The best indie record labels of all time have helped push the boundaries, drawing the mainstream into their world – and changing the face of music in the process.
Home taping in the 80s didn’t kill the record industry, but the lo-fi format gave a voice to those that the mainstream didn’t always have an ear for.
DIY venues are deeply loved, but not always preserved. These ten venues have been essential incubators for punk, hip-hop and electronica DIY scenes the world over.
Fanzines’ importance shouldn’t be underestimated: esteemed authors such as Greil Marcus and Danny Baker first cut their teeth writing for a variety of them.
Ever since 1977, punk has been the catalyst for an infinite number of radical art and fashion statements which continue to influence the world we live in.
Many record labels run by musicians have been little more than vanity imprints, but the most important of them have pioneered artists’ rights in the music industry.
Indie music is one of pop’s most nebulous genres. Initially a home for misfits, indie rock has gone mainstream – and shows no signs of stopping.
Albums have been recorded in some very weird places, from outer space to underwater. Here are some of the weirdest.
From a 50s-era guitar pioneer to 70s post-punk heroes of Britain's DIY scene, here are just a few musicians who embodied the DIY music ethos.
From custom guitars to truly bizarre contraptions, these homemade musical instruments have unique DIY sounds that you’ll never hear anywhere else.
The music world is full of talented multi-instrumentalists, and the best one-man bands have a unique vision that only they can achieve, alone in the studio.
With his own recording studio and a seemingly endless head for ideas, Frank Zappa was a truly independent artist who paved the way for future generations.
The notion of DIY music stretches back to 19th-century flutes made from bird bone, through punk anarchy and the digital revolution.
Intimate and spontaneous, ‘Roman Candle’ laid bare the threads of Elliott Smith’s songwriting, acting as a prelude to his career.
Crate diggers of the world, unite! From LA to Hong Kong, Australia to Wales, we look at some of the best record stores around the globe.