The (re)birth of a Record Label

"Café Grössenwahn" – "Café Megalomania". Such was the nickname of several cafés in Central Europe at the end of the 1800s. Here they would sit, the demagogues, dreamers and drunkards who would leave their mark on the coming century.

These cafés in turn gave name to a music club in Oslo, Norway, where a select invitation-only door policy, strict dresscode and artists such as Tony Wakeford, Spiritual Front, Solblot and The Green Man created a suitably megalomanic atmosphere. The absinthe fountain helped a bit too...

Which leads us to Café Grössenwahn Grammophon, created as a living monument – or perhaps a folly – to the club we loved. We aim to bring together some of our favourite artists both in music and the pictorial arts.

Our first release will be an extended play record entitled "Ghostly Whistlings". It is a tribute to the greatest ghost story writer of all, Montague Rhodes James. Four bands: Sol Invictus, Solblot, Sonne Hagal and Of the Wand and the Moon each deliver their interpretation of an M.R. James story set in their own country.

Cover art is by Swedish artist Fredrik Söderberg, and sleeve design is by Trine og Kim Design Studio. A small peek at the work can be seen above (Trine og Kim also created the Café Grössenwahn "absinthe grail" logo).

The record will be a strictly limited (250 copies) 10 inch record in art-edition gatefold cover.

More information will be forthcoming soon. A web page is being (re)built and a release event is planned for late January. In the meanwhile, feel free to follow the proceedings on Facebook.