Translinguistic Other (or TLO) is a Seattle-based label specializing in limited run releases in analog formats. We are inspired by the slippery, mythical darkness of the Pacific Northwest, where the mushrooms and moss growing on nearly every surface serve as constant reminders of the decay and rebirth all around us. We dig long, meditative improvisations, polyrhythmic synthscapes, cool motorik vibes, cavelike reverb, deep drones and feedback trails that hint at the multidimensional contours of infinity.
In 2008, TLO co-founder David Golightly and I started a band called Midday Veil. David’s background is in electronic composition and mine is in visual art, and we were both total newbies to the local rock scene when Midday Veil began playing out. We became involved with a DIY organization called the Portable Shrines collective, which began curating multimedia art and music events around the same time that we were getting our start. David and I have been helping with Portable Shrines events since the first Escalator Festival in 2009, which has in turn helped us branch out into a really amazing community of artists and musicians.
Translinguistic Other started, like many labels, because we had some of our own music that we wanted to release, and there weren’t really any labels within reach for us that seemed like an ideal fit for the kind of releases we wanted to do. By that point, we also knew all these great bands that were in the same position we were in, so we also wanted to be able to document what our friends were doing as well.
The first two vinyl releases on Translinguistic Other were Midday Veil’s debut full-length Eyes All Around and Portable Shrines Magic Sound Theatre Vol. I, a double LP compilation of music and artwork by bands who have played Escalator Fest and other Portable Shrines-curated shows. The record label Light in the Attic heard about the latter project and were super into the idea; they ended up distributing the compilation for us as a Record Store Day 2011 piece.
Since then, we have put out a handful of cassette releases which have been very well received and seem to have opened the label up to an entirely new audience. We’re still putting out LP releases—the next one up is the debut album by a band from Portland called Swahili—but we’re really enjoying the more intimate forum (and low cost!) of cassettes, so we’re definitely going to keep that going as a major focus for the label as well. We also did a few CDs early on, but we're moving away from that. We'd rather just put download codes in LPs and cassettes!
Here's a mix of releases that we've done.
