Ghostly International
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Ghostly International is an American independent record label that was started in Ann Arbor, Michigan by Samuel Valenti IV in 1999. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye (aka Tadd Mullinix), Mobius Band, and Skeletons & The Girl-Faced Boys. After Valenti and Dear met at a party, their shared affection for electronic music, particularly the sound of Detroit Techno, led to the label’s (and Dear’s) first 12 inch single "Hands Up For Detroit." Following this, Ghostly enjoyed early success with albums by Mullinix as well as Disco Nouveau, a compilation including artists such as ADULT., Solvent, Legowelt, Daniel Wang and DMX Krew inspired by the Italo Disco movement of the 1970s and 1980s.
Since then the label has widened its focus to include groups such as Skeletons & The Girl-Faced Boys and Mobius Band, whose rock-based sound meshes with the label’s eccentric leanings. Also known for forward-thinking package design by the likes of Will Calcutt and Deanne Cheuk, as well as the Boy, Cat, and Bird logos of Michael Segal, Ghostly International aims to be a complete aesthetic experience.
Among the bands mostly recently signed consist of Cepia and Midwest Product. Both have had great hits and have been remixed by multiple bands.
Ghostly International followed up Disco Nouveau with two more successful compilation albums featuring its artists: Idol Tryouts and Idol Tryouts 2.
Ghostly International also runs a companion label, Spectral Sound, dedicated to more dancefloor-oriented music coming from some of the same artists on Ghostly (such as James T. Cotton, another moniker of Tadd Mullinix (aka Dabrye)).
