Avatar Records (Electronic)

Avatar Records (Electronic)
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Founded	1997
Founder	Avichay Avigal, Peter Eibenschutz
Distributor(s)	Avatar Records Ingrooves/Fontana Eighth Note (IL) Arabesque (UK) Wakyo (Japan) Virgin (India) EQ (Singapore / Malaysia)
Genre	Psytrance, Goa Trance, Ambient, Chillout, Lounge, Yoga, Electronic Music
Country of origin	Israel, Morocco
Official website	www.avatar-music.com

Avatar Records is a Tel Aviv-based independent record label and digital distributor specializing in electronic music, providing music to online retailers including Apple's iTunes Music Store, Beatport and more The company was founded by Avichay Avigal and Peter Eibenschutz in 1997. According to the label's co-founder, the label initially had an alliance with NMC Music, when it first started as its subsidiary. Later, Avatar was in collaboration with BNE, before finally becoming a fully independent label.

Projects released on Avatar include albums from Asia 2001, Goa Gil, Nimba, The Nommos, Electric Universe, Toi Doi, Thomas Leer, Lumen, Ocelot, Pete Namlook & Mixmaster Morris, Jupiter 8000, Overdream, Enichkin, Celtic Cross, Becoming.Intense & Pharmacore, Prana, Sandman, GMS, Hux Flux, Orion, Indoor, The Infinity Project, Cydonia, Synchro, Psychoz, Astropilot, Elysium, Reflex.

History

Early Years: 1997 - 2003

During the first years, Avatar focused on releases from big names. Later, Avatar became more interested in discovering new names. Names like Toi Doi, Overdream, Psychoz and Astropilot have all started with Avatar.
Avatar was the first label to release psychedelic trance music locally in India, Mexico and Poland.

Later Years: 2004 - present

In 2004, Avatar had its entire catalogue available on The Orchard, and it remained like that till the bankruptcy of BNE, and was followed by a law sue of Avatar against BNE.
In 2008, Avatar became a fully independent label, and signed a digital deal with Ingrooves/Fontana.

Notable releases

• Asia 2001 - 'Ama Zone', the first Avatar release. Also released by Sony Music under Goa 2001. It was the first psychedelic trance release in India.
• Thomas Leer - 'Conversation Peace' (half of the duo act with Claudia Brucken from Propaganda).
• GMS - 'Chaos Laboratory'
• X-Dream - 'We Created Our Own Happiness'
• The Kumba Mela Experiment project and their 'East Of River Ganges' album
• Retrodelic Vibes series.. considered the unofficial bible of psytrance music
• Goa Gil - Karmageddon
• Toi Doi - Technologic
• Indoor - Progressive Trance (The Beatles of Israeli trance)

Sublabels

Avatar Spirit

Avatar Spirit is the chill and lounge label of Avatar. Yoga and Cafe music from India, Morocco and The Middle East.

ProFile

ProFile label is the classics label of Avatar, with releases of special versions and remastered golden albums from: Tsuyoshi Suzuki, Goa Gil, Dino Psaras, Orion, Pete Namlook, Indoor, Sandman, Space Cat, The Infinity Project, Total Eclipse, Celtic Cross, GMS, X-Dream, Hux Flux, The Kumba Mela Experiment, Echo System, Elysium.

Past and Present Artists

• Goa Gil
• Nimba
• Asia 2001
• The Nommos
• Overdream
• Thomas Leer
• Ocelot
• Enichkin
• Lumen
• Toi Doi
• Electric Universe
• Jupiter 8000
• Synchro
• Reflex
• Astropilot
• Elysium

External links

• Avatar Records | Website

• Frontpage Magazine, Germany July 1996, Tel Aviv Special (p. 50-54)
• Billboard International Buyers Guide, 2004 (p. 220)
• Yediot Aharonot / 7 Leylot, Feb 8 2001, "The Electronic Tendency" by Amos Oren (p. 2)
• GoaHead Book Les annees folles, by Penny Ohana, 2010
• Herald Tribune / Herald Friends, India, March 8, 1999, "Get Into A Trance"
• Trance iT Magazine, Mexico, April/May 2007 (p. 4)
• Time Out Tel Aviv, July 2007, "From Karahana to Nirvana" (p. 112)