Rocking The Cosmos

Sel Balamir on the joys of having his own label.

eleasing records is like a giant art project, says Sel Balamir. “I try not to draw a distinction between the recording and putting it out and the photographs and the conversation that surrounds it.”

After being burnt not once but twice by label deals that went rapidly south, it’s unsurprising that Balamir has launched his own. Rockosmos launched last year with a 12-inch from Sheffield space rockers Awooga, and it’s a home for adventurous music, but the Amplifier man strikes a note of caution, saying, “It’s easy to be eclectic if you have the revenue to make mistakes.”

The current roster includes Awooga (“They’re three Yorkshire rednecks who should be on Red Dwarf, which is where they got the name from, not Kriss Akabusi,” says Balamir) and London proggers Thumpermonkey (“They’re like a puzzle: not just the music, but as you get to know them. They’re very hard to categorise. They’re kind of like the Cardiacs. They become addictive”).

There’s also an album in the works from Sheffield grunge band Dead Blonde Stars, the band who inspired Balamir to start the label. “I’m really excited by them, but I knew no one would sign them,” he says.