Psi Records
{{Short description|English record label}}
{{Infobox record label
| name = Psi Records
| image = psi_records_logo.jpeg
| founded = {{start date|2001}}
| founder = Evan Parker
| distributor = Emanem Records
| genre = Free improvisation, jazz
| country = England
| location = London
| url = {{URL|https://evanparker.com/psi.php}}
}}
Psi Records is an independent record label that was founded by saxophonist Evan Parker, and that focuses on free improvisation.
History
Parker founded Psi in 2001 with the assistance of Martin Davidson of Emanem Records.{{cite web |url=https://evanparker.com/psi.php |title=Psi Records |first=Evan |last=Parker |website=EvanParker.com |access-date=March 24, 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/derek-bailey-and-evan-parker-incus-reissues-by-john-eyles |title=Derek Bailey and Evan Parker: Incus Reissues |first=John |last=Eyles |date=May 12, 2009 |website=All About Jazz |access-date=March 24, 2023}} Parker had previously co-founded Incus Records in 1970, but left the label in 1986, after which he recorded for Leo, FMP, Emanem, and ECM.{{cite magazine |last=Broomer |first=Stuart |date=July 2011 |title=psi Records |magazine=New York City Jazz Record |pages=12}} According to Parker, he started the label because he "missed the feeling of overseeing a project from start to finish," and chose the name Psi "for all the associations with irrational numbers, golden ratios etc. but above all for the Psi phenomena which I am convinced are at the heart of improvised music making."
From 2001 to 2012, Psi released nearly 90 CDs,{{cite web |url=https://emanemdisc.com/psi-cds.html |title=psi CD releases |website=Emanem Records |access-date=March 24, 2023}}{{cite web |url=http://www.jazzlists.com/SJ_Label_psi.htm |title=psi discography |website=JazzLists |access-date=March 24, 2023}} after which Parker "decided that it's time to pause and think again."{{cite web |url=https://thebluemoment.com/2013/06/21/farewell-to-psi |title=Farewell to Psi |first=Richard |last=Williams |date=June 21, 2013 |website=The Blue Moment |access-date=March 24, 2023}}
Practices
Parker stated that the goal of the label was "to represent my own music in the way I like to see it done and to draw people's attention to the work of other musicians who I feel are not given the prominence they deserve." According to writer Richard Williams, Psi "developed its own identity, visual and tactile as well as musical," with releases that featured a "unified (rather than uniform) design." Critic Stuart Broomer described the label as having "the feeling of an expanded musical family," given the fact that many of the musicians had played with Parker prior to recording with Psi.
Releases
| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:75%" |
| style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center; width:12%;"|Catalog #
! style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center; width:8%;"|Release year ! style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center; width:8%;"|Recording year ! style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center; width:40%;"|Album name ! style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center; width:32%;"|Personnel |
|---|
| psi 01.01
|2001 |2001 |
| psi 02.01
|2002 |1998 |
| psi 02.02
|2002 |2000 |The Grass is Greener |Han Bennink and Evan Parker |
| psi 02.03
|2002 |1980 |Evan Parker |
| psi 02.04
|2002 |1980 |Evan Parker and George Lewis |
| psi 02.05
|2002 |1972 |Collective Calls (Urban) (Two Microphones) |Evan Parker and Paul Lytton |
| psi 02.06
|2002 |1997 |At Les Instants Chavirés |Evan Parker, Barry Guy, and Paul Lytton |
| psi 03.01
|2003 |1975 |At the Unity Theatre |Evan Parker and Paul Lytton |
| psi 03.02–3
|2003 |2002 |Free Zone Appleby 2002 (2 CDs) |Various Artists |
| psi 03.04
|2003 |1995–2003 |
| psi 03.05
|2003 |2002 |
| psi 03.06
|2003 |1986 |Evan Parker |
| psi 04.01
|2004 |1973 |Kenny Wheeler |
| psi 04.02
|2004 |2003 |Suspensions and Anticipations |Stan Tracey and Evan Parker |
| psi 04.03–4
|2004 |1980 |Pisa 1980 Improvisors Symposium (2 CDs) |Various Artists |
| psi 04.05
|2004 |2003 |Free Zone Appleby 2003 |Various Artists |
| psi 04.06–7
|2004 |2003 |America 2003 (2 CDs) |Evan Parker, Alexander von Schlippenbach, and Paul Lytton |
| psi 04.08
|2004 |2004 |Or Air |Joel Ryan |
| psi 04.09
|2004 |2002/4 |FURT |
| psi 04.10
|2004 |2004 |Gubbröra |Sten Sandell and David Stackenäs with Evan Parker, Barry Guy, and Paul Lytton |
| psi 05.01
|2005 |1975 |Derek Bailey and Evan Parker |
| psi 05.02
|2005 |2004 |
| psi 05.03
|2005 |2003 |LDP - Cologne |
| psi 05.04
|2005 |2004 |Crevulations |Stan Tracey and Evan Parker |
| psi 05.05
|2005 |2004 |Free Zone Appleby 2004 |Various Artists |
| psi 05.06
|2005 |2004 |Critical Mass |Agustí Fernández and Mats Gustafsson |
| psi 05.07
|2005 |2004 |Foxes Fox (Evan Parker, Steve Beresford, John Edwards, and Louis Moholo) |
| psi 06.01
|2006 |2005 |Solo |
| psi 06.02
|2006 |2005 |Crossing the River |Evan Parker Octet |
| psi 06.03
|2006 |1997 |Tarantella |Aki Takase Piano Quintet |
| psi 06.04
|2006 |2006 |Cut and Continuum |Adam Linson |
| psi 06.05
|2006 |1970 |Evan Parker |
| psi 06.06
|2006 |2005 |Free Zone Appleby 2005 |Various Artists |
| psi 06.07
|2006 |1977 |Biosystem |
| psi 06.08
|2006 |2005 |More is More |
| psi 06.09
|2006 |2004/6 |FURT |
| psi 06.10
|2006 |2004/5 |Winterreise |Alexander von Schlippenbach Trio |
| psi 07.01
|2007 |2006 |Music from ColourDome |Lawrence Casserley and Simon Desorgher |
| psi 07.02
|2007 |2005 |La Lumière de Pierres |François Houle, Evan Parker, and Benoît Delbecq |
| psi 07.03
|2007 |2004 |Contraption |Bark! |
| psi 07.04
|2007 |2006 |Free Zone Appleby 2006 |Various Artists |
| psi 07.05–6
|2007 |2005 |spin networks (2 CDs) |fORCH |
| psi 07.07
|2007 |1983 |Hook, Drift & Shuffle |Evan Parker |
| psi 08.01
|2008 |1989 |Evan Parker |
| psi 08.02
|2008 |2005 |FURT plus "equals" |FURT |
| psi 08.03
|2008 |2007 |Journey |
| psi 08.04
|2008 |2007 |Free Zone Appleby 2007 |Various Artists |
| psi 08.05
|2008 |2007 |Xylobiont |John Eckhardt |
| psi 08.06
|2008 |2003/7 |Improvisations for George Riste |London Improvisers Orchestra |
| psi 08.07
|2008 |2008 |Friulian Sketches |Alexander von Schlippenbach |
| psi 08.08
|2008 |2004 |Rue Victor Massé |
| psi 08.09
|2008 |2008 |Volume |John Edwards |
| psi 09.01
|2009 |1975 |Evan Parker |
| psi 09.02
|2009 |2007 |Beam Stone |Per Anders Nilsson, Sten Sandell, and Raymond Strid |
| psi 09.03
|2009 |2007 |Integument |Lawrence Casserley and Adam Linson |
| psi 09.04
|2009 |2007 |Un llamp que no s'acaba mai |Agustí Fernández |
| psi 09.05–6
|2009 |2008 |Nature/Culture (2 CDs) |Peter Evans |
| psi 09.07
|2009 |2006–8 |Essex Foam Party |Grutronic |
| psi 09.08
|2009 |2008/9 |FURT |
| psi 09.09
|2009 |2003 |SET |Evan Parker |
| psi 09.10
|2009 |2007/8 |Adrift |
| psi 10.01
|2010 |2008 |Whitstable Solo |Evan Parker |
| psi 10.02
|2010 |2009 |Creak Above 33 |Nate Wooley and Paul Lytton |
| psi 10.03
|2010 |2008 |A week went by |Aki Takase |
| psi 10.04
|2010 |2009 |Wazifa |Pat Thomas, Raymond Strid, and Clayton Thomas |
| psi 10.05
|2010 |2009 |Psalms |Evan Parker and Sten Sandell |
| psi 10.06
|2010 |2009 |Hyste |
| psi 10.07
|2010 |2009 |Stops |Tony Marsh |
| psi 10.08
|2010 |2009 |Cry, Want |Hans Koller with Bill Frisell |
| psi 11.01
|2011 |2009/10 |Vents |Agustí Fernández and Joan Saura |
| psi 11.02
|2011 |2011 |EP |DJ Sniff |
| psi 11.03
|2011 |2008–11 |Trance Map |Evan Parker and Matthew Wright |
| psi 11.04
|2011 |2010 |Lio Leo Leon |London Improvisers Orchestra |
| psi 11.05
|2011 |2008 |Figures and Grounds |Adam Linson Systems Quartet |
| psi 11.06
|2011 |2010 |Quartet Improvisations |Tony Marsh |
| psi 11.07
|2011 |2006 |It won't be called broken chair |Misha Mengelberg and Evan Parker |
| psi 11.08
|2011 |2009 |Squall Line |Aleks Kolkowski and Ute Wassermann |
| psi 11.09
|2011 |2009 |Together in Zero Space |Grutronic and Evan Parker |
| psi 11.10
|2011 |2010 |Evan Parker, Okkyung Lee, and Peter Evans |
| psi 12.01
|2012 |2006 |Live at the Vortex |Foxes Fox |
| psi 12.02
|2012 |2011 |Courants des Vents |Toma Gouband |
| psi 12.03
|2012 |2010 |Evan Parker Electroacoustic Ensemble |
| psi 12.04
|2012 |2009 |Fume of Sighs |Bark! |
| psi 12.05
|2012 |2012 |Gerd Dudek |
| psi 15.01
|2015 |1978 |Evan Parker |
| psi 16.01
|2016 |2012 |Evan Parker |