ABOUT US

ABOUT US

Mississippi Records was dreamt up 21 years ago.

We’ve released over 200 albums, but no one has them all. 

We preserve the “discarded sounds of the world,” as the great Lonnie Holley put it.

We work closely with artists and their families to create respectful and ethical documents of previously overlooked music.

We work across genres, regions, and timelines. The music we’re drawn to is often created outside of existing commercial industries. It’s the work of visionary artists with something urgent and original to say. And it’s sustained by, and in turn nourishes, communities that extend beyond the music. We recognize this brilliant music is not created in a vacuum, and we’re dedicated to understanding and uplifting the stories around the art.

We try to help artists and their families register their rights to their music. We never buy master rights from artists and their families (a form of violence and greed carried over from the bad old days of the music industry). Once their rights are secured, we work with artists to connect them with archival institutions that will preserve their material histories.

Mississippi was built slowly by dozens of people who contributed their time, energy, visions, box packing abilities, and creative talents. Some are better known than others, but all are vital to this ever-morphing art-project turned mutant record label.

Mississippi is sustained by a loyal record club and hundreds of people around the world who continue to trust us. We love you for that.

QUESTIONS ?

QUESTIONS ?

  • Questions about orders (please include your order number): orders@mississippirecords.net

    Press Inquiries:
    info@mississippirecords.net

    Everything else: info@mississippirecords.net

  • We ship by USPS Media Mail in the US.

    Media Mail usually takes 4 - 9 days to arrive, however throughout the pandemic many packages are taking longer than “normal”. We will email you the tracking number as soon as the package is shipped. Your patience is very much appreciated.

  • We ship USPS or FedEx, depending on which is cheapest.

    Please write us at orders@mississippirecords.net if you have specific requests with your order.

  • We try to ship every weekday. Before the pandemic, Media Mail would typically take 4 - 9 days to arrive, however these days it’s more like 2-4 weeks, worse over the holidays. You’ll receive an email with tracking once your order ships.

  • Please email us at orders@mississippirecords.net if you have not received your package within 30 days of ordering. We will track your package and figure out what is wrong and contact you ASAP. In most cases we will accept the loss ourselves and offer a replacement or refund.

  • Please write us at orders@mississippirecords.net. We will refund or replace any damaged or defective items. We may ask you to send the damaged goods back to us, at our expense. We also really appreciate a reasonable understanding that occasionally cosmetic damage occurs during shipping/handling that is beyond our control.

  • If it's not on the site, we probably do not have it available, but every once in a while we may have an odd leftover copy (perhaps with a scuffed/dinged jacket, or slight warp to the vinyl that shouldn’t affect play). Feel free to contact us to encourage us to repress any record you want to see back out and we will take your enthusiasm into account, but please be patient for a response. Mississippi prints records in pretty limited runs and is always a bit too low on cash to keep every good title in print, but we'll do our best to get back around to stuff bye and bye.

  • We do. We are happy to listen to new music, you can email us at info@mississippirecords.net OR you can mail us things at:

    MISSISSIPPI RECORDS
    PO BOX 310725
    Brooklyn, NY 11231

    Please note that our label is always at least a year out on projects in line for pressing, has very little working capital, is not the type to promote the careers of contemporary artists, has a very limited aesthetic, and so on. We are happy to listen to all submissions, but may take a while to get back to you and it is far more likely than not we will pass on anything sent.

  • We do. Though we are very very limited in what we will carry. Please email us at info@mississippirecords.net if you have released a record you think would fit well on our site. Please also bear in mind we do not carry items that do not meet a pretty low price point.

  • [WARNING: EXTENDED RAMBLING RESPONSE TO THIS SIMPLE QUESTION] The Mississippi tape series began in 2005. Karen Antunes, who worked the counter at the Mississippi shop, suggested the idea to Eric Isaacson, owner of the Mississippi shop and label at the time. Karen thought customers at the shop would enjoy some mix's based on the aesthetics of the record store. Eric thought this was an incredibly weird idea - who would want to pay for a mix tape? When Eric was a kid growing up in LA, all the latchkey kids roamed the streets in packs picking up garbage and causing trouble. They all had specialties, such as pornography, half eaten candy bars and so on, and they would trade among each other. Eric's pack consisted of just him and his best friend Doug. Doug was big on picking up cigarette butts for smoking and anything else that stunk of sin. Eric was very geared towards finding cassette tapes. It was strange - there was an enormous amount of discarded cassettes on the streets of LA in the early 1980's. Folks just tossed them out of their car windows once they were sick of them. Eric's dad taught him the trick where you could take a manufactured cassette not meant to be taped over, cover one hole on the top with scotch tape, and then use the cassette as a blank. Eric would lay in bed curled up with my boom box the way most kids curled up with a teddy bear and insert whatever tape he found that day in it. With his left hand he would toggle the radio dial and his right hand would be poised above the record button, ready to strike if a song he liked came on. He made a massive amount of mix tapes this way - always just getting partial recordings of the songs. Mostly Eric taped classic rock and oldies. He hated saxophone solo's, so he would go back over the tapes, time out the length of the sax solo and then record over it with his own scat singing. Eric actually thought this was improving the songs at the time. No humor was intended. Eric continued to make tapes throughout his life. Whenever he met someone with an interesting record collection, he would go over to their house with his tape deck, systematically go through their records and record every song that appealed to him. Eric could not afford to blow money on records himself, so he never had much of a collection, but his mix tape archive grew pretty healthy. Back to 2005. Karen kept insisting that selling mix tapes would be the salvation of the record store and Eric kept on poo pooing the idea. One day a nice customer named Ben came in the shop and handed Eric a beautiful mono multiple tape duping unit. Eric had never seen one before and was fascinated as Ben showed him how easy and fast it could be to duplicate tapes en masse. Ben gave Eric the machine free of charge with the same idea as Karen - A Mississippi Records tape series. That night Eric went home with the machine. He decided to try an experiment. Eric got some whiskey, and sat in his room and made 5 mix tapes in one night. Eric did this in 12 hours at home making the first 5 Mississippi Records cassettes - drawing the covers as he made the tapes. He used the duper to make 5 copies of each (Eric had 25 blanks at home, so this was the O.G run by default.) The next morning Eric drove to kinkos and xerox'd the covers. When he arrived at the record store for his shift, he cutout the covers, folded them and placed the tapes inside. Eric put them on a shelf next to the counter and priced them at $3. Sure enough, they sold out by the end of the day! People seemed weirdly excited about these shoddily made mix's. The series continued to grow pretty rapidly. Eric started tapping store employees and customers at the shop who had good taste to make mixes. As a result of their efforts, some of the best titles came to be (Men With Broken Hearts, Petrified Like Stone, It Happened, Samba Trista, the Halloween series, Spirit Haunted Water, and so on). Of the tapes Eric produced, many of the early ones filled him with shame. They are sloppy affairs with some mediocre choices based on what records happened to have on hand that week. Eric had never been much of a record collector, so the tapes are based largely on what happens to come through the Mississippi Records shop at the time of making the tape! The tapes produced for the series, are all based on very honest emotions. Eric was absolutely feeling every song on them as they were recorded. Eric never approached a tape as a historical survey of a given genre. The tapes were always a very personal diary. Eric opted to never go back and "fix" tapes he was ashamed of.He did not want to be like George Lucas and go back and make Han shoot second, even though it makes him look better. The damage was done and the tapes were what they were. The past is past so let the lying lie and the dying die. Eric is overall proud of the series and, more than that, honored that people seem to like these tapes a lot and actually listen to them. A NOTE ON CASSETTE SERIES CATALOG NUMBERS, MISSING TAPES, ODDITIES AND THE ETHERIAL NATURE OF ALL THINGS The tape series totals at around 131 releases at this writing. Of those, a good 40 of these are near impossible to find. 4 were re-purposed as part of the Little Axe Cassette series after Warren, founder of Little Axe, split off from the Mississippi label and started his own company. You can still purchase these from the Little Axe website (http://littleaxerecords.com) Some of the tape series were produced in very small editions as give aways at special events. The Portland Museum of Modern Art tape was made for their booth at the NY Art book fair. The "Thing" tape was produced for a Mississippi event at their gallery. 3 tapes were made as giveaways for the Mississippi Records "Bad Vibe Dispelling Party". Their was a Japanese only tape with a fancy gold cover printed by Stumptown Printers. There's even one tape that was produced only as a give away for employees of the ill fated Mississippi cover making factory ( Titled "What have I done? - Music to manufacture record covers too"). Some tapes have been deleted from the series due to the master being lost and some were deleted because they just felt unnecessary, even by our low standards. Catalog numbers are an absolute mess, with many tapes sharing the same catalog number and some missing completely from the series. Honestly, we cannot remember what some of the missing tapes were. It is therefore near impossible to collect a "complete" series of the Mississippi Tapes. Who has seen the wind?

  • Shrink wrap is stupid. It warps records and makes mother earth cry.

  • Yes! You can call the Mississippi Records retail shop in Portland, Oregon and we'll be happy to take a look at what you got and make an offer. The shop is open EVERY DAY from 12 - 7 Western time and the phone number is 503 282 2990.

MISSISSIPPI RECORDS IS PROUD TO KNOW AND WORK WITH ***

MISSISSIPPI RECORDS IS PROUD TO KNOW AND WORK WITH ***

360 RECORD SHOP Shop and community hub in Red Hook, Brooklyn, run by some of our favorite people. Great shows and records. 360 Record Shop

ADAM CURTIS One of the most important filmmakers working today, Adam is a true inspiration to the Mississippi label and a friend. Adam Curtis

AJNA OFFENSIVE Run by Tyler Davis, a truly esoteric label.  Often pigeonholed as just a metal label, Ajna has also put out some truly unusual releases that defy category.  Real underground music. Ajna Offensive

ASSOCIATION FOR CULTURAL EQUITY About as valuable a resource as there is in the world, the Association for Cultural Equity is continuing the mission of Alan Lomax through their website, projects, and releases.  A truly heroic effort to preserve cultures that are in danger of extinction. A.C.E. Site

AWESOME VISTAS Run by one of our favorite people, the great artist, and provocateur Chris Johanson, Awesome Vista is a truly weird label. Cool stuff with some of the most beautiful covers in the biz.  Underground?  You betcha. Awesome Vistas

A TO Z MEDIA A lot of our covers and specialty packaging are manufactured through A to Z media.  Great prices and good honest people A To Z

BONGO JOE A shop/cafe and label out of Geneva Switzerland, founded by Cyril Yeterian and now run as a collective. Great music from around the world. Bongo Joe is a true art project that is shedding light on many music scenes that make the world a better place. Beautiful productions. Bongo Joe

BOOMARM NATION Run by Jesse Johnson (who also leads a meditation group on Monday nights at the Mississippi records store), Boomarm Nation is a very timely label.  Releasing music from around the world that transcends borders and genres.  Jesse is a true lover of music who believes it is a healing force that can bring about a better world bye and bye (and he’s right). Boomarm Nation

BUKED AND SCORNED / YETI / SOCIAL MUSIC/ MAGGOT BRAIN Mike McGonnigal is an amazing polymath who has taught the Mississippi label much over the years.  His projects sprawl all over the place (publications, records, radio shows, articles, art shows, and on and on). Currently he is working on amazing releases of Gospel music from the Detroit area.  Absolute must-have stuff.  https://buked.org

CANARY RECORDS Run by Ian Nagoski, a great scholar who has always worked outside the mainstream to document music that others ignored.  Mississippi has worked with Ian to make a slew of LPs. Some of those as well as a bunch of other early interesting titles are available digitally through his Bandcamp page. Canary Records

CLINTON STREET RECORDS AND STEREO A sister store of sorts to the Mississippi shop here in Portland. OR. Clinton Street Records specializes in dance music and is about the nicest-looking shop you will ever walk into.  A must-visit if you love records and are in Portland Clinton St Recs & Stereo

DEAD MOON Mississippi Records favorite rock band! Their wisdom and business has guided the Mississippi operation over the years and we are eternally grateful to them http://deadmoonusa.com

DOMINO SOUND A truly great record shop and label out of New Orleans. The shop has a pitch-perfect vibe and always is stocked with incredible LP's. 7"s and cassettes you rarely will see anywhere, and their prices are beyond reasonable.  A must-go to spot if you're ever in New Orleans. The label has slowly put out some monsters from all over the world. Domino Sounds' owner Matt Knowles worked at the Mississippi shop for a spell and took our mission to a better and bigger place! Domino Sound

DRAGGING AN OX THROUGH WATER One of our favorite currently active Portland musicians, and favorite humans on earth. Brian Mumford is playing shows in Portland and elsewhere. He's released records on Mississippi as well as a bunch of other weird little labels. Dragging An Ox

EMAHOY TSEGE MARIAM GEBRU MUSIC PUBLISHER was established to generate revenue and finance the Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru Foundation, a self-financed non-profit that funds music education programs in Ethiopia and the U.S. They are essential partners to us in helping share Emahoy’s work and are deeply thankful for their collaboration. Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru Music Publisher

EBERHARDT PRESS Many of our inserts are made by Eberhardt Press. A heroic and right-on Portland printing company that works hard for the people. Eberhardt Press

EGGY RECORDS The real underground sound of Portland is exemplified by Eggy Records. Run by Raf Spielman(who also plays in local legends "The Woolen Men"), has released strange small as small can be editions of cassettes and records.  Eggy is community-minded and doing its best to create ways for the Portland DIY music scene to thrive without having to sell out to lame shit. Stuff that is marginal now, but will be legendary in 20 years. Eggy Records

ENAT KITCHEN Best Ethiopian food in Portland.  A must-stop if you visit our neighborhood. Enat Kitchen

THE EX A constant inspiration to the Mississippi label.  The Ex are still out there playing shows and killin' it.  DIY heroes who showed us how it’s done. The Ex

FIONA RYAN Artist/designer and an old pal of the label, Fifi has been creating the visuals for our newsletter, CSR and some album artwork since 2021. Most recently she designed the cover for Emahoy’s Church of Kidane Mehret.She works to help mom-and-pop shops open and stay open with visuals and logistics. Find her here if you´re looking for a good eye and a friendly hand with your project. 

FREEFORM PORTLAND FM Newer and truly great Radio station here in Portland.  A real freak scene in all the best ways and a boon to our local music culture. Freeform Portland

GEORGE MITCHELL One of the greatest field recordists out there - and did it all DIY. Mississippi is very proud to have reissued many recordings by the renowned George Mitchell George Mitchell Photography

GREIL MARCUS Greil Marcus has been instrumental and helpful to the Mississippi Records operation over the years. A good man who has worked hard all his life in the service of art and music and revolution. Greil Marcus

GUY MADDIN Friend to the label and a truly great filmmaker.  A must to check into. Guy Maddin

INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM Great label of forward-thinking jazz & experimental artists, featuring some of Chicago’s heaviest. We also happen to share a warehouse with them. International Anthem

JALOPY RECORDS In-house label for the Jalopy Theatre and School of music in Redhook, New York.  Produces great releases of old-timey and folk music.  One to watch for in the near future, Jalopy is ramping up with a bunch of amazing releases. Nothin' but heart and kindness here... Jalopy Records

JANUS YOUTH PROGRAMS Great homeless youth outreach and services in Portland.  Very worth supporting. Mississippi is proud to be their friend Janus Youth Programs

JUJU SOUNDS Field recordings and stories about music from all around the world by our friend Luka, who spends part-time working on a boat in the Indian Ocean, part-time creating field recording compilations. Responsible for the Mono Egypt cassette and many more to come… JuJu Sounds

KBOO FM Since 1968, the ultimate Portland community radio station.  Mississippi Records would not be Mississippi Records without KBOO. Many of our employees past & present DJ on this station.  KBOO is a force for positive change and social justice in Portland. KBOO FM

KEVIN NUTT One of the best DJ's in the world (check WFMU’s Sinner’s Crossroads) and a great educator to the Mississippi label. Kevin Nutt

LITTLE AXE RECORDS Run by former Mississippi Records label co-owner Warren Hill, Little Axe is now a label, shop, and website. Little Axe

LUMPEN RADIO Awesome non-profit radio station right here in Bridgeport, Chicago Lumpen Radio

MARISA ANDERSON One of our favorite contemporary musicians, Marisa has released records on the Mississippi label and independently.  She is currently touring the world constantly, so keep an eagle eye out for her in your town or contact her if you are interested in booking her for a show. Marisa Anderson

MICHAEL HURLEY Perhaps the greatest living singer/songwriter (besides Bob Dylan), Michael is currently on tour here and there and gigging constantly in Portland. Highly recommended that you check him out if you are in our hood or he is in yours.  A great friend to the Mississippi label. Snockonews.net

MISSISSIPPI RECORDS FILM SERIES / HOLLYWOOD THEATRE Mississippi Records runs a film series at Portlands' legendary Hollywood Theatre.  We do at least 7 shows per year.  If you're in Portland, check in with the Hollywood Theatre and see what’s going on in general. Hollywood Theatre / Mississippi Program

MUSICAL ARTS INSTITUTEMusical Arts Institute

NEROS NEPTUNE Run by perhaps one of the deepest record heads in the world, Mark Trehus (who also owns the Treehouse Record shop in Minneapolis), Nero's Neptune digs deep as deep can be.  Mark is a passionate lover of music who champions all kinds of great fringe stuff. Neros Neptune

OLVIDO RECORDS A record label dedicated to the restoration and circulation of obscure music with due diligence to the artists, their kin, and their culture, run by former co-owner Gordon Ashworth.Olvido Records

PHILIP COHRAN A philosopher and musician, Phil Cohran played in Sun Ra's Arkestra and produced his own amazing important music since the late 1950s. A real pioneer of modern spiritual music. Phil Cohran Site

SHELLY SHORT Good friend and musician who tours the world playing pretty songs and spreading good vibes.  Shelley Short

SHE SHREDS Dedicated to women guitarists and bassists, a radical and revolutionary resource. She Shreds

MAHMOUD AHMED The greatest living Ethiopian singer. Mahmoud is as important a cultural figure as we could imagine anywhere.  Mississippi is proud to be his friend and to have been involved in releasing some of his music.  Mahmoud still plays shows here in America and Ethiopia and he kills it every time. Mahmoud Ahmed

MARY SMITH CENTER A great day center for the elderly down the street from the Mississippi Records shop. Currently looking for volunteers. Mississippi hosts a monthly DJ dance party and Ice Cream social here. Mary Smith Center

PAT DEWITT One of our favorite Portland writers. Travels around doing readings, so go see him if he comes your way - or at least read his books! Pat deWitt

PORTLAND MUSUEM OF MODERN ART PMOMA Site

PSYCHIC SOUNDS One of the most underground of the underground record labels.  Grant Corum has run the Psychic Sounds Research and Recording company for a long time.  Some of the strangest and most beautiful products you can find. Grant also has printed many of the more impressive looking Mississippi Records jackets over the years (Gurdjieff, Harmonica Frank, Darby and Tarlton, and many others). Psychic Sounds

QU JUNCTIONS Booking agency out of Bristol, UK.  If you are interested in having a Mississippi film / slideshow presentation in Europe, give them a shout! They also book a bunch of other great acts.  QU Junktions

RAW MUSIC INTERNATIONAL A collective of writers, filmmakers, artists and photographers documenting underground music around the world Raw Music International

RED FOX BAR Well hidden bar across the street from the Mississippi Records Shop. Good strong drinks and good food too.Red Fox PDX

RED HOOK MUTUAL AID Amazing community organization supporting the neighborhood where we keep our label office in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Red Hook Mutual Aid

SABUROS SUSHI Mississippi Records favorite sushi restaurant in Portland!  Saburos

SAD HORSE Local punk legends!  Sad Horse are a great currently active band.  A must-see live rock and roll show.  Elizabeth and Geoff are keeping it real...Sad Horse

SAHEL SOUNDS A label, blog, and film studio.  Sahel Sounds is run by Portland local Chris Kirkley. One of the deepest digging labels in the world, Sahel Sounds releases incredibly unusual and awesome music from West Africa.  Their blog is essential reading and no store interested in the modern sounds of Africa should go without their releases on the shelf. Recently, Chris and his wife Karen Antunes (who's worked at the Mississippi Records shop for the past 12 years) stated the excellent Songs from Home label to cover a wide array of music from all over the world. Sahel Sounds

SECRET SEVEN RECORDS Run by Greg Gardner, Secret Seven is one of those great humble labels that quietly puts out beautiful things without much hub hub about it.  On to the quality of acts like Sonny Smith and Blaze Foley way before anyone else was - Secret Seven works out of a great love for music. Secret Seven Records

SENGATERA ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR Great restaurant and bar.  Mississippi hosts a monthly all-Ethiopian music DJ night here. Great people who do important work bringing Ethiopian artists and culture to Portland. Sengatera

SINGASONGFIGHTER A nonprofit label run by Karl Jonas.  Truly a labor of love that has released odd records and CD's from all over the world.  A noble and just institution out of Sweden. Singasongfighter

SINKING CITY Truly great label out of New Orleans, featuring nothing but the finest from that city.  A heroic company that is doing very important work. You must check these guys releases out if you have any love for the culture of New Orleans.  Sinking City Records

SISTERS OF THE ROAD CAFE Nonprofit in Portland that provides free meals.  Good people to support. Sisters Of The Road

SMASHED PLASTIC RECORD PRESSING Dear friends and allies of the label who press up almost every project we do - good people producing super high quality vinyl. Smashed Plastic

THE SPACE LADY An American original, the Space Lady has been playing music on the streets for years and years.  Mississippi is very proud to have re-issued her "Greatest Hits" LP.  Susan is currently touring the world and is a very inspiring performer. We highly recommend you see her if she comes to your town. Space Lady

STEREOPHONIC MASTERING Tim Stollenwerk at Stereophonic mastering has done the vast majority of mastering work for Mississippi.  He has performed miracles for us - bringing great sound out of some pretty dicey sources. We highly recommend him without reservations. Stereophonic Mastering

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES One of the biggest inspirations to the Mississippi label.  True pioneers in DIY ways to present music from around the world. Mississippi is proud to call Sublime Frequencies our good friends. Sublime Frequencies

SUN FOOT Great damaged art rock band that currently tours around the world. Our good friends Chris Johanson (who is also a truly great visual artist and, along with his wife Johanna, painted the cover for the Mississippi Records comp "Last Kind Words"), Ron Burns (who selflessly helped us print up all the early Mississippi release covers) and Brian Mumford (who has worked for / helped the Mississippi label on a million levels and is a true hero to us).  We love this band and hope you catch them if they play in your town...Sunfoot

SUTRO PARK A great label run by the great David Katz Nelson.  Releases essential blues, a beautiful Sun Ra book and record, and much more.  Mississippi is proud to work with Sutro Park on many releases. Sutro Park

SWEEDEEDEE CAFE The cafe in the same building as the Mississippi Records retail shop. Easily the best breakfast in Portland and lunch too.  Friendly kind staff and good vibes.  It is a VERY popular joint, so we recommend hitting it later in the afternoon to avoid the crowds. Swedeedee keeps the Mississippi staff fueled with its healthy, robust delicious plates of food. The best neighbors anyone could ask for and a must-visit if you are in the Portland area. Sweedeedee

SZIM Simone is the designer and artist who laid out the Dead Moon book, as well as the deluxe liners to The Rats - In A Desperate Red. A good friend and major talent! Make sure to check out her punk band Top Down, too. SZIM

URAL THOMAS AND THE PAIN Ural is one of our favorite humans of all time. He lives in the Mississippi Records shop neighborhood (in a house he built mostly from stuff he dragged out of the Willamette River) and, along with his band the Pain, play tons of shows here in Portland. Definitely check them out if you have a chance. A true legend! Ural Thomas

WATER WING RECORDS Run by the great Alex Yusimov (our long-time shipping manager), Water Wing Records puts out some of the finest post-punk and "artistically rendered" modern music around. DIY at its finest. Water Wing Records

WYRD WAR Run by Dennis Lundberg and Meadow Kennaly, Wyrd War is about as deeply personal and heavy a label as you can find.  True champions of underground culture, Dennis and Meadow make great small edition records from a place of love. They also throw awesome must-attend events here in Portland. They are more or less national treasures. Two of our favorite people on earth! Wyrd War

X RAY FM Uneven but sometimes truly great radio station out of Portland.  Features many of Portland's best DJ's throwing down in a big way XRAY FM