Kranky Records
Kranky (stylized as kranky) is an American independent record label based in Chicago. It was founded in 1993 by Joel Leoschke and Bruce Adams, who both had backgrounds in the music industry. The label releases experimental music, such as ambient and post-rock.
Also recorded as Kranky
Kranky Records
- Name
- Kranky
- Founded
- 1993
- Headquarters
- Chicago
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Kranky (stylized as kranky) is an American independent record label based in Chicago. It was founded in 1993 by Joel Leoschke and Bruce Adams, who both had backgrounds in the music industry. The label releases experimental music, such as ambient and post-rock.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Kranky Records. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q1144907
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Kranky • Founded — 1993 • Founder — Bruce Adams Joel Leoschke • Genre — * Ambient • drone • post-rock • techno • Krautrock • Country — United States • Location — Chicago
History and operation
History and operation
Kranky was founded in the spring of 1993 by Joel Leoschke and Bruce Adams in Chicago. They created Kranky with the intent of releasing Prazision LP by Labradford, which was the first release of the label. Adams first moved to Chicago from Ann Arbor in 1987. In Chicago, he worked at Kaleidoscope, a music distributor in Des Plaines; Touch & Go Records, after quitting work at Kaleidoscope in a year of working for it; and Cargo Music Distribution, which he started working for in the spring of 1991. Adams and Leoschke were still working for Cargo when forming Kranky. The label's second release was This Is Not a Dream in 1995, a compilation album by Dadamah. In 2006, Adams left Kranky and founded label Flingco Sound. In 2005, Brian Foote joined Kranky to co-operate it. Kranky releases ambient, drone, post-rock, techno, and Krautrock music from musicians and bands such as Stars of the Lid, Loscil, Tim Hecker, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. According to Resident Advisor, "[Kranky] let[s] artists do whatever they want without interfering", and that Kranky rarely runs advertisements.
Artists
Artists
Adapted from Kranky's official website in 2021.
Current
Current
• Clinic Stars • Anjou • Atlas Sound • Autistic Daughters • A Winged Victory for the Sullen • Jessica Bailiff • Belong • Benoit Pioulard • Bird Show • Christopher Bissonnette • Boduf Songs • Ken Camden • Christina Carter • Tom Carter • Charalambides • Clear Horizon • Cloudland Canyon • Greg Davis • The Dead Texan • Deerhunter • Demen • Disappears • Dreamscape • Earthen Sea • Ethernet • Felix • Forma • Grouper • Brent Gutzeit • Chihei Hatakeyama • Steve Hauschildt • Tim Hecker • Chris Herbert • High Plains • Implodes • Gregg Kowalsky • Labradford • Less Bells • Lichens • Loscil • Lotus Plaza • Brian McBride • Mirrorring • MJ Guider • Nudge • Tara Jane O'Neil • Pan American • Andrew Pekler • Raglani • Jonas Reinhardt • Dean Roberts • Saloli • Dawn Smithson • Stars of the Lid • Strategy • To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie • Valet • Christina Vantzou • Justin Walter • Keith Fullerton Whitman • White Rainbow • Windy & Carl
Former
Former
• Aix Em Klemm • Amp • Bowery Electric • Christmas Decorations • Dadamah • Doldrums • Flies Inside the Sun • Fontanelle • Godspeed You! Black Emperor • Growing • Jessamine • Low • Magnog • Roy Montgomery • Out Hud • Philosopher's Stone • James Plotkin • Spiny Anteaters • Mark Spybey • Tomorrowland
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
The full dated record · 2 entries
1993
Kranky Records established.
1993
Kranky Records is recorded from 1993.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United States
Named but not plotted · 1
Kranky Records is associated with United States.
Country
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,776 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- KQ EntertainmentOrganisation
- Kraig GradyPerson
- Kralle KrawinkelPerson
- KramerPerson
- Krassimira StoyanovaPerson
- Krazy BaldheadPerson
- KreayshawnPerson
- Kree HarrisonPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with Kranky Records?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.