Dischord is to punk and indie rock what Def Jam and Death Row Records are to rap.
Dischord Records was formed in 1980 by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat fame.
Nothing is more punk than figuring shit out for yourself and then owning it like a fucking champ. Dischord was and is all up in DIY's face: all of the label's albums were produced in-house and distributed without the help–let's be honest and call it interference–by any major labels. The label's roster of artists is a who's who of who was in constant rotation on my used-to-death Panasonic portable cassette player, back in the day: Fugazi, Govenment Issue, Jawbox, S.O.A, Minor Threat and Shudder to Think.
I don't think it would be too over the top to say that Dischord was responsible for forming many of the political and ethical beliefs that I hold to be true to this day.
And now, the label's whole damn back catalog is free to stream on Bandcamp.
If you're looking to take a trip down hardcore punk memory lane, this is your chance. If you missed out on Dischord's seminal recordings the first go 'round and want to see what all of the fuss is about, this is also your chance. Listen, enjoy and, if want to keep a good thing going, throw some money at buying any of the tracks or albums that you wind up falling in love with.
Image by Malco23 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
