GBX035
Beautify Junkyards Cosmorama 13 January 2021 CD/LP GBX036
Various Artists Intermission (Ghostbox Contemporary Connections) 12 August 2021 CD/LP GBX037
ToiToiToi Vaganten 19 August 2021 CD/LP GBX038
Pye Corner Audio Entangled Routes 26 November 2021 CD/LP GBX039
Pneumatic Tubes A Letter From TreeTops 25 February 2022 CD/LP GBX040
Large Plants The Carrier 22 April 2022 CD/LP GBX041
The Advisory Circle Full Circle 30 September 2022 CD/LP GBX042
Belbury Poly The Path 4 August 2023 CD/LP GBX043
Large Plants The Thorn 17 November 2023 CD/LP GBX044
Pye Corner Audio The Endless Echo 5 April 2024 CD/LP GBX045
Beautify Junkyards Nova 20 September 2024 CD/LP GBX046

Singles & EPs

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Musician Title Format Catalogue Number
Belbury Poly and Moon Wiring Club Study Series 01: Youth and Recreation (2010) Single GBX701
The Advisory Circle with Hong Kong in the 60s Study Series 02: Cycles and Seasons (2010) Single GBX702
Belbury Poly and Mordant Music Study Series 03: Welcome to Godalming (2010) Single GBX703
Broadcast and The Focus Group Study Series 04: Familiar Shapes and Noises (2010) Single GBX704
Hintermass Study Series 05: The Open Song Book (2011) Single GBX705
Jonny Trunk Study Series 06: Animation and Interpretation (2011) Single GBX706
Pye Corner Audio with The Advisory Circle Study Series 07: Autumnal Activities (2011) Single GBX707
Belbury Poly and The Advisory Circle Study Series 08: Inversions (2012) Single GBX708
Listening Center with Pye Corner Audio Study Series 09: Projections (2013) Single GBX709
Belbury Poly and Spacedog Study Series 10: Message and Method (2013) Single GBX710
Brooks and O'Hagan Other Voices 01: Calibair/ Mulcair (2014) Single GBX711
Listening Center Other Voices 02: Quotidian Forgotten/ Our Material (2014) Single GBX712
The Pattern Forms Other Voices 03: Fluchtwege/ The Sacrifice (2015) Single GBX713
Steve Moore Other Voices 04: The Moon Occults Saturn At Dawn/ Val Sans Retour (2015) Single GBX714
Pye Corner Audio with Belbury Poly Other Voices 05: Machines are Obsolete/ Pathways (2015) Single GBX715
Cavern of Anti-Matter Other Voices 06: Pulsing River Velvet Phase/ Phototones (2015) Single GBX716
ToiToiToi Other Voices 07: Odin's Jungle/ Golden Green (2015) Single GBX717
Beautify Junkyards Other Voices 08: Constant Flux/ Pirâmide (2016) Single GBX718
Belbury Poly & Moon Wiring Club Other Voices 09: The Music Room/ Moonling (2017) Single GBX719
Sharron Kraus with Belbury Poly Other Voices 10: Something Out of Nothing/Something Out of Nothing (Belbury Poly Mix) (2019) Single GBX720
Paul Weller In Another Room (2020) EP GBX721
Beautify Junkyards & Belbury Poly Painting Box/Ritual in Transfigured Time (2021) Single GBX722
Large Plants La Isla Bonita/Please Don’t Be There for Me (2021) Single GBX723

Download only label sampler album

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Title Work Catalogue Number
Various artists Ritual and Education (2008) GBXSAMP01
Various artists Intermission (2020) MSFGBXD008

References

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  1. ^ a b Reynolds, Simon. "Haunted Audio a/k/a SOCIETY OF THE SPECTRAL: Ghost Box, Mordant Music and Hauntology". The Wire. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  2. ^ Interview: Belbury Poly, FACT magazine
  3. ^ Whiteley, Sheila; Rambarran, Shara (22 January 2016). The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality. Oxford University Press. p. 412.
  4. ^ Reynolds, Simon. "Hauntology: Ghost Box label profile, Frieze magazine October 2005". Reynoldsretro. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  5. ^ Society of the spectral Archived 23 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Wire no. 276, November 2006
  6. ^ Interview with Jim Jupp 2017, Diabolique Magazine
  7. ^ Mark Pilkington (12 October 2012). "Hauntologists mine the past for music's future - Boing Boing". Boing Boing. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  8. ^ Gabriele, Timothy (12 November 2009). "Broadcast and the Focus Group: Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age - PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
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