is an
English Independent Record Label , established in
2004 by
Julian House and
Jim Jupp .
The concept for the label was hatched in 2003; a manifesto of influences was compiled, which included ''"
Music For Schools ,
Cosmic Horror Stories ,
Library Music , English
Surrealism , and the dark side of
Psychedelia ."''. Shortly after, the first
The Focus Group and
Belbury Poly releases became available on
CDR .
crime paperback from the sixties]]
Releases on the label (presently encompassing
The Focus Group ,
Eric Zann ,
Belbury Poly , and
The Advisory Circle ) tend to share a common design aesthetic - all record covers so far have been by
Julian House (there is an acknowledged debt to the iconic design of sixties
Penguin Books paperbacks).
There are shared elements in sound, too; Ghost Box artists tend to draw heavily on influences such as
Musique Concrète ,
Library Music , and
1970 s
Soundtrack s. Several critics have noticed a melancholic or
Nostalgic element to the Ghost Box sound as well, prompting comparison to the shorter, 'interlude' tracks of
Boards Of Canada , or similar folk or psychedelia-influenced electronic musicians.
