Drag City (record Label)

Drag City (record Label)

Drag City is a Chicago-based independent record label. It was established with a Royal Trux release in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn.

Drag City specializes in experimental indie rock acts. Among the bands that have released material on Drag City are Cave, Joanna Newsom, Pavement, Royal Trux, Cynthia Dall, Faun Fables, Scott Walker, Bill Callahan, Will Oldham (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Palace Music, etc.), Weird War, Dope Body, Stereolab, Jim O'Rourke, Six Organs of Admittance, Loose Fur, Scout Niblett, David Grubbs, U.S. Maple, Alasdair Roberts, Neil Michael Hagerty, The Howling Hex, Ghost, Flying Saucer Attack, Movietone, The Fucking Champs, Papa M, Pearls and Brass, White Magic, The Renderers, Espers, Silver Jews, Monotonix, Nig-Heist, Michael Yonkers, The Red Krayola, Om, Sic Alps, Edith Frost, Magik Markers, Ty Segall, Sun Araw, Baby Dee and William Basinski. In recent years, they have expanded their catalog to include alternative comedy releases, with recent outputs from Fred Armisen, Neil Hamburger, and Andy Kaufman among others, and reissues, notably by Gary Higgins and Death.

Drag City's first release, 'DC1', was the single "Hero Zero" by Royal Trux.

The label released the US version of Scott Walker's Tilt in 1997, after the label approached him wishing to give the album a US release. Walker described releasing the album on the indie as "an experiment".

Several Drag City albums have been licensed to Domino Records for British release.

Several members of Drag City's staff have played in bands; press-chief Gene Booth played keyboards and guitar in USA, and Booth, head of sales Rian Murphy, and founder Dan Koretzky all played in Mantis. Booth was also a member of Chestnut Station.