Out-Of-Body Records Brings The Noise

In 2008, the DIY space in Denton called House of Tinnitus reached its peak. With growing interest across the whole metroplex, the house, owned and booked by Rob Buttrum, was even becoming one of the national hotspots for touring noise bands.

"People were traveling way out of their way to play at my house," Buttrum says. "It was blowing my mind that 100 to 150 people would show up for a show."

The space closed in March of last year, but Buttrum has helped keep the scene alive by booking for the now-closed Majestic Dwelling of Doom and doing the occasional show at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.

His latest effort, however, a label called Out-Of-Body Records, has the dual purpose of bolstering the noise scene and creating a platform for many of Denton's as-yet-unheard synthesizer projects.

"I want to let people hear what the local flavor of weirdness is in Denton," he says. "I want to let people's bedroom projects be heard."

Releasing cassette tapes, VHS tapes and eventually vinyl records, Out-Of-Body is Buttrum's first solo endeavor in the label world. He'd previously launched a collaborative effort with Andrew Haas called After Death Records. The new label will have a slightly broader scope as well, encompassing not just noise and industrial music, but any sort of experimental music that appeals to Buttrum.

"I'm really focused on things that are hard to label," he says. "Off-the-wall stuff that's pretty esoteric."

The label, apart from being a vehicle for audio projects, will also have a visual aspect—which is where the VHS tape releases (and potentially some short films down the line) come into play.

Despite eventual plans to release national and international acts, Buttrum says he does want to focus heavily on Denton music that's previously been unknown to the general public. His first release will be a compilation of 20 or so Denton acts that he feels are making good music, even if the artists had no real plans of releasing their music or playing it live.

"I feel like there's a whole lot of stuff going on in Denton that's not being heard, mostly because it's people jamming in their bedroom," he says. "I'm going to collect a bunch of little samples from each, and let people hear it."

Out-Of-Body Records will also focus on unreleased material from established Denton synth acts such as Lychgate, Corporate Park and Vulgar Fashion. With plans to release three tapes at a time, Buttrum already has enough material for his first batch, the Denton compilation being his most highly anticipated.