Spanish independent music label (2001—2011), dedicated to radical and fringe experimental genres: abstract electronica, ambient, avant-garde, field recordings, microwave/lowercase/onkyō-kei, free improv, noise, sound art/collages, musique concrete, etc. W.M.O./r started as a private imprint of Basque experimental musician Mattin, focused on his solo works, collaborations and side projects. Over the next decade, the label expanded to include studio albums, live sessions and reissues from world-renowned underground and experimental musicians, with 40+ releases under the tagline "Putting Contradictions Forward In Music Making."
W.M.O./r specialized in limited edition CD-Rs and factory-pressed CDs, typically numbered or stamped, in extravagant packaging: oversized foldable artwork, multicolored clamshell cases, etc. The label was distributed by Tochnit Aleph (Berlin), Metamkine (France), Mimaroglu (USA), Arto Artian (Basque Country), A-Musik (Germany), and Taumaturgia (Galicia). W.M.O./r released all material to the public domain, with most of the catalog hosted in Ogg Vorbis/FLAC by Erik Schoster (a.k.a. He Can Jog); selected albums are still available on Archive.org and Free Music Archive.
In 2001, W.M.O./r debuted with four Mattin releases, including Bi Rak duo's 8015968 CD-R with Denis Dubovtsev on soprano saxophone and the label's first proper CD album, 1672657 — featuring Mattin's free improv electroacoustic session with Eddie Prévost and Rosy Parlane. The label released a few of Mattin's critically-acclaimed duos, including belaska with (amplified textures), with ( later reissued their deluxe CD-R), and CD with trombonist (featured on 's "10 Best Jazz & Impro Albums" list and Slant Magazine's "Top 200 albums of the 2000s.") Another notable duo project was CD, Mattin's 2004 collab with of notorious (a rare example of her "clear" vocals).
In 2004, the label launched the h.m.o/r CD mini-series produced jointly with Taku Unami's label Hibari Music (which also distributed Mattin's imprint in Japan). The highlight of the "triptych" was 3887787 2xCD, a long-awaited artist's debut solo. After 2005, W.M.O./r switched almost exclusively to other artists. Some of the notable musicians in the label's roster included Mark Wastell, French sound artist and filmmaker Julien Ottavi, Spanish abstract noise duo Hinyouki, Pia Gambardella, David Chiesa, [i]Metamkine[/i] founder Jérôme Noetinger, iconic electroacoustic composer Lionel Marchetti, saxophonist Jean-Luc Guionnet, Spanish drummer Iñigo Eguillor, and New Zealand musician Bruce Russell.
In 2011, to commemorate the label's 10th anniversary, W.M.O./r collaborated with Ozonokids (Barcelona) and Azul Discográfica (New York) to produce its first LP — 3237861 "mail-art" collaboration by Mattin with Kevin Failure, Margarida Garcia and Loy Fankbonner. Coincidentally, all three labels ceased to exist shortly after this release.
[u]W.M.O./r catalog[/u]
Many earlier releases are currently marked as "DELETED" on the label's website:
DELETED
w.m.o/r00 Mattin - Betsain CD-R
w.m.o/r01 Mattin - Tinnitus CD-R
w.m.o/r02 Mattin/ Rosy Parlane/ Eddie Prévost - Sakada CD
w.m.o/r03 Mattin - higu CD-R
w.m.o/r04 BI RAK - Ipurtagiri CD-R
w.m.o/r05 Mattin/ Rosy Parlane/ Xabier Erkizia - Mendietan CD
w.m.o.r07 Radu Malfatti / Mattin - WHITENOISE CD
w.m.o/r13 Junko & Mattin - PINKNOISE CD
w.m.o/r17 Billy Bao - Bilbo's Incinerator 7''
w.m.o/r23 B. Bao with A. Courtis, P. Reche, X. Erkizia, A. Lopez & M. - R'n'R Granulator CD
STILL AVAILABLE from Mattin.org and distributors
w.m.o/r06 belaska - Vault (Mark Wastell & Mattin) CD with 20-p booklet
w.m.o/r08 Taku Unami - Intransigent towards the detectives of capital CD-R
w.m.o/r09 Taku Sugimoto, Yasuo Totsuka & Mattin - Training Thoughts CD
w.m.o/r10 Tomas Korber - MASS PRODUCTION CD-R
w.m.o/r11 Bruce Russell - Los Desastres de las Guerras CD with 20-p booklet
w.m.o/r12 HELIOGABALUS - Tourette is Normal (Excerpt 2) CD-R
w.m.o/r14 Mark Wastell - Vibra # 1 CD-R
h.m.o/r01 Mattin & Taku Unami - Shyrio No Computer CD co-released with Hibari Music
w.m.o/r15 Julien Ottavi - For degreadable music: the CD-R I will never release
w.m.o/r16 HINYOUKI - Nyou CD-R
w.m.o/r18 Rolex á la plage DVD-R
w.m.o/r19 Pia Gambardella - RELUCTANT DIVERS CD-R
w.m.o/r20 Bilbao Acabado / Bilbo Bukatua / Bilbao is Finished Book
w.m.o/r21 David Chiesa / Jean-Luc Guionnet / Lionel Marchetti & Jerome Noetinger - SION CD-R
w.m.o/r22 Deflag Haemorrhage / Haien Kontra - Luxury CD-R
w.m.o/r25 La Grieta - Hermana Hostia CD-R
w.m.o/r26 Bruce Russell - 21st Century Field Hollers and Prison Songs CD-R with 20-p booklet
w.m.o/r27 M.B. - 810312 CD-R
One of the label's most controversial releases, a collection of obscure early-80s recordings centered around Nazi-related samples, such as Horst Wessel Song or voices of Rudolf Heß, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels. In 2012, Kubitsuri Tapes in Japan re-released this notorious CD with new artwork.
w.m.o/r28 Josetxo Grieta - Euskal Semea CD with 12-p booklet
w.m.o/r29 Michel Henritzi - Keith Rowe Serves Imperialism CD-R with 8-p booklet
w.m.o/r30 release CD co-released with Hospital Productions
Critically-acclaimed reissue of Maurizio Bianchi's long out-of-print '81 masterpiece, one of the UK's early industrial underground cult classics.
w.m.o/r31 Zaïmph - 955010 CD
Initially available as an uber-rare private edition on Marcia Bassett's label Heavy Blossom.
w.m.o/r32 Matthieu Saladin - Stock Exchange Piece CD-R
h.m.o/r2 " " [sic] Goldie - "ABJECTOR" [sic] 2xCD
h.m.o/r3 Mattin / Taku Unami - Attention CD co-released with Hibari Music
w.m.o/r33 Keith Rowe & Seymour Wright - 3D 3xCD-R with 8-p booklet
w.m.o/r34 Loïc Blairon - X/0 CD, Text
w.m.o/r35 Ray Brassier / Jean-Luc Guionnet / Seijiro Murayama / Mattin - Idioms and Idiots CD with 36-p booklet
w.m.o/r36 Craig Dworkin & Jarrod Fowler - Rhythmic Fact CD-R+?
w.m.o/r37 Esther Ferrer in collaboration with CAC Brétigny - Concierto zaj para 30 ó 60 voces CD + poster
w.m.o/r38 iMPROKUP! - Hamaika 16, LES SEPT MES DVD-R + booklet