NEKROPHILE REKORDS (1983 -1990)

Nekrophile Rekords Cassette Catalogue 1987 e.v.   >>

Zero Kama, Nekrophile Rekords and the Occult Underground of the Postindustrial Era
(PDF of lecture by Zoe DeWitt, 30th April 2015)   >>

Nekrophile Rekords discography @ discogs.com   >>

Zoe Dewitt: Nekrophile Rekords 1983 - 1990, book by VOD records, 2022   >>

Nekrophile Rekords was a Viennese cassette label specialized in occult and ritual industrial music founded by Zoe DeWitt in 1983. The first release of Nekrophile Rekords was the tape subklinikal leukotomy aphrenia... by DeWitt's own solo project Korpses Katatonik. While this recording was still characterized by harsh and sinister electronic sounds, later Nekrophile releases were following a more calm and meditative musical approach as it became typical for the industrial subgenre 'ritual'. Besides many Nekrophile releases showed a certain inclination to occult, magical and alchemistic topics. Besides, many of the bands and musicians published on Nekrophile Rekords had at times also a close relation to the Temple of Psychic Youth - such as Genesis P-Orridge and Stan Bingo, Coil, Zos Kia or Zero Kama. The works released by Coil on Nekrophile Rekords - Here to Here (Double Headed Secret) and their split tape with Zos Kia, Transparent, - were the first ever releases of this band formed by John Balance and Peter Christopherson that later was to become one of the most innovative and influential acts within underground of electronic music at all.

Other important releases by Nekrophile Rekords were the tapes What's History by Genesis P-Orridge and Stan Stan Bingo as well as The Secret Eye of L.A.Y.L.A.H. by Zero Kama. Besides these albums there were two cassette compilations produced by Nekrophile Rekords: The Beast 666 (1983), dedicated to the British occultist Aleister Crowley, featuring Korpses Katatonik, Coil, Zero Kama, Hunting Lodge and Stigma Diaboli, and The Archangels of Sex Rule the Destruction of the Regime (1985) with Zero Kama, Sleepchamber, Ain Soph, Coming to Now and Metgumbnerbone. The last cassette releases by Nekrophile Rekords were Thoum Aesh Neith by LAShTAL and Ars Regia by Ain Soph, two Italian ritual music projects (both published in 1986)

Until 1990 Nekrophile cassettes were produced and distributed by Zoe DeWitt, later six of the eight Nekrophile releases were re-issued as five CDs by Staalplaat in Amsterdam as Nekrophile records Amsterdam and Nekrophile USA in Portland Oregon. On the covers of these CDs original artwork of the albums was randomly mixed; the two compilations were shortened and released as one CD, whereas the albums by Coil and Zero Kama were omitted altogether.

With their pioneer work in the fields of occult and ritual industrial music the few cassette releases by Nekrophile Rekords became a source of inspiration and important reference for many other bands and individuals in the field of experimental and underground music up to the present.

In 2022 the German label VOD Records released a 10 LP box with all Nekrophile albums plus unreleased works by Metgrumbnerbone and Coming to Now as a limited edition box set including a 240 pages book on Zero Kama by Zoe Dewitt with documentary and text material. Remaining copies of the book can be ordered here.