Library Organization
Erstwhile Records
Jersey City label founded 1999 by Jon Abbey, documenting electroacoustic improvisation almost exclusively through duo and trio recordings.
Founded in 1999 by Jon Abbey, Erstwhile Records documents electroacoustic improvisation (EAI) — discrete, tension-filled music built from static, hiss, noise, and near-silence, released almost exclusively as duo or trio recordings. Across more than 120 titles and spinoff imprints (ErstLive, ErstSolo, ErstClass, ErstPop, ErstPast, ErstAEU), the label became closely identified with the genre’s key figures, including Keith Rowe, Toshimaru Nakamura, Otomo Yoshihide, Sachiko M, Thomas Lehn, and Marcus Schmickler. Abbey also organized the Amplify festival series, documented on the box set AMPLIFY02: Balance (2002, recorded in Tokyo).