Ed Bahlman

Ed Bahlman (born 1950) is the American founder of 99 Records, the legendary postpunk label from New York, home to ESG and Liquid Liquid. He also ran an independent record shop of the same name at 99 MacDougal Street in New York City, an iconic import record store. Bahlman was born in Brooklyn, New York. In his mid-20s, Bahlman was an occasional club DJ and soundman with an omnivorous taste for cutting-edge music, known for his strong work ethic and an intense passion for music, especially new and underground music that was not wholly embraced by the mainstream or even punk establishments.

1980 - 1984

99 (pronounced Nine Nine) specialised in Indie/dub/new wave music and was founded in 1980. 99 was set up in a corner of Bahlman's girlfriend's (Gina Franklyn) clothing store in Greenwich Village. 99 imported records from Rough Trade in London, and had on its label artists such as The Notekillers, ESG, Liquid Liquid, Vivien Goldman, Bush Tetras, The Congos, Y Pants and Glenn Branca. Terry Tolkin, later an Elektra Records vice president and No.6 Records label head, worked there. Bahlman actively participated in the production and mixing of many of the 99 releases.