Sam
Division
A record label of few records. Six releases, five artists, one signal. Salford, since 1979.
CatalogRoster
SD·02 / ARTISTS-
R·1
Cold Harbour Index
Tape loops and shortwave, recorded in a disused dock office.
-
R·2
Vera Hatch
One voice, one worn tape machine, rooms never meant for recording.
-
R·3
The Grey Committee
Drum machines reading meeting minutes aloud.
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R·4
Anode Choir
A choir of soldering irons and the circuits that survive them.
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R·5
Meridian Signal
Bass frequencies mapped along the national grid.
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R·6
Partition
Border-radio static arranged for dancing.
Catalog
SD·03 / SAM 001–006Six records pressed between 1979 and 1981. Every title stays in print. Every record carries a number and nothing else.
Do not bendFirst
Light
Cold Harbour Index
Voice
Test
Vera Hatch
Minutes
The Grey Committee
Solder
Anode Choir
North
of the
Line
Meridian Signal
Border
Radio
Partition
Recorded in a dock office with the windows open. The tapes degrade across the EP from first light to last, and the degradation was kept. Cold Harbour Index worked nights that winter and it shows.
- A1 First Light
- A2 Concrete Sleep
- B1 Harbourmaster
- B2 The Long Dark
One microphone, one room, five takes. The machine was older than the singer and it is audible throughout. Side B was recorded after the heating was cut off.
- A1 Voice Test
- A2 Room Tone
- A3 Static Lullaby
- B1 Last Bus
- B2 Voice Test (reprise)
An annual general meeting rescored for drum machines. All speeches appear in full and in order. Recorded in one take before the vote was counted.
- A1 Agenda
- A2 Quorum
- A3 Motion Carried
- A4 Adjournment
- B1 Minutes
- B2 Any Other Business
- B3 Sign Here
- B4 Dissent
Hymns played on circuit boards mid-repair. Every short circuit was kept and two were encouraged. Anode Choir tuned each board before it cooled.
- A1 Solder
- A2 Flux
- B1 Cold Joint
- B2 Continuity
Bass patterns mapped along the pylon route north. Recorded in one pass between substations, the hum of the grid left in every groove.
- A1 North of the Line
- A2 Pylon Song
- A3 Grid Reference
- B1 Sleeper Current
- B2 The Sett
- B3 Landfall
Shortwave numbers stations retuned for dancing. The source broadcasts went out once, from both sides of the line at the same hour, and were never repeated. The final catalogue release.
- A1 Border Radio
- A2 Checkpoint Sleep
- B1 Night Frequency
- B2 Demolition Delay
| No. | Title | Format | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAM 001 | 12″ EP | 1979 | |
| SAM 002 | Cassette | 1980 | |
| SAM 003 | LP | 1980 | |
| SAM 004 | 12″ EP | 1981 | |
| SAM 005 | LP | 1981 | |
| SAM 006 | 12″ EP | 1981 |
Live
SD·04 / SAM LIVE 07–11Five rooms this autumn. Doors at half past seven. No support slots; each artist plays one long set. Tickets at the door only.
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11Sep 2026
Cold Harbour Index
The Textile Hall, Bradford · SAM LIVE 07
Next up -
26Sep 2026
Meridian Signal
The Pylon Rooms, Sheffield · SAM LIVE 08
Tickets -
09Oct 2026
Vera Hatch
The Weir Rooms, Hebden Bridge · SAM LIVE 09
Few remain -
23Oct 2026
Partition
Dockside Warehouse, Salford · SAM LIVE 10
Sold out -
14Nov 2026
Anode Choir
The Circuit Chapel, Leeds · SAM LIVE 11
Tickets
Manifesto
SD·05 / POSITIONWe press few records. We keep them in print. We say what they are.
The label was founded in 1979 above a shuttered textile office in Salford. The first release was cut from tape recorded through an open window. It sold slowly, and it has never stopped selling.
Every record carries a catalogue number and nothing else. No biographies, no photographs of the artists, no quotations from critics. The music states itself or it does not stay in the catalogue.
Sleeves are built from typography and arithmetic: grids, coordinates, dates, catalog numbers. If a design needs decoration, the record goes back to the cutting room.
The catalogue grows by one or two titles a year at most. Five artists hold places on the roster. A place opens when an artist stops recording, and it stays open until something arrives that cannot be filed under any existing number.
We play few concerts and we publish every date on one page. Tickets are sold at the door because queues teach patience and patience suits this music.
The label is named for nobody. The name arrived on a misprinted invoice in the first month of business, and it was kept.
Colophon
SD·06 / METHODSThe label publishes its methods the way it publishes its records: plainly, with numbers.
| Typefaces | Grotesque sans (Helvetica Neue flavor) for display and body. Monospace for catalogue numbers, dates, and metadata. Both load from your system; the site downloads no fonts. |
|---|---|
| Palette | Ink #0a0a0a on paper #f2f0eb, with one signal orange #ff4400 held in reserve for live and active states only. |
| Waveform | The pulse motif is generated fresh in your browser on every visit. Pointer movement and scroll velocity drive it. Press Play signal and a live audio synthesis chain takes over. Nothing loops; nothing repeats exactly. |
| Terrain | The hero landscape and each release relief are wireframe line meshes computed from the same noise field as the flat waveforms. Drag them, scroll to move closer, or use the arrow keys. |
| Sound | A two-oscillator drone with filtered tape hiss, synthesized locally after you press the button. Audio never starts by itself. |
| Motion | If your system requests reduced motion, every animation freezes into a still print. The pages read identically without it. |
| Tracking | No analytics, no cookies, no forms, no third-party requests after load. |
| Hosting | Served as static files from Cloudflare’s network. |