Detour Records
1998 kicks off with the Detour Label celebrating it’s
FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
Detour Records are the UKs leading Mod Specialist Record Company. Dealing
mainly in vinyl we could also be classed as “adventurous” but this unusual
love for a product that the media would have you believe is dead has
allowed us to build up a customer base of like-minded people. With a mail
order catalogue full of vinyl but also containing the re-issue CDs for
those that do want to change their vinyl collection for CD versions we feel
that we are the place to be if your musical tastes sway anywhere along the
Mod line. With a love for Punk Rock too we can offer the closet punk the
ideal stopping point to complete that record collection. We also have our
own record labels giving like-minded bands who can’t find a record company
willing to take them seriously a chance to play the music that they love.
Check us out ...
In general 1997 was a good year, the highlight of the year has to be the
release of the Killermeters album. No one could of predicted that it would
of ever happened, let alone of taken off in the way that it did with the
band actually reforming and playing live together again for the first time
in almost 20 years. The gigs were sell-outs, even going so far as to turn
people away. Following that pretty closely had to be the launch of the Bin
Liner label, working on a new project proved to be tremendously exciting
and although the label has only seen one release it was decided more or
less from the outset that it would a very low-key operation.
Starting off the year with our 50th release we steadily worked our way
through a catalogue that took the label to its 61st single and 16th album
at the close of 1997. The Internet gained increasing popularity and bought
a number of new customers and with the credit card facility well and truly
in place there seemed no stopping the mail order company.
In September 1997 the label decided it was time for a change of
distribution companies, Plastic Head Distribution Ltd in Oxon took over the role as exclusive UK
distributor for both the Detour and Bin Liner labels,
introducing the up until then underground label to the likes of Our Price,
Virgin and HMV. Tower Records in Piccadilly set aside an entire display
for the Detour label and the Independent shops continued to take in
supplies of their number one selling Mod label. For the first time in it’s
history the label began advertising in the NME and major press began to
look like they might start taking Detour seriously.
The Office also had a little change around during 1997, Christmas 1996 saw
Fiona leave our company for pastures new and see Chris Shepperd join the
Detour Crew for a year, leaving early 1998 to make way for Aimee Dadswell.
1997 saw things settle into a routine with Dizzy taking the phone orders
and purchasing the new stock for the Catalogue, Chris processing and typing
the orders up, Jimmer looking after the stock and packing up all outgoing
parcels and Tania sorting out the accounts, customer services and dealing
with all the label promotion. Accompanied by our Bulldog Amber, we also
acquired a bully pup in the March to keep her company - Doza (as in
Bulldozer) soon became the live in Detour mascots and featured on the 1997
Christmas card.
With 1998 already under way there’s plenty of great new bands ready to hit
the World .... Watch this space as we continue to put out some great
releases in our Fifth Year as a record label.
WHO WE ARE:
Dizzy - Partner in Detour Records Mail Order and Distribution Company
Managing Director of Detour Records Ltd (label)
Director of Tandiz Music Ltd
Rare record expert, takes your order,
stock purchaser, organises the
label pressings.
Tania - Partner in Detour Records Mail Order and Distribution Company
Director of Detour Records Ltd (label)
Managing Director of Tandiz Music ltd
Web head, Accounts, Label promotion, Complaints
Department, Contracts/copyrights
Jimmer - Stock controller, parcel packer
Aimee - Looks after us lot, Processes the orders, account data entry
Amber
and Doza
- Our beloved bulldogs