Celluloid

LC 7710

French/American label focusing on experimental music and cross-cultural fusion. Founded by Jean Karakos in Paris in 1977. In 1981 Karakos moved the label to New York. In 1989 Karakos was responsible for the worldwide hit "The Lambada" by Kaoma. Karakos moved back to France in 1990 where he settled and eventually started the Distance and [Suave Records (3)] labels.

In 1990 The rights to all the Celluloid master recordings transfered to American record distributor, John Matarazzo, who was also the executive producer behind Bill Laswell's and ex-Celluloid A&R, Robert Soares´ Subharmonic and Strata labels between 1993-1995. On the 16th August 1994 Adageo BV purchased all rights to the Celluloid catalog and name. Adageo remain the owners to the present day.

Celluloid initially reissued the LTM (2) records catalog and then used the LTM catalog numbering scheme for new releases. They also licensed many other releases, and produced a lot of original music circa 1979-89. Bill Laswell was the in house producer circa 1983-1986.

Blurry associations between Karakos and Jean-Luc Young appear to have continued from BYG Records in 1967, then to Tapioca and LTM records in 1978, then Celluloid and Charly Records. Charly was granted a licence to release recordings from the Celluloid catalog from 1995 until 2005.

Celluloid also had a business relationship with Michael Zilkha and Michael Esteban's ZE Records; artists including Was (Not Was), Alan Vega, Suicide and Lydia Lunch released tracks on both labels, sometimes simultaneously, and at least one LP (Vega's eponymous debut) was released with both Celluloid and Ze logos on the sleeve.