CHROM RECORDS as label offers various artists and their bands the opportunity of transgressing boundaries and musically disclosing new (-old) sounds. CHROM is located between Pop Avant-Garde and Classic Music. A label with profile, but without limits within the genres! CHROM's profile and philosophy are straightforward, with a touch of self-reflective irony. CHROM RECORDS considers itself as playful borderliner between various musical styles and relies on complex motional needs: anything from dusky-dark gloominess to the jumpy-party sound of the Nineties. Musical experimenters like Ernst Horn or Alexander Veljanov (Deine Lakaien / Qntal / Run Run Vanguard / Helium Vola) have the chance of presenting different musical styles.
THE BEGINNINGS1988: Carl D. Erling and Cornel Hillmann found the former label Gymnastic Records. The company is in the tradition of the (at this time new) Industrial-Electronic wave, but also of the Wave Rock and modern Classic and Electronic-Avantgarde.
1989: Split of the label into the American Gymnastic Label (Los Angeles) under control of Cornel Hillmann and the German Gymnastic Label (Munich), run by Carl D. Erling.
Carl D. Erling founds his own sub-labels (classX Records and "Daydream Records" to be able to present a modified musical program, beeing A&R manager himself. This new program more and more dominates the international picture of Gymnastic Records. A main reason for this is the signing of Deine Lakaien on ClassX, who have become the most important German Independent Electronic Band by now.
1991-1996: The new musical direction of the german label (the American label had stopped by then after ongoing differences about A&R results) is now more and more presented by band names like Qntal, The Eternal Afflict, Distain! and others, next to Deine Lakaien. Chart entries by Deine Lakaien improve the standing of the label also international.
GYMNASTIC (Germany) / CLASSX / DAYDREAM* -> CHROM RECORDS1996: The year of great changes: Foundation of the new label Chrom Records by Carl D. Erling. Gymnastic Records finishes also in Germany. Many productions, most of the bands and the complete German crew change to Chrom Records to guarantee that the successful work continues.
1997: Moving to the Westermühlstraße (Munich). Sönke Held changes from Chrom Records to a videoclip production company. He is replaced by Gerlinde Gronow, who is not only in charge for the promotion but also coordinated the artwork and is as junior A&R responsible for new signings like the Slovenian band NIOWT.
1998:
1 Year Chrom Records GMBH,
10 Years Label Management by Carl Erling.
A reason to be proud and happy!
1999:
Cooperation with Columbia/Sony and the release of a new Deine Lakaien albums is just one of the highlights of this year.
2001:
We move to Berlin
2007:
The Deine Lakaien Back-Catalogue moved to Soulfood. Chrom Records is not the right address any more for any of your questions regarding Deine Lakaien.
Ende 2007 - Chrom Records becomes an artist's labelThe Chrom Records GMBH is closed. This is because the label owner Carl Erling is involved into another projects that take all of his time and ressouces.
Chrom Records will be continued as brand and artist's label by Ernst Horn, featuring only his own project, incl. Helium Vola. (The link to the "new" Chrom Records is www.chrom-records.com.)
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