Founded in 2001, Lex is an independent record label based in London and New York. Lex usually signs artists directly, works with them to develop projects and releases them internationally. Lex artists with recent and forthcoming projects include Danger Mouse, DOOM, Alan Moore & Mitch Jenkins, Neon Neon and The Nevermen.
Contact
Lex Records Ltd
PO Box 34207
London NW5 1EF
United Kingdom
E: word at lexrecords dot com
History
August 2001
Lex Records releases it’s first 12″ in a house sleeve designed by EHQuestionmark. The label is an imprint of Warp for the next four years, until September 2005.
October 2001
The first of three ‘Lexoleum’ 12″ compilations are released featuring exclusive tracks by Boom Bip, Danger Mouse, Edan, Jamie Lidell, J-Zone, Kid Acne, Madlib, Peaches and Sage Francis.
June 2002
The first of nine Solexism events in London. This event featured Boom Bip, Buck65, Danger Mouse and Andrew Weatherall. Future performers include Danger Mouse & Jemini, Edan, Fog, Lali Puna, The Notwist, Pole + Fat Jon, Prince Paul, Prince Poetry, Sage Francis, Subtle and Andy Votel.
August 2002
The first album is released on Lex - Boom Bip ‘Seed To Sun’. Boom Bip opens for The Super Furry Animals on their US tour. Gruff Rhys from The SFA goes on to record ‘Do’s And Don’ts’ single with Boom Bip and eventually they form the group Neon Neon.
September 2002
Lex does a ‘take over’ of Deal Real for the historic London record store’s re-launch, with EhQuestionmark redecorating the shop inside and out.
August 2003
Danger Mouse & Jemini ‘Ghetto Pop Life’ album released.
September 2003
Danger Mouse & Jemini are the first Lex artists to feature on the front cover of a magazine, appearing on Hip Hop Connection #170 with design by EHQuestionmark. Danger Mouse, unable to find a mouse suite to hire a short notice for the covershoot appears in a cow costume. Hip Hop Connection, the longest running hip hop magazine in the world, will go on to run cover features on Prince Po, DANGERDOOM, Shape Of Broad Minds and DOOM.
October 2003
Non-Prophets ‘Hope’ album released.
December 2003
Lex is Coolest New Label In The World in the end of year poll in Urb Magazine.
January 2004
Danger Mouse splices Jay Z with The Beatles and releases The Grey Album to widespread acclaim. Released at the height of the mashup craze, it becomes the creative high water mark for the genre and Danger Mouse an unsuspecting figurehead for the copyright freedom movement. The cover below is from the grey double vinyl release, with artwork by Justin Hampton.
March 2004
Lex issue of Waxpoetics. Cover artwork by EHQuestionmark. Danger Mouse and DOOM features.
April 2004
Coachella festival line-up includes Danger Mouse, Sage Francis and DOOM. Danger Mouse and Sage Francis (promoting his Non-Prophets album on Lex) also feature on the Cover of Urb Magazine.
May 2004
Fog remix of Low ‘Monkey’ is released on ‘Tonight the Monkeys Die: Low Remixed’.
September 2004
Ramon & Pedro’s The Grey Video re-ignites interest in The Grey album when it appears on the internet.
December 2004
Danger Mouse GQ Man Of The Year along with Kanye West.
February 2005
Subtle’s Dax Pierson is seriously injured and left paralyzed from the chest down when the Subtle tour van hit a patch of black ice in Iowa during their US tour with Department of Eagles.
March 2005
Boom Bip and Diplo feature on the cover of Urb.
May 2005
Gorillaz ‘Demon Days’co-produced by Danger Mouse and featuring DOOM is released, going on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. ‘Fun Raisin’ a fund raising event for Dax Pierson includes performances by Damon Albarn, Stuart Braithwaite, Hot Chip, Chris Cunningham and Gruff Rhys – other fund raising events happen around the world during the Spring.
August 2005
Markus Wambsganss picks up a ‘MuVi Award’ for Best Music Video at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen for his Hymie’s Basement live action video.
September 2005
DANGERDOOM ‘The Mouse & The Mask’ album released. Boom Bip opens for Interpol on US tour. Lex amicably splits from Warp after four years. Lex ups and moves to the other side of Kentish Town.
December 2005
Subtle remix of Beck ‘Farewell Ride’ feat. Doseone is released on ‘Guerolito’.
March 2006
Danger Mouse and Cee Lo, who first worked together on ‘What U Sittin’ On?’ on the ‘Twenty Six Inch EP’ and later on the ‘The Mouse & The Mask‘, release their first single as Gnarls Barkley. The single, ‘Crazy’, becomes the first #1 single on digital downloads alone in the UK.
April 2006
SSSR win Best Music Video at the British Animation Awards. SSSR / Subtle musical short film ‘Wishingbone’ premieres on MTV2.
May 2006
Gnarls Barkley ‘St Elsewhere’ is released and goes on to sell several million copies and racks up several platinum discs. The album is Lex branded and released via Warner.
October 2006
Lex 5th Anniversary party with Ghostface Killah and Shape Of Broad Minds live plus an unscheduled appearance by the Game and a fleet of DeLorean cars.
February 2007
Danger Mouse wins two Grammys – Best Alternative Album and Best Urban Alternative Performance. Subtle open for TV On The Radio on US tour. Tunde from TV On The Radio goes on to collaborate with Subtle for their mini album ‘Yell&Ice’.
April 2007
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ single released.
July 2007
EHQuestionmark, W.S-S.K (Wetshame) and Kuildoosh present the first P-Origins Of Pommery exhibition at The Church of St Thomas The Martyr, Bristol.
September 2007
Boom Bip headlines Seconde Nature festival at the Fondation Vasarely, Aix-En-Provence.
March 2008
Neon Neon ‘Stainless Style’ album released.
June 2008
Neon Neon, Willie Isz, Kid Acne and Heartbreak perform at Sonar Festival in Barcelona.
July 2008
First Lex Crush event with Neon Neon, Willie Isz and Heartbreak in London. ‘Stainless Style’ Mercury Music Prize nomination. Beck ‘Modern Guilt’ co-produced byDanger Mouse is released.
September 2008
Neon Neon perform on the Mercury Music Prize show, ‘close’ a sodden Bestival on the Isle of Wight and perform a free concert at Rough Trade East record shop in London.
October 2008
DOOM features on the cover of Waxpoetics.
March 2009
DOOM ‘BORN LIKE THIS.’ album released.
April 2009
Willie Isz remix of TV On The Radio ‘Shout Me Out’ is released on the ‘Read Silence’ EP.
May 2009
EHQuestionmark, W.S-S.K (Wetshame) and Kuildoosh present the P-Origins Of Pommery exhibition at Castle Cornet, St Peter Port, Guernsey. Kid Acne x Kid Robot toys launched.
July 2009
Boom Bip‘s collaboration with artist Charlie White ‘We Love To Shop’ as part of his ‘OMG BFF LOL’ animated video exhibition at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut.
December 2009
Heartbreak remix of Simian Mobile Disco ‘Cruel Intentions’ feat. Beth Ditto released.
January 2010
DOOM remix EP ‘GAZZILLION EAR’ released including a collaboration with Thom Yorke, a Jneiro Jarel / Dave Sitek reworking and a free download of the MADVILLAINZ remix featuring a preamble by Kanye West.
February 2010
Kid Acne illustrates the new Lex t-shirt with a Sheffield twist on Sonic Youth’s ‘Goo’ artwork.
March 2010
DOOM plays his first ever live shows in Europe. The tour is sold out and includes a packed out show at London’s Roundhouse with support from Lex DJs.
June 2010
Danger Mouse and his his other half in Broken Bells, James Mercer perform a track from Dark Night Of The Soul on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic.
July 2010
Danger Mouse, Sparkle Horse, David Lynch ‘Dark Night Of The Soul’ released. The album features vocals by Gruff Rhys from Neon Neon, Wayne Coyne, James Mercer and others.
August 2010
Jneiro Jarel remix of David Sitek’s Maximum Balloon ‘Groove Me’ feat. Theophilus London released. Alan Moore & Mitch Jenkins ‘Unearthing’ performed live at the Old Vic Tunnels in London, with Crook&Flail performing live and Alan Moore reading the text.
September 2010
Alan Moore & Mitch Jenkins ‘Unearthing’. ‘Unearthing’ is Lex’s first audiobook and is written and read by Alan Moore. The audiobook includes an original score byAdam Drucker and Andy Broder‘s new group Crook&Flail and help from Mike Patton, Mogwai, Jesu, Zach Hill and others.
October 2010
DOOM tours Europe, performing for the first time in Russia.
November 2010
DOOM tours Australia for the first time. Jneiro Jarel remix of Massive Attack ‘Atlas Air’ released.
February 2011
Danger Mouse wins Best Producer Grammy for his production work with The Black Keys and his unique ‘Dark Night Of The Soul‘ collaborative project with Sparklehorse, David Lynch and Gruff Rhys.
May 2011
Danger Mouse, Danielle Luppi, Jack White and Norah Jones ‘Rome’ released. Director Chris Milk works with Google Chrome to create the groundbreaking ‘3 Dreams Of Black’ online immersive video.
July 2011
DOOM and Wu Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah release their first single under the moniker DOOMSTARKS.
October 2011
DRC Music ‘Kinshasa One Two’ is released. Jneiro Jarel is one of the producers who worked on Damon Albarn’s DRC Music project in the Congo during the summer. Jneiro provides the voiceover for the video below.
November 2011
Lex marks it’s 10th anniversary.
April 2012
Complex Volume 1 is release on Record Store Day on limited edition picture disc. The LP compiles the ten tracks released to mark Lex’s tenth anniversary in November. They include excliusives from DOOM with Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood, Neon Neon, JJ DOOM with Dave Sitek, Boom Bip and more.
August 2012
JJ DOOM ‘Key To The Kuffs’ album released. The album is produced by JJ Jneiro Jarel, with DOOM providing the bulk of the vocals and features Beth Gibbons and Damon Albarn.
October 2012
Boom Bip and artist Charlie White release their art / music project including a free download EP under the name Music For Sleeping Children on Lex.
November 2012
Lex announces the first short films in the vast new Alan Moore & Mitch Jenkins film project The Show.
Lex Projects in association with The Creators Project present Jimmy’s End. Written by Alan Moore and directed by Mitch Jenkins this trailer is the first glimpse of Moore’s multi media project entitled The Show.
