Bad Afro Records is an independent record label based in Copenhagen, Denmark that was founded in 1996 by Lars Krogh.
History 1996-2002
Bad Afro Records is an independent record label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The label was founded in 1996 with the purpose of releasing rock’n’roll, punk, surf and garage rock from the Scandinavian countries and Finland. The name, logo and the original slogan “Pushing Scandinavian Rock to the Man!” was inspired by blaxsploitation movies from the early 1970s like Superfly, Foxy Brown and Dolemite.
Bad Afro Records was originally an offshoot of Moshable Magazine (1986–2000). Moshable was an underground punk and garage rock magazine that had focus on the Scandinavian music scene and featured early interviews with bands like The Hellacopters, Turbonegro, Gluecifer and The Flaming Sideburns. In the mid 1990s, the Scandinavian garage rock scene was in full bloom and bands that appeared in Moshable started to be released on vinyl on Bad Afro Records. The original idea and goal was to release 50 7” vinyl singles in 10 years to document the music scene in Scandinavia at the time. This goal was never reached – 10 years later only 45 7”singles had been released.
Bad Afro Records began as a singles club where members could sign up and receive the upcoming six vinyl 7” singles on the label. The concept was inspired by the American label Sub Pop which had started their singles club nearly a decade earlier with great success. In 1999 the first album by The Flaming Sideburns was released and although the singles club continued a few years after that the focus of the label shifted towards full album releases.
In the early years, most releases on Bad Afro Records could be described as garage rock and punk rock with a few excursions into weirder musical territories. At the time the label worked with artists such as The Hellacopters, Turbonegro, The Nomads, The Flaming Sideburns, The Burnouts, Backyard Babies, Gluecifer, Larry & the Lefthanded, The Chronics, Festermen and The Royal Beat Conspiracy as well as many other bands pretty much in the same vein.
2002-2009 In many ways 2001 to 2004 was the heyday of Bad Afro Records. Scandinavian rock’n’roll was praised all over the world and The Flaming Sideburns were doing very well touring all over the world and was licensed to countries like USA and Australia. In 2003 came the national breakthrough for Bad Afro Records with the release of the Baby Woodrose album “Money For Soul” that featured two major hits on National Radio and was nominated for a Danish Grammy. Baby Woodrose also did a collaboration with Danish beat legend Peter Belli that topped the charts on National Danish Radio and the band played two years in a row on the main stage at the famous Roskilde Festival.
In 2003, Bad Afro re-issued the debut album “Blows Your Mind” by Baby Woodrose which led to some controversy and discussions on freedom of speech for artists. The original artwork was done by the Italian artist collective Malleus and the most important music outlet at the time, Myspace, banned the cover and censored the artwork on several occasions. The artwork was an erotic painting that also made the German pressing plant refuse to print the LP version.
From 2003, the Bad Afro Records slowly took a bend towards psychedelic rock in the sense that most of the new bands that was signed in this period often had a psychedelic edge. Besides keeping on releasing Baby Woodrose albums it also meant collaborations with artists like On Trial, The Setting Son, Dragontears and Sarena-Maneesh.
2009-2012 After 13 years of "Pushing Scandinavian Rock to the Man!", as the original slogan goes, the label took another turn in 2009 and decided that it was too limiting only releasing music from Scandinavia. In came The Dolly Rocker Movement from Australia and The Mojomatics from Italy and there is releases by US bands Cosmonauts and Royal Baths on the way in 2012.
As a curiosum it can be mentioned that Bad Afro Records since the beginning as a vinyl based record label has had a policy that makes it easy to tell the difference between first print of the LP's or 7” singles and later prints. First print is on black vinyl, second print is on red vinyl, 3rd print is on green vinyl and 4th print is on purple vinyl.
Discography Albums The Flaming Sideburns – It's Time to Testify...Brothers and Sisters CD (AFROCD001) – 1999 Union 69 – Holiday 2000 CD (AFROCD003) – 2000 The Burnouts – Go Go Racing CD (AFROCD004) – 2000 The Royal Beat Conspiracy – Gala Galore CD (AFROCD005) – 2000 Festermen – Full Treatment CD (AFROCD006) - 2000 The Chronics – Soulshaker CD (AFROCD009) – 2000 The Flaming Sideburns – Hallelujah Rock’n’Rollah CD/LP (AFROCD011/AFROLP011) – 2001 The Burnouts – Close to Breakevil CD/LP (AFROCD013/AFROLP013) – 2001 The Chronics – Make You Move CD/LP (AFROCD014/AFROLP014) – 2001 The Royal Beat Conspiracy – Dig It! CD/LP (AFROCD015/AFROLP015) – 2002 Sweatmaster – Sharp Cut CD/LP (AFROCD017/AFROLP017) – 2002 Baby Woodrose – Money For Soul CD/LP (AFROCD018/AFROLP018) – 2003 Baby Woodrose – Blows Your Mind CD/LP (AFROCD020/AFROLP020) – 2003 Silver – White Diary CD/LP (AFROCD019/AFROLP019) – 2004 Baby Woodrose – Dropout CD/LP (AFROCD021/AFROLP021) – 2004 Viva Vertigo – Viva Viva CD/LP (AFROCD023/AFROLP023) – 2004 The Defectors – Turn Me On CD/LP (AFROCD024/AFROLP024) – 2004 Sweatmaster – Tom Tom Bullet CD/LP (AFROCD025/AFROLP025) – 2005 Slideshaker – In the Raw CD/LP (AFROCD026/AFROLP026) – 2005 On Trial – Forever CD/LP (AFROCD027/AFROLP027) - 2006 The Flaming Sideburns – Back to the Grave CD/LP (AFROCD028/AFROLP028) – 2006 Silver – World Against World CD (AFROCD033) – 2006 The Defectors – Bruised and Satisfied CD/LP (AFROCD029/AFROLP029) CD – 2007 Dragontears – 2000 Micrograms From Home CD/LP (AFROCD032/AFROLP032) – 2007 The Setting Son – s/t CD/LP (AFROCD034/AFROLP034) – 2007 Baby Woodrose – Chasing Rainbows CD/LP (AFROCD035/AFROLP035) – 2007 Dragontears – Tambourine Freak Machine CD/LP (AFROCD037/AFROLP037) – 2008 The Setting Son – Spring of Hate CD/LP (AFROCD036/AFROLP036) – 2009 Baby Woodrose – s/t CD/LP (AFROCD038/AFROLP038) – 2009 The Dolly Rocker Movement – Our days Mind the Tyme CD/LP (AFROCD039/AFROLP039) – 2010 Dragontears – Turn On Tune In Fuck Off!! CD/LP (AFROCD040/AFROLP040) – 2010 Baby Woodrose – Mindblowing Seeds & Disconnected Flowers CD/LP (AFROCD041/AFROLP041) - 2011 Baby Woodrose - Love Comes Down CD/LP (AFROCD042/AFROLP042) – 2011 Telstar Sound Drone - Comedown LP (AFROLP045) - 2013
EPs The Flaming Sideburns – It's Time to Testify...Brothers and Sisters 10” (FRO1001) – 1998 The Royal Beat Conspiracy – Music to Rock the Nation 10” (FRO1002) – 1999 The Royal Beat Conspiracy – Shake What You Have Got CD (AFROCD007) – 2000 The Hellacopters/The Flaming Sideburns – Split CD/10” (AFROCD008/FRO1003) – 2001 The Maggots – This Condition is Incurable CD/10” (AFROCD012/FRO1004) – 2002 Sweatmaster – Song With no Words CD/12” (AFROCD022/FRO1006) – 2004 The Defectors/Powersolo - Snot Dum Split 12" (FRO1008) - 2005 Pistepirkko/The Others – Ou Wee! CD/12” (AFROCD031/FRO1009) – 2006
Compilations V/A – Pushing Scandinavian Rock to the Man! vol. 1 CD (AFROCD002) – 1999 V/A – Pushing Scandinavian Rock to the Man! vol. 2 CD (AFROCD010) – 2001 V/A – Pushing Scandinavian Rock to the Man! vol. 3 CD (AFROCD016) – 2002
Live LPs Baby Woodrose – Live at Gutter Island LP (FRO1005) – 2003 The Defectors – Live at Gutter Island LP (FRO1007) – 2004 On Trial – Live at Gutter Island LP (FRO1010) – 2007
7" vinyl singles Trouble Bound Gospel – Shakin' Ray 7" (FRO001) – 1996 The Hellacopters – Misanphropic High 7" (FRO002) – 1996 Larry & The Lefthanded – Johnny The Void 7" (FRO003) – 1997 The Nomads – Love's Gone Bad 7" (FRO004) – 1997 Turbonegro – Suffragette City 7" (FRO005) – 1997 Gluecifer – Dambuster 7" (FRO006) – 1997 The Flaming Sideburns – Get Down Or Get Out 7" (FRO007) – 1997 Submerged – Mr. Blues 7" (FRO008) – 1997 The Royal Beat Conspiracy – It's Not Enough 7" (FRO009) – 1998 The Grinners – Girl From Outer Space 7" (FRO010) – 1998 The Duplo – Cold Ring of R'n’R 7" (FRO011) – 1998 Backyard Babies – (Is It) Still Alright to Smile 7" (FRO012) – 1998 Shake Appeal – Beer is the Way Out 7" (FRO013) – 1998 Union 69 – Come Smell the Magic 7" (FRO014) – 1999 The Tremolo Beer Gut – Squaresville 7" (FRO015) – 1999 Turpentines – Showstopper 7" (FRO016) – 1999 The Burnouts – No Erection, No Love 7" (FRO017) – 1999 Festermen – Toelake Snakeman 7" (FRO018) – 1999 Mother Superior – 3 track EP 7" (FRO019) –1999 Dialtones – So Many Girls 7" (FRO020) – 2000 Rockets – Creatures Nite Out 7" (FRO021) – 2000 Peepshows – Genius 7" (FRO022) – 2000 The Chronics – Fire Up 7" (FRO023) – 2000 The Maggots – Gonna Make You Pay 7" (FRO024) – 2000 Ricochets – Fall Down Dead 7" (FRO025) – 2001 The Flaming Sideburns – Street Survivor 7" (FRO026) – 2001 Thee Ultra Bimboos – PMS 666 7" (FRO027) – 2001 Sweatmaster – Hold It 7" (FRO028) – 2001 Cosmo Jones Beat Machine – 7" (FRO029) – 2001 Sewergrooves – I've Got Levitation 7" (FRO030) – 2002 On Trial – Higher 7" (FRO031) – 2002 Baby Woodrose – Never Coming Back 7" (FRO032) – 2002 Sweatmaster – Well Connected 7" (FRO033) – 2003 Baby Woodrose – Disconnected 7" (FRO034) – 2003 Silver – Evacuate 7" (FRO035) – 2004 Peter Belli & Baby Woodrose – Nok Af Dig 7" (FRO036) – 2004 Boomhauer – Work on a Spell 7" (FRO037) – 2004 Ghost Rocket – Drug Freedom 7” (FRO038) – 2004 Baby Woodrose/Sweatmaster – Split 7” (FRO039) – 2004 Sweatmaster – Dirty Rabbit 7” (FRO040) – 2005 Slideshaker – Bones 7” (FRO041) – 2005 Columbian Neckties – Get It For You 7" (FRO043) – 2006 The Flaming Sideburns – Count me Out 7” (FRO044) – 2006 The Setting Son – In a Certain Way 7” (FRO045) – 2007 Baby Woodrose – Coming Around Again 7” (FRO046) – 2008 Baby Woodrose/Dollhouse – Split 7” (FRO047) – 2008 Serena–Maneesh – Montrose 7” (FRO048) – 2009 The Mojomatics – Don't Believe me When I'm High 7” (BARINT001) – 2009 The Dolly Rocker Movement – Our Brand New World 7” (BARINT002) – 2009 Radio Saigon – Another Time 7” (FRO049) – 2010 On Trial – On Trial 2x7” (FRO050) – 2011 Telstar Sound Drone – Mirror Pieces 7” (FRO051) – 2011
CD singles The Royal Beat Conspiracy – Disco Boy CDs (FROCDS001) – 2000 The Flaming Sideburns – Loose My Soul CDs (FROCDS002) – 2001 The Flaming Sideburns – Flowers CDs (FROCDS003) – 2002 The Royal Beat Conspiracy – Good All Over CDs (FROCDS004) – 2002 Baby Woodrose – Carry CDs (FROCDS005) – 2003 Silver – Intimate Cussing CDs (FROCDS006) – 2004 Silver – Angels Calling CDs (FROCDS008) – 2004 Silver – Funeral Class One (FROCDS009) – 2004 The Defectors – It's Gonna Take Some Time CDs(PROMOFRO002) – 2004 Baby Woodrose – I Can't Explain CDs (FROCDS010) – 2004 Viva Vertigo – Viva Viva (Edie Sedqwick) CDs (FROCDS011) – 2004 Sweatmaster – Maggots CDs (FROCDS012) – 2005 Sweatmaster – Dirty Rabbit CDs (FROCDS013) – 2005 Slideshaker – Bones CDs (FROCDS014) – 2005 Sweatmaster – Good looks, Big Deal CDs (FROCDS015) – 2006 The Defectors – The Final Thrill CDs (FROCDS016) – 2006
References
The Rock and Roll Report Indie Label Spotlight is on Bad Afro Records (English) Interviews & Artikel : Bad Afro Records :: ox-fanzine.de (German) Første led i musikkens fødekæde (Danish) Bad Afro Records – interview – diskant.dk (Danish) ] (Italian) Freak Out Magazine (Italian)
External links The Flaming Sideburns – Blow The Roof – 2001 The Flaming Sideburns – Flowers – 2002 Baby Woodrose – Pouring Water – 2003 Silver – Intimate Cussing – 2004 Silver – Funeral Class One – 2004 The Defectors – It's Gonna Take Some Time – 2004 Sweatmaster – Song With no Words – 2004 Sweatmaster – Good Looks, Big Deal – 2005 Baby Woodrose – All Over Now – 2006 Baby Woodrose – Kitty Galore – 2006 Silver – The Personal Decay – 2006