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| RVNG Intl. | |
|---|---|
| Name | RVNG Intl. |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | Matt Werth |
| Status | Active |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Brooklyn, New York |
| Genre | Electronic, experimental, dance, avant-pop |
RVNG Intl. is an independent record label and arts collective based in Brooklyn, New York, founded by Matt Werth. The label has released a wide array of electronic, experimental, dance, and avant-pop recordings, and has been associated with a network of artists, curators, and venues across New York, London, Berlin, and Los Angeles. RVNG Intl. operates multiple imprints and series, curates live events and residencies, and is noted for its distinctive packaging, collaborative visual art, and archival projects.
RVNG Intl. was established in the early 2000s amid a resurgence of independent labels and DIY scenes in New York, intersecting with venues and collectives such as Webster Hall, Tonic, and the Brooklyn electronic scenes around Williamsburg and Bushwick. The label's founder, Matt Werth, had ties to college radio and zine culture, and worked alongside programmers and curators connected to institutions like DFA Records, Kompakt, and Warp Records. RVNG Intl. came to prominence during the 2010s, overlapping with contemporaries including Ghostly International, Ninja Tune, and Smalltown Supersound, while collaborating with artists associated with labels such as 4AD, Domino Recording Company, and Hyperdub. RVNG Intl. has engaged with international festivals and scenes, including those surrounding Pitchfork Music Festival, Sonar, and Mutek, expanding its roster through global networks in Berlin, London, Paris, and Los Angeles.
The label’s catalog features a mix of established and emerging artists, composers, and collectives who also appear on labels like Warp Records, Tomlab, and Mexican Summer. Notable collaborators and alumni include producers, experimentalists, and vocalists linked to acts such as Oneohtrix Point Never, Arca, Holly Herndon, Yves Tumor, and James Ferraro, along with niche voices from the underground scenes associated with labels like PAN, RVNG Intl.’s peers include Kranky, Thrill Jockey, and Sacred Bones. RVNG Intl. curated compilations and single-artist LPs showcasing artists who have worked with venues and institutions like The Kitchen, Carnegie Hall’s contemporary programs, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The label has released archival reissues and exploratory projects that reference work by composers and performers connected to ECM Records, Nonesuch Records, and Deutsche Grammophon, while also amplifying experimental pop and club-oriented records linked to Fabrizio Mammarella’s electronic networks and the broader diaspora of electronic music.
RVNG Intl. operates several focused series and imprints that parallel initiatives from labels such as Ghostly International’s Spectral, Ninja Tune’s XX, and Warp’s Ambient Classics. These series have thematic ties to archival research practiced by institutions like the British Library Sound Archive and to limited-edition projects reminiscent of Sacred Bones’ collector releases. RVNG Intl.’s imprint strategies mirror approaches used by labels like Thrill Jockey and Kranky: curated series for reissues, avant-garde composition, and dancefloor experiments. Collaborations have invoked curators and guest curators active in the scenes around FACT Magazine, Resident Advisor, and The Wire, producing series that foreground exploratory electronic forms and cross-disciplinary partnerships.
The label’s business model combines traditional physical releases—vinyl, cassette, and CD—with digital distribution through platforms comparable to Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music, while using distributor partnerships akin to those used by Secretly Distribution and Cargo Records. RVNG Intl. engages with independent retail outlets like Rough Trade, Other Music (historically), and Amoeba Music, and coordinates promotional campaigns leveraging editorial outlets such as Pitchfork, The Fader, and Resident Advisor. The label’s operations reflect hybrid approaches seen at labels like Domino Recording Company and Beggars Group affiliates: balancing direct-to-consumer sales, licensing for film and television, and sync opportunities in collaboration with music supervisors who have worked with Sundance selections and BBC programming.
RVNG Intl.’s catalogue spans experimental electronics, microhouse, post-punk-inflected synth-pop, ambient composition, and club-oriented techno, intersecting with movements represented by labels such as Warp, Kompakt, and Ostgut Ton. The label has championed artists drawing lineage from krautrock bands like Can and Neu!, avant-garde composers associated with ECM and Nonesuch, and contemporary producers related to the modular synthesis resurgence in Berlin and Los Angeles. Its influence extends into DJ culture, underground club nights, and academic study of contemporary sound arts, linking to research communities around institutions such as New York University’s Clive Davis Institute and Goldsmiths, University of London.
RVNG Intl. prioritizes visual collaborators—graphic designers, illustrators, and photographers—who have worked with galleries and publishers like Printed Matter, MoMA PS1, and the Studio Museum. Packaging often features limited-run screenprints, heavyweight vinyl, and bespoke inserts, reminiscent of collector-focused editions released by labels such as 4AD and Touch. The label’s aesthetics reference contemporary art practices and have involved partnerships with visual artists who have exhibited at the Whitney Museum, Tate Modern, and Centre Pompidou, contributing to objects that function both as records and art editions.
RVNG Intl. and its artists have received attention from major music press and cultural institutions, featuring in year-end lists by Pitchfork, The Guardian, NPR Music, and Billboard, and participating in residencies and commissions with institutions like the National Sawdust, Lincoln Center, and the Barbican. Releases and projects have been shortlisted and highlighted in editorial roundups alongside records from labels such as Warp Records and Ninja Tune, and individual artists associated with RVNG Intl. have been nominated for awards and grants administered by arts councils and foundations connected to the European Union cultural programs and U.S. national arts endowments.
Category:American record labels