Criminal IQ Records
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Criminal IQ Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, founded by Jon Babbin (co-founder of Ruthless Records (Chicago)) and Darius Hurley to facilitate the releases from Chicago's no-wave/punk scene circa 2003 to present. Most notably, garage pop punk band M.O.T.O.'s LP Kill Moto the Functional Blackouts S/T LP and dark wave psyche punk band Vee Dee's Furthur LP.
These initial releases were met with healthy critical acclaim from underground music zines such as Maximumrocknroll and Horizontal Action through to more established glossies such as Arthur, Thrasher, Kerrang!, and Concussion Magazine, and the records received airplay and occasionally topped charts [2] [3] [4] on college radio stations around the country as well as getting airplay on the BBC via the late John Peel Show. [5][6] Building on this success Criminal IQ signed up The Krunchies, all-female band The Manhandlers to do LPs, and co-released the Maybe Chicago? compilation with Proto-mersh which featured original sound recordings by the Ponys, the Baseball Furys, the Tyrades, Twat Vibe, White Outs, Busy Kids, and the Hot Machines.
In 2006 Criminal IQ broke out of its Chicago-only policy and released singles by Texas Hardcore band Army of Jesus, Milwaukee's Bear Proof Suit, Green Bay, and Portuguese punk band The Youths.
"All the above makes for an expansive independent label that possesses courage in their convictions and a determination to raise underground awareness. Something that could have the same impact as if the rat population of New York City, decide to form a protest about the air quality by taking over the likes of 55th Street, Central Park and 5th Avenue. No-one would know what to do."[1]
Discography
- Phenoms/Mushuganas split 7-inch May 2003
- M.O.T.O. (aka Masters of the Obvious) Kill Moto CD/LP (LP co-released with Little Teddy Records of Germany) Jun 2003
- Digital Sampler 3" CD Comp
- Functional Blackouts S/T LP Oct 2003
- Functional Blackouts S/T CD Jan 2004
- Maybe Chicago? V/A Compilation CD Jan 2004
- The Krunchies Interrobang 7-inch EP Mar 2004
- Vee Dee Furthur LP/CD 2004
- The Manhandlers S/T LP/CD 2004
- M.O.T.O. Single File CD 2004
- The Krunchies In De Winkel CD/LP 2005
- Rotten Fruits A Bomb In The Nation 7-inch EP 2005
- M.O.T.O. Raw Power CD/LP 2005
- I Attack American Dream 7-inch EP 2005
- The Pedestrians Future Shock CD 2005
- The Functional Blackouts The Severed Tongue Speaks For Everyone LP 2006
- Army of Jesus Book Bomb 7-inch EP 2006
- Bear Proof Suit Science is Dead 7-inch EP 2006
- The Gravetones Dig It! CD 2006
- The Youths 7-inch EP 2007
- Out With A Bang Few Beers Left But Out of Drugs 7-inch EP 2007
- The Effigies Reside LP 2007
- Terrible Twos S/T LP 2008
- The Runs 7-inch
- The Effigies “…on the move, or in danger (stop) This will have been my life (stop)” EP (digital release) 2009
- Useless Children 7-inch 2010
- Catburglars S/T LP 2010
- Claw Toe - Ingrown Ego 2009
- Claw Toe - S/T 12-inch EP 2012
