Yellow Eye Music

Eclectic label based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Active between 1991 and 2005. Releases were initially concentrated on pop bands from Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington, but gradually the label diversified substantially. There are hidden gems in the collection: The album Versifier by prominent Dunedin poet, David Eggleton for example, includes sound designers such as Dunedin legends Mike Morley, Martin Phillips, Jay Clarkson and Trevor Coleman as well as northerners Jordan Reyne, David Downes and Joost Langeveld. Other releases delved into low fi pop (Swampy), folk (T & D Bigger Band) and even electronica (Love Consort).

The label also released a number of very important Wellington jazz albums ranging in nature from the melodic piano jazz of Norman Meehan to the more extreme free jazz of Syzygy. Kind of in-between were improvisational group CL.Bob, whose album Stereoscope won a NZ jazz album of the year for the label. Another extremely interesting, relatively unknown, jazz release is Trans Tasman, a compilation of Australian and New Zealand based musicians. It included such luminaries as Mike Nock and one of the very last recordings of pianist, Jann Rutherford.