The Audacious Art Experiment

The Audacious Art Experiment is more than a record label, we’re a community mindset that yearns for something more than ‘nine to five’ and aim to take back our chosen social freedoms, artistic expressions and community spirit from the companies trying to sell them to us. Music is our voice and the records we make are the product of our beliefs, dreams and desires. If you make music, or just like what you hear… if you create art, take photographs, or saw some that blew you away… if you met some people who inspired you, or would like to meet them… then let us know, and we’ll share what we know. Email us: theaudaciousartexperiment AT gmail DOT COM History: The Audacious Art Experiment was started by Ben Lane in the summer of 2002, he built it up from nothing into a successful label with some really amazing releases. Not long after Ben put out the first CD he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Sadly, aged 21, he passed away on November 20th 2004 after fighting the illness for over two years. The Rise: Reclamation Process 12” was the last release he had chance to work on and the entire record goes out to his family and all who loved him. Fortunately for us his love of music, courage and unconquerable spirit allowed him to go on and bring us some wicked records. The Experiment was placed in the safe hands of Luke and Bestie from Stand. Bestie pretty much took up the brains of the operation, he sorted out releases and stopped Luke from wasting all the labels money on postage for shit trades. Luke sorted out distribution (badly) and was thankful for Bestie trying to stop him wasting money on postage for shit trades. During this period The Experiment released The Vs Project s/t CD and the Fast Point – Skateboards & Powerchords 7”. Bestie then moved to London and became responsible for quite a lot of internet and web that needed developing. Luke settled in Sheffield and began having a blast. For a number of years, The Experiment was run out of a house on Westbrook Bank with an ever growing group of very clever friends. During this period they cobbled together to put out the Wooderson / Ox Scapula split 7” which they were all very proud of. After a brief period of traveling in America, Luke returned and decided (against his own advise) to pick up the label again and give it one last shot. Some things were said in various pubs on various evenings and eventually a group of people agreed, that new bands were needed and a communal practice space would be required to form them. A week later, a space was acquired in a back room on Harwood Street, Sheffield and some boys began to jam. It wasn’t long before one room became three and some boys became twenty five girls and boys. Since the inception of Audacious Space there has been a flood of releases including the Elk – First Love 7″, Trans/Human – The 8 Hour Dance and Blood Sport – Journal Nº4 Cassettes, as well as the Nope – Revision 12″ and the forthcoming Cowtown – Dudes Vs. Bad Dudes 12″. Both the label and the space continue to grow, getting stronger and stronger under our renewed need for community and free expression. During 2012 we organised 26 events and gigs at various different spaces across Sheffield. Most notably though our own Audacious Space on Harwood Street. That’s at least one every other week, putting on and paying fairly ninety six different bands and artists, from all over Europe and the UK. We didn’t manage this all alone, we worked with other incredible groups on a lot of these nights including Tye Die Tapes, Singing Knives, LaDIYfest as well as the wider Sheffield punk scene. The Label: The Experiment – like most labels – has certain values and rules that were adhere to. We demand that the music and bands that we put out is challenging. This could either be musically, lyrical content, the releases artwork or even the bands personalities. If you’re not challenging anything you’re not living, you will never progress or achieve anything of worth. Aside from all this we do have one other major rule which is paramount and that is NO DICKHEADS! Ben Lane forever!