Black Market Music (record label)
Based in Melbourne, Australia, Black Market Music began in 1991 with the aim of bringing international blues and roots music to the Australian public through an import and retail business.
They released their first locally produced album, Sassy Mama, by Melbourne blues outfit The Mojo’s (now disbanded) in 1995. They have since released nearly 200 albums by artists including Collard Greens and Gravy, Jimi Hocking, Sweet Baby James and Rob Eyers, Maria Forde, Phil Manning, Brian Fraser, The Detonators, Fiona Boyes, Matt Corcoran, Ash Grunwald, Bob Brozman, Jan Preston and Inka Marka.
Their artists can frequently be heard on ABC and community radio and keep a public profile through the press.
They continue to be recognised on state, national and international levels. Collard Greens and Gravy won an ARIA Award (Australia’s equivalent to the US Grammy Award) for ‘Best Blues and Roots Album’ with their second release More Gravy in 2001. Inka Marka’s debut album Auki Auki was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best World Music Album in 2000. Their artists have regularly triumphed at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tennessee. The IBC is an annual competition held by The Blues Foundation to unearth outstanding independent blues musicians. Jimi Hocking, from Melbourne, won first place in the solo/duo division in February 2005. Collard Greens and Gravy won the ‘Best Self-Produced CD’ competition, also at the 2005 IBC, with their third album Silver Bird. In 2003 Fiona Boyes won first place in the solo/duo division. Andy Cowan came second in the solo/duo division in 2002. Collard Greens and Gravy won second place for the overall competition in 2001.
Black Market Music
Black Market Music may refer to:
See also
Black Market Music (album)
Black Market Music is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Placebo. The album took nine months to record, from between late 1999 to mid 2000; the longest that the band have ever spent recording an album to date. It was released on 9 October 2000 by record label Hut.
It has sold over one million copies to date.
Background
Speaking to Kerrang! in June 2009, Brian Molko remembered:
The album is dedicated to music publicist Scott Piering, who died of cancer in early 2000. The song "Commercial for Levi" is a reference to the sound technician Levi Tecofski, who on one occasion saved frontman Brian Molko's life: Molko, drunk and about to cross the road, was quickly pulled back by Tecofski from the path of an approaching vehicle.
Release
Black Market Music was released on 9 October 2000.
Reception
Black Market Music received a generally favourable critical response, though a less enthusiastic reception than previous records. Dean Carlson of AllMusic wrote that "Black Market Music finds Molko in such moody lust that his strangled, androgynous wailing rivals anything the band has previously flashed to the world [...] Placebo seem to have finally found that sweet wet spot between beauty and perversion." Dale Price of Drowned in Sound called it "a heavily revised upgrade of their back catalogue. And then some." Nicholas Taylor of PopMatters called it "highly listenable dark guitar rock".
Podcasts:
