Zoom Lens (record label)
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| Zoom Lens (record label) | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009-present |
| Founder | Garrett Yim |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | electronic, Dream pop, j-pop, shoegaze, ambient, noise |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Official website | zoom-lens |
Zoom Lens is an independent Los Angeles-based record label founded and operated by Garrett Yim since 2009.[1] The label was created "in order to explore the implications of popular culture on the human condition and the duality of musical creations discovered across the digital landscape."[1]
Contents
History
Founding
In 2009, Zoom Lens was founded[1] by Yim, who was at the time "fascinated with Japanese harsh noise and film"[2] and sought out to release his own music due to the influence of the Orange County experimental music scene.[2]
While struggling to find a musical identity, Yim used the pseudonym Yuko imada, a reference to Tsutomu Miyazaki.[2] Although Miyazaki had an influence on Zoom Lens' early aesthetic, Yim has noted that it was never in glorification of Miyazaki and his actions, "rather to serve as a sort of insight into the human condition and the implications that people place on popular culture in relation to psyche,"[3] and that they have long moved past its original connotations.[2]
Eventually Yim released the first album on Zoom Lens, a Yuko Imada album entitled "Ome,"[4] which came packaged as a CD-R contained in a DVD case soaked in Yim's own blood.[2]
In January 2015, Zoom Lens had its first video broadcast on national television through Adult Swim with Meishi Smile and their video "AJS."[5]
Sound
Zoom Lens' sound has been categorized as "unpredictable",[6] exploring sounds ranging from ambient music, noise music, chiptune, electropop, shoegaze and other forms of experimental music. The sound of Zoom Lens has been described as "broadening definitions of punk,"[7] as well as "dreamy indie with 8-bit and rave euphoria."[8]
Imagery
Aesthetics & Main Imagery
The Fader has noted Zoom Lens as "one of the most aesthetically compelling labels in existence.".[6]
Many of Zoom Lens' images have revolved around the concept of burnt photography. This practice was first put to use for an EP by Party Girl released in 2011.[9] The imagery has said to be providing feelings about the disconnection towards memories, a commentary on "silver age"[10] Japanese idol music (or Kayōkyoku) and the over-saturation of the digital music market.[11] This theme has also been explored in Zoom Lens merchandise.
In 2014, a shirt based on a manipulated image of Yukiko Okada was released on Zoom Lens' official site, with a banner reading "burn a face of forgotten idols to obfuscate the memories of the truth you lost."[12] In a Red Bull Music Academy interview, Yim noted that he had felt a sadness in Okada's music and story, and "wanted to show people that Okada was a real person with real feelings, and that we all have such humanity."[2]
Music critic Adam Harper has noted some of the imagery as "a conscious attempt at confronting and defamiliarising the visual objectification of women (and its consequences)."[7]
Influences
East-Asian & Global Influences
The label has been referenced as one of "the best places for Japanese-inspired indie pop in the online underground,"[13] and has hosted a variety of online shows with Japanese venue 2.5D.[14]
Red Bull Music Academy has also noted Zoom Lens' international roster, which "encompasses artists from Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and the US."[2] and "[spans] cultural and continental canyons through our digital world."
While Yim has identified Zoom Lens as something far more encompassing beyond his own personal views[6] he has noted much of the label was established due to the influence of being a fourth generation Japanese (or Yonsei (Japanese diaspora)) and Chinese American, expressing that his identity felt rather unusual, lonely and that Japanese culture in America is still seen as taboo.[15]
The label has ultimately sought out for the artists to "represent themselves for who they are, not just for the assumptions people make about their country."[6] Despite heavy East Asian influence, Yim has said that the label is also about being unashamed of who you are and sharing the weight of existence.[2]
Artists
DiscographyAlbums[17]
References
External links |
