Astral Spirits Records

Astral Spirits Records
Founded2014 (2014)
FounderNathan Cross
Genre
LocationAustin, Texas, U.S.
Official websiteastralspiritsrecords.com

Astral Spirits Records is an independent record label specializing in free jazz, improvisation, and experimental music.[1][2] Based in Austin, Texas, the label was founded in 2014 by musician Nathan Cross, who started Astral Spirits as a platform for "the new wave of heavy free jazz"; as the breadth of the label's offerings expanded, imprint Astral Editions became the home for its more experimental releases.[3]

Astral Spirits has been featured in Bandcamp Daily,[1] All About Jazz,[2] the Chicago Reader,[4] DownBeat,[5] and the Free Jazz Collective;[3][6] Rolling Stone has called the label "crucial"[7] and "enormously prolific";[8] and in 2019, Tiny Mix Tapes included Astral Spirits among their favorite labels of the decade.[9]

  1. ^ a b Williger, Jonathan (12 March 2020). "Austin Label Astral Spirits Leads New Wave of Heavy Free Jazz". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b Baekgaard, Jakob (4 November 2019). "Astral Spirits: Lifting The Spirit Of Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b Epstein, Lee Rice (14 November 2019). "Astral Ascending - Astral Spirits at Five Years". The Free Jazz Collective. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  4. ^ Meyer, Bill (19 September 2017). "Texas label Astral Spirits weds the cassette resurgence to the 'new wave of heavy free jazz'". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  5. ^ Meyer, Bill (22 August 2016). "Free-Improv Players Soar During Astral Spirits Showcase". DownBeat. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  6. ^ Prosk, Keith (11 November 2019). "The Impact of Astral Spirits Locally". Free Jazz Collective. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  7. ^ "70 Most Anticipated Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  8. ^ Shteamer, Hank (11 December 2019). "The Many Sounds of Jazz in 2019: A Listener's Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  9. ^ "2010s: Favorite 30 Labels of the Decade". Tiny Mix Tapes. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2021.