What’s behind the name of your label? How did this name come about (by accident, a word game)? Or does the name express or reflect the philosophy of the label?

There is no hidden agenda or secret with the name “Terminal Dusk”. It was hard finding a name we liked, but when those two words were put together, we knew it was right, it just fits. The name came up when we were brainstorming about words that did not make us think of specific genres or styles of music. We did not want to pigeonhole ourselves with names like “Face Smasher” or “RaggaTone” for example.

When was the label founded? And who started the label?

The label was founded during the summer of 2004 by Scott Weber “Line 47” and Wesley Davis “Dusk Governor”.

What was the intention behind starting a label? Did it start as a “witty” response like, “Let’s try out to run a label,” or was there kind of a business idea right from the start?

Terminal Dusk was created during the collapse of Sonic Terror (which is now in the process of being rebuilt) as the focus of Sonic Terror became to narrow, musically speaking. When Scott ran Sonic Terror, he gathered base knowledge of how to keep an independent record label afloat that has been carried over with the Terminal Dusk imprint.

The intention behind Terminal Dusk is to release quality tracks that we love and also feel that others would love as much as we do. There is a bit of a business plan behind Terminal Dusk because we want to succeed and thrive, but it’s not all about cash money around here.

Do you also run sub-labels? Why and when did you add them to your label roster?

Terminal Dusk currently does not have any sub-labels. However we are not ruling out the possibility of one springing up down the road. We do work with some other labels such as Painfree Found Sound in Australia. Additionally, we are also assisting in the restructuring of Sonic Terror.

How would you describe the style/sound of your label (sub-label)? What are the musical boundaries? Which musical “drawer” do you like to fit most of your label’s music?

The idea behind Terminal Dusk is that we detest being categorized as an IDM label, and wanted to operate as a label that can release all sorts of electronic and electronic influenced music without stressing about if the music fits in with previous Terminal Dusk releases. We wanted the freedom of releasing anything at anytime without people scratching their heads and saying “Why did they release that booty bass record?” for example. We also have a large varying taste in music outside IDM. Dub, Booty House, Electro, Jungle, Industrial and Acid are just a few of the other genres we are heavily interested in.

Take a look at the upcoming albums Terminal Dusk is releasing and you will see that we are jumping all over different genres and sub-genres. We just dropped the Not Breathing 12″ Minotaur which is post industrial, next is the Wisp 12″ Building Dragons, which is melodic Tolkien-esque drill n bass. After that, the Line 47 / Emotional Joystick split 12″, which is dub, followed by a MANASYt electro 12” , which is then followed by Mathhead’s dubstep/grime 12″. So as you can see we are not focusing on one specific style of electronic music.

Which kind of media do you use for your releases (MP3, CD, Vinyl…)? Are there any plans in the near future to add new media formats? Which media formats are definitely uninteresting to you?

Most all of Terminal Dusk releases are vinyl, specifically 12” as Scott hates 7”s unless it’s good dancehall, or some rarity. Terminal Dusk is almost strictly a 12″ label at this point as we have only released 2 CDs so far. So if you really want to pirate our albums you will have to work for it and record them from your turntable rather than just ripping a CD. There will be another CD(s) at some point, but regarding other formats, probably not, unless we compile a Terminal Dusk DVD of live performances or artist videos.

Do you own/run a shop or web-shop? How important is owning a store for you?

Terminal Dusk does have an online store, and it does play an important role in what we do. Offering our albums straight from our site to any location worldwide is a service that people have come to value, especially if they cannot find the album they are looking for in their local record shop. If you have a local shop that you think should carry our releases please get in contact with us.

In which countries do you distribute your records? Do you work with a Distribution? Or do you manage the distribution by yourselves?

We have been managing our own pressing and distribution from the beginning but have also recently began to look for someone that we can work with to expand and possibly hand off the distribution efforts to. Our current locations we distribute to are the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

How do you become interested in new artists?

Most of the time artists contact us through the Terminal Dusk website. Occasionally, a current Terminal Dusk artist will throw some tracks our way from one of their friends or acquaintances for us to listen to.

What do you think about the range of artists a label should sign? Less is more? Or does a big range of artists help to get more attention?

Terminal Dusk has an artist roster consisting of twenty-two. The quality of the artist roster that a label has is much more important than the number of artists regardless of if it is a large or small number. A good portion of our artists came from the first Terminal Dusk release “Crimson” and some of those artists have released an album with Terminal Dusk since that first release while others are planning to release something with Terminal Dusk in the future.

Do you have a demo policy? Who listens to the demos and decides to take new artists onboard?

Unless we request tracks from someone we usually just receive demos in the mail and hunt around in those for a while. If you are looking to send a demo just mail a CD with a maximum of five tracks and your contact information to Terminal Dusk. We both listen to all demos and mutually decide what/who is to be released. We also do our best to reply to all demos, even though a few may inadvertently fall through the cracks now and again. Lately we have been getting some great demos from interesting places such as Israel and Russia.

What about the number of releases in one year. How many releases do you usually have in one year? And how much ahead do you plan your releases?

At this point we do not have a certain number of releases that we put out every year. We hope to get to the point of releasing an album every other month or every single month while still keeping the quality of our releases top notch. In 2005 we released two CDs and three 12″s, which is very amazing if you knew what finances we had to start Terminal Dusk. We try to stay on top of things and have releases planned into the future; the catalogue for 2006 and most of 2007 has already been arranged.

Is there a connection between the hometown of your label and the label itself? Do you think if you would move to another city your label probably would lose his identity?

Terminal Dusk started as an international label and has no connection to our current hometown of Lexington, KY. At some point Terminal Dusk will reside in two locations and this will not change anything about how we operate or move forward as an independent label. We will still continue to release records and the worm will still turn.

Which of your releases would you name as the most successful release?

An independent label’s first release makes or breaks them and our debut release was the double format “Crimson” compilation. Crimson went over very well, despite many people telling us that releasing a compilation at that time would be suicide. We spent nearly seven months compiling and finalizing Crimson and we get contacted from people around the globe telling us how much they enjoy that compilation.

Besides the sales figures which one is your personal number one?

Wes is partial to the Not Breathing 12”, he is a huge fan of David’s work, and has been for 10 years now. “I remember seeing Not Breathing live a couple times and thinking to myself that this guy needs more recognition, now we are able to do just that. Releasing the Not Breathing 12″ was a very important thing for me to do. It felt so right. Big ups to Dave Wright! Bet!”

If I had to name a release that is my favorite so far, it would be the Wisp “Building Dragons” 12”. This album is not yet out but is currently being plated and pressed. Wisp is an artist that we have been working with for a while and his 12” is finally making it into production. Building Dragons has captured my attention with excellent melodies and complex rhythms. His music hits a soft spot I have in my heart for good drill’n’bass.

Nobody likes to talk about failures, anyway, how much time must pass until you would call a release a “flop”? Any records which hadn’t any success in the beginning and after you named it a flop it became successful by accident?

It is still a bit too early to classify any of the Terminal Dusk releases as a “flop”. Pressing records and CDs is an investment and it is wonderful to have albums sell quickly, but this doesn’t always happen. All of our releases are top quality because we take the time to select tracks and work with the artists to create the best release we can. Regardless of if the album sells well or not, we know that we put out a strong release. To sit here and say, “All our releases are the best and we always sell out of everything” would be a lie. Honestly, we have releases that don’t do as well as we had hoped like the Rusuden, Formulae Remixes CD and The Gasman, Hardline 12”. These releases are by no means a flop because we have sold a decent portion of them and they will eventually sell out as the label and artists release more material.

Your feelings about the music market: Would you say things are getting harder for record labels through things like p2p, mp3….?

We think the record industry is suffering due to lack of quality control, not p2p or mp3 technology. A small portion of record sales is definitely lost to file sharing networks and that will always happen. All we can do is continue to release quality records and rely on supporters of the music to keep independent labels like Terminal Dusk active.

Which kind of medias/press do you use for promotion? How do you select the media you work with? In general; how important is the press for electronic music? What makes you really upset when you work with the press? A bad review, no response…

Terminal Dusk does not send out a lot of promotional items but we do send a few out to a select few that appreciate our press promotion efforts. We have never heard or seen a bad word about any releases thus far and those who do get promos for review always have positive things to say. The press for electronic music is quite valuable and we intend to increase our promotional outreach in hopes of multiplying the number of people who know about Terminal Dusk.

Music is business, like every other business. With that in mind, how important is “friendship” and “trust” to you when you work with artists, promoters or distributors? Or do you separate things?

Trust keeps an independent label like this alive. The importance of trust at Terminal Dusk is immeasurable and we have absolute trust in every artist and distributor we deal with. Friendship and tight knit relationships are important and we have been openly accepted with our distributors and artists.

Although your whole day is centered around the music business, do you sometimes walk into a recordstore to buy a record?

Definitely. We both love vinyl and buy records all the time. Here in Lexington there are not a lot of record shops carrying new stuff in the way of wax, but occasionally you can find something worthwhile. Most of our new vinyl we purchase comes from online mail orders.

Michael Mück/Spring 2006 - Cuemix Magazine

Ah! Komonazmuk. A very special record, it brings together the best of two different worlds. “For Real” starts with a dark bass, which hits your stomach deeply, and the snare sound makes you shiver. But then a warm and ambient soundscape comes to your aid and fills the track with an atmosphere that is in the opposite direction to the drumsounds. A track that can be called schizophrenic in it’s best meaning. A great track with a deep atmosphere and a perfect arrangement.

The B side “Love” is based on a dubstep beat and flavoured with female vocals, which get lost in an echo labyrinth. Great! This track is a hymn with a fragile atmosphere caused by this wonderful voice. Hypnotic and danceable.

Absolute groundbreaking music that proves that a beauty and a beast can be the perfect couple!

- Cuemix Magazine

Komonazmuk (UK artist and Ice Minus Recordings associate Keiren Lomax) issues two blazing dubstep epics on his 45RPM 12-inch. A side “For Real” slowly swells into a prototypically dystopic throwdown prodded by wobbly bass, echoing voices, and bulldozing beats with a mid-song breakdown that lets strings surge into position before the drum crunch reasserts its dominance. An ascending female vocal hook echoes across a creeping pulse in the other side’s “Love” while the cut’s lethal vibe is intensified by marauding bass lines and dark string stabs. Put simply, ten glorious minutes of high-octane dubstep heaviosity.

- Textura

Mathhead is known for this speedjungle breakccore music all over the word. But with the release of “Dirty Deeds” we all become witnesses of a stunning metamorphose. everywhere Mathhead entered the stage he left broken sound systems and scorched earth. And mow from out of nowhere he plays a Grime-Dubstep-Core Style paired with electro influences like he never did anything else than producing mesmerizing dubstep records. It’s hard to find a genre for this great great record. But I really can approve it to you from my heart and my mind. This record has this special something that you will call it a milestone!

- Cuemix Magazine

Call it grime, call it dubstep, call it whatever you like: regardless of the label, Mathhead’s Dirty Deeds remains one mesmerizing throwdown. In just under 23 minutes, the Brooklyn producer sculpts an incinerating set that aurally exposes the foreboding underbelly of a raging night-time metropolis. “South Bronx” pulverizes with the lethal crunch of its lurching funk pulse and the slam of its hydraulic clang and liquid synth swells. “Bullets of Your Sound (Remix)” is apparently a Drop the Lime-Mad mash-up of some kind but, aside from occasional vocal interjections presumably by DTL’s L. Venezia, it all comes out sounding like Mathhead. Vastly different in character from “South Bronx,” the intensity level may be slightly lower but the level of invention is equally high. The snare hits on the B-side’s “Parasites” hammer so hard, they verge on decapitating, but the song’s synth swarm is equally annihilating. Bringing up the rear, the opening half-minute of “Dream Tigers” suggests Mathhead might leave quietly but the dubstep bomb soon detonates, scattering beat shrapnel and bass acid all over—don’t miss, though, the slick soul-jazz break the producer niftily fits in along the way. Breakcore, dub, ragga, and grime come together magnificently in Dirty Deeds’ bone-crushing material.

- Textura

One for all the dirty brown bunker fans here. Manasyt is Bulgaria’s answer to Ultradyne, with releases on Bunker, Kommando 6, Touchin’ Bass and MNX proving his darkside electro credentials. For his Terminal Dusk release he’s saved some of his filthiest industrial electro to gnaw on your brain, taking influence from the darker underbelly of Detroit electro and the mucky brown side of the Dutch electro style to forge an unrelenting industrial style designed to keep you on the wrong side of the floor, and probably to work best with a copious amount of synapse frying drugs for maximum effect with minimum effort.

- Boomkat

Manasyt’s release called “Filthdonor” is absolutely fascinating one. This collection of tracks from 2005-2006 is ground shaking. The sound of Manasyt is a perfect symbiosis of Electro and Industrial. But don’t be afraid Manasyt doesn’t repeat the vintage sounds you heard a million times before. His tracks have an own handwriting. I must admit that I often begin to skip through Electro CD’s, they are good for two or three tracks but not for a listen through on your sofa. But with Manasyt “Filthdonor” it’s different. His tracks have the right dramatic mixture between these hypnotic robotic Electro beats and this special scary atmosphere of Industrial. Right from the first track you will listen banished to this special sound. The arrangements of the tracks create a special tension, but not a displeasing tension; it’s that kind of tension you get addicted to. Mesmerizing sounds with this sharp futuristic beat. Robots conquered the world over night and start to hammer their beats into your brain.

I love this record for its special sound and atmosphere, absolute stunning… and I never skipped one of the tracks.

One of the best and freshest releases in the world of Electro for years! Big big movie.

- Cuemix Magazine

Manasyt’s (Bulgaria-born Petar Tassev, who moved to Detroit and is now back in Europe, “somewhere” according to the Terminal Dusk site) brain-addling mini-album Filthdonor is definitely one hardcore electro ravers will want to gnaw on. Kommando 6 and Touchin’ Bass vet Tassev gets his claws dirty with nine hardcore samplings of filthy industrial electro created during 2005-06.

Tassev sets the mood with limb-severing beats, buzz-saw bass, and synth swarms in “Everyone Missing” and then weighs in with goosestepping acid-electro (“First Mission to Oberon”) and maggot-infested madness (“Dentist Artillery”). Side A simmers to a close with the dark “Information Retrieval” before again chopping heads on side two: hammering beats slap the listener awake in “Sick Logic,” a subterranean bass line growls throughout “Year of the Devil,” and a whiplash pulse gooses the gurgling robotics of “1984.” New pals Snakes & Duck spray artillery fire over fiery acid-stomp in “Izon VIP,” a volcanic remix of Manasyt’s “Izon Industries.” Admirably intent on wasting no one’s time, Tassev wrestles nine cuts into a mere half-hour total.

- Textura

Arizona’s very own digital deviant, Not Breathing (aka Dave Wright) makes the kind of acid-drenched beat-feasts that still have the propensity to knock the wind out of your chest before stamping all over you on the way to the buffet. Backed up by collaborators Jack Dangers (Meat Beat Manifesto) and Karl White (Metrognome), ‘Minotaur’ is eight tracks of combatative beats and 808-bleached goodness; opening with the Ashanti-sampling ‘ontime’. Anyone who has wondered what Ja Rule’s squeeze would sound like put through the digital butchers will be fully satisfied, cramming in as it does fists of ruptured beats and haunted-circuit vocals. Ooh-er! Still on this side, ‘the creeps’ sounds not unlike LFO on a sugar rush and ‘beam deflector’ sees the Micronauts feeling the wrath of some Tenniswood grubbiness, whilst on the other ‘hewhowalksbesdieyou’ introduces a horse to the mayhem, ‘nixiemilf’ is brimming with 119bpm ‘Girl/Boy’ beats, whilst ‘Seroquel’ is a spluttering old beast.

- Boomkat

The gasman delivers some high octane glitchin elctronic hardcore for terminal dusk. Manipulated mentasm samples and breakbeat hardcore are processed with some heavy glitch application and hackneyed ravin IDM melodies for all the ‘lectronic rave nerds. Fans of the electronica rave edits of dev/null, ceephax or the amen andrews series will find space to slot these dj friendly cuts into their sets. Limited copies!!

- Boomkat

“Meet Uptown” is a wonderful record and it’s a new direction sign for terminal dusk. This record surprised me. Reggae, electro, and dub mixed together by two absolute fascinating artists: EmotionalJoystick and Line 47.
This record is a must have. I never heard such a new Interpretation of a well-known musical style like reggae. EmotionalJoystick combines on “Neverending Dub” classical Instruments like melodica and piano with a well-weighted electronica. Babylon Is a live version with a classic dub atmosphere carried by a mighty bass. The lightness of the melodies without sounding like the reggae tune you’ve heard yesterday in your local supermarket really made my day! Brilliant!

The B-Side is my favourite. Line 47 created three special tracks. I can’t decide which I like most. The point is that this new Interpretation of reggae can break down barriers. The sound is fresh and new without annoying the big old names of dub and reggae. The music of Line 47 is earworm music without sounding cheap, if you know what I mean. This is music and art! A great artist, which must definitely release more of his tracks
Thank you Terminal Dusk for releasing such a great record.
A very special release.

- Cuemix Magazine

Drawing from the classic dub of dub pioneers like Augustus Pablo and King Tubby, Emotional Joystick (Thomas Wincek) and Line 47 (Scott Weber) split five cuts over two vinyl sides. Emotional Joystick subtly pulls the listener into “Neverending Dub” with rippling waves of piano and melodica that blur into a jaunty backbeat groove while the melodica sings its lonely song ever-so-gently overhead. The considerably looser “Babylon” (a live take by Emotional Joystick plus other musicians) exudes a jazzy and spontaneous character—not a bad thing necessarily—but the tune ends up sounding less focused after the taut opener.

Fault’s ‘Sound From Light’ dubstep treatment of Line 47’s “Creations,” on the other hand, sounds downright beautiful, especially when its clattering rimshots elastically echo and its bass throb and melodica turn eerie. Captivating too, Line 47’s original pushes dub’s trademark reverb to its zenith; the loping groove is deliciously stoked by detonating snare cracks and a ghostly saxophone. “Serpent Dub” cools down the pace a wee bit, just enough to let the melodica’s gentle melody call out amidst the skanking rhythms. Superb stuff all around though side two’s especially fabulous.

- Textura

Second release on American breakcore/electronics label terminal dusk featuring remixes of the Rusuden album “formulae” previously released on sonicterror. The selection of remixers covers angles from breakcore mashment (Enduser, Line 47) to IDM (Ochre) and electro inflected 2 step and acid tempos (Multiplex, Rusuden) often confusing, blurring and blending styles in a manner generally associated with these artists. The “doofgoblin” cut stands out for an interesting mix of treated piano and sub-aquatic break mangling as does the hardsteppin rerub from line 47. Check!

- Boomkat

Excellent second CD from Terminal Dusk. This is a remix mini album of Rusuden tracks taken from Formulae, opening with a stunning rework of “Laptop Vagabond” by Wisp. This confirms my first impression I had listening to Crimson, Wisp is one to watch, with his clear breaks and his sublime melodies. Ochre’s touch is instead much more gentle and warm, blending bleeps and hiccuping beats. Enduser shows us once more that he’s capable of manipulating jungle breaks and huge basslines without sounding breakcore at all. His remix is very atmospheric and only towards the end the bass sounds a bit more menacing. Multiplex’s relic is made up of crunchy metallic breaks, not the best thing on this CD but it flows nicely. Line 47 goes straight to the point with stiff, hard hitting drum’n’bass, together with Wisp this is easily the best moment of Formulae Remixes. I’ve never heard Doofgoblin before, but his underwater dub sound that evolves into something sparkling is very interesting. Beware, there are some seriously high frequencies that could harm your ears. The Gasman, of Planet Mu fame, unveil their fast side, full of jazzy samples and rolling breaks, you will probably hear more on a Terminal Dusk EP soon. Finally Rusuden himself closes with an acid techno piece, not distant from the Rephlex sound. After this second release, I’ll eagerly wait for one artist releases, the roster is well promising.

- Lu Igloo Magazine

Check this for a lineup - exclusive tracks from Soundmurderer, Shitmat, Chevron, Enduser, Doormouse, Eight Frozen Modules, Duran Duran Duran and loads more - 16 tracks for a bargain price! ‘Crimson’ is a journey through coagulated jungle, choleric gabba and GM electro with Terminal Dusk consummately leading the expedition. Kicking off the tour is the Happy Breakcore (if it didn’t exist, it does now…) of Doormouse and ‘El diablo en botas negras’, wherein Looney Tunes are fed through the digital shredder and scattered over chaotic, hip-hop marshalled drums. Moving across the savannah at breakneck pace we are then alerted to the old school, techno troubadour of EmotionalJoystick and his grunt laden, snare-kick infused ‘I Got the Hits and Party Jams Vol. 35′. With barely time to get out your binoculars it’s time for Chevron’s oasis full of amen breaks and vista expanding synth washes before we are thrust head first into Duran Duran Duran’s ‘TBI Theme’ and it’s no prisoner Gabba, so hard you’ll need a helmet. Changing species we are treated tp the hip-hop breaks and refractory laced soundscapes of Rusuden on ‘Thoth Breath’, early 90’s dark jungle of Enduser’s ‘Derminal Tusk’ and Alec Empire taunting gabba on Shitmat’s ‘Soundclash@MyHouse’. Camp bound and with the sun setting behind us we come across the shadowy figure of Pale feasting on a carcass of choral interludes and spastic beats, topping off a wonderfully deranged trip. Ace.

- Boomkat

Impressive compilation by the recently born Terminal Dusk records. Sixteen tracks focused on breakcore jungle rhythms by both well-known artists and newcomers. Doormouse and Emotional Joystick welcome you with brutal breaks and melodic gabba, Jonas The Plugexpert slows down with some subtle drum’n’bass followed by the luscious DSP ragga of Eight Frozen Modules. Planet Mu mate Chevron goes on with some acid jungle, before the annihilating metal / gabber mash up courtesy of Duran Duran Duran –absolutely merciless. Soundmurderer presents here one of the best tunes I’ve heard from him; “Mindkiller” is pure drilling madness, I can’t believe how fast this track is. More speedy jungle by Wisp, a great surprise, “Green Hill Path; shocked me, it’s a beautiful melodic tune, think Gridlock synth lines, with a squeaking acid bassline and kicking breaks. We are only at the halfway mark of the CD, there are more goodies. Rusuden’s track is a nice change, “Thoth Breath” is a strange hybrid between dub, Asian chants, a bouncy analog bassline and slow but punching techno beats. Exillon’s “Tguk” is quite nice, but I like this track less than his previous output, it didn’t impress me too much. Maybe because it’s just before another surprise, “Field Stencils,” the first Line 47 tune I really dig, he’s more aggressive than in the past, there’s still a huge atmospheric jungle influence but it’s well balanced by cut up breaks and distorted bass. Shitmat brings his usual party/gabba style, as you’d expect with a title like “Soundclash@myhouse.” Killa Cosby’s jungle is a bit standard and doesn’t stand out among other wicked tunes like the reece driven “Derminal Tusk” by Enduser or the spooky buzzing “Monster” by Pale. Don’t hesitate to buy a copy, it’s solid stuff from the beginning to the end.

- Luca Maini Igloo Magazine