Founded in New York by Michel Esteban and Michael Zihlka in 1978, ZE RECORDS developed an independent and surrealist musical entity with a very particular esthetic line, a chaotic but coherent universe, refuge of all the Arty New York underground scene and its strong individualities. Now relaunched from Paris by Esteban, Ze Records is reissuing part of its back catalog and is about to release a new band from Glasgow: Michael Dracula; trying to keep up as "the best independent records label in the world": John Pell, "Melody Maker" 1980
Future is History: The Birth of ZE Records:
When Esteban went into music producing and signed French new wave band "Marie et les garcons" in 77, he asked John Cale to produce the single. Cale who had been introduced to him by friend Patti Smith when he was producing "Horses", Patti's first album. John Cale produced cult French single "Re bop" in N.Y and when he decided to start a record label with Jane Friedman (John and Patti's manager) he called upon Esteban and introduced Michael Zilkha to him. Esteban and Zilkha, both long time fans of the Velvet Underground started with Friedman and Cale the label SPY Records. "Marie et les garcons" single was originally released on SPY, as various singles all produced by John Cale.
This collaboration at four lasted several months, then Zilkha and Esteban, decided to start their own label and left to create ZE records. After the late 70' new wave and punk explosion, a new bunch wannabe musicians often writers, painters, movie-makers, drifters met and created a deviant musical scene that rejected the traditional way of music business and ZE provided a crazy cocoon and lab for this urban tribe to explore, search & destroy. A year later Chris "Tycoon" Blackwell joined in and throught a licence deal with his major label Island records gave ZE a worldwide exposure.
In "THE FACE", Robert Elms wrote in the Mars 1981 issue : "The most sane part of advice that this Young scribe edge offer at present is this - IF IT'S ON ZE BUY IT" and in the same magazine in January 82, Paul Tickell called the label : "Ze Records the world's most fashionable label in the world." The rest is history...
From 1984 to 1989, Esteban went solo to produced french New wave band Octobre, Lizzy Mercier Descloux's hit album "Mais où sont passées les gazelles" and LIO's "Pop Model" and "Can can" albums, including Gold hits singles "Les brunes comptent pas pour des prunes", and "Fallait pas commencer". He has now relaunched ZE Records from Paris, producing MICHAEL DRACULA debut Album "In The Red".
Michael Zilkha now runs Zilkha Renewable Energy (www.zilkha.com). He sits on the board of the Chinquapin School, the Menil Collection, the Contemporary Arts Museum, and the Alley Theatre, all headquartered in Houston, Texas, where he lives.
21st century: ZE records is back.
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