C/Z Records
| C/Z Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Chris Hanzsek Tina Casale |
| Genre | Grunge Indie rock Alternative rock |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Seattle, Washington |
| Official website | http://www.czrecords.com |
C/Z Records is a Seattle-based record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale with the release of the now-legendary, Deep Six LP, which collected the earliest recordings of the real pro-genitors of what later came to be known as grunge.
The label's first release (September 1, 1985) was titled Deep Six (CZ001). This was a compilation LP that featured early grunge bands Soundgarden, The Melvins, Green River, Skin Yard, Malfunkshun, and The U-Men. Nationally, the record was something of a disappointment, and after about 18 months, Chris & Tina realized that running a record label was not a career they wanted to pursue.
Daniel House, bass player for Skin Yard, was in the midst of putting together the bands first record, and took over the operation of C/Z records. For several years C/Z was little more than a hobby, but quickly became an outlet for many unnoticed Seattle bands that House felt were making great music. In 1989 House began working as director of sales for a new Seattle, Indy record label, by the name of Sub Pop. Eventually he left as C/Z became successful in its own right. He subsequently released early albums and singles by notable bands like The Presidents of the United States of America, The Melvins, Built to Spill, 7 Year Bitch, The Gits, Silkworm and Hammerbox.
In 1993, C/Z entered into a production and distribution deal with Sony-owned RED Distribution. The deal quickly went sour, but RED refused to let C/Z out of the deal, managing to bleed the label dry in less than a year. 1994 saw the death of Kurt Cobain and almost saw the death of C/Z as well. House was forced to downsize and re-organize, and it would be over a year before any new releases would see the light of day.
1996 presented a new chapter for C/Z. BMG-owned Zoo Entertainment (Tool, Matthew Sweet) came to the label, and offered House the chance for a new situation. They would enter into a deal whereby a modest operating and recording budget would be doled out, and Zoo would be there to assist in the development of their new artists. After about a year, things were back in full stride but Zoo would be purchased by Volcano Entertainment, and all third party ventures were dropped. (Ironically, Sony and BMG would create a joint venture of their music divisions in 2004).
Daniel House, feeling like the time had come to look ahead to new beginnings, made the choice to return C/Z back to a labor of love, and would release occasional records on an infrequent basis. In 2002, everything came full circle. C/Z released an odds-n-sods collection of unreleased and unavailable Skin Yard material, entitled Start at the Top.
C/Z released several Teriyaki Asthma compilations, one of which contained Nirvana's "Mexican Seafood". Nirvana also released their version of "Do You Love Me?" for C/Z's Kiss tribute album.