Without meaning to, Touch and Go Records became a key player in the creation of modern alternative rock.
“When it started, no one even thought of it as a company or a way to make money. It was just fun,” owner Corey Rusk told Pitchfork in 2006.
Like the fanzine of the same name co-founded by Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson in 1981, it was originally intended to help spread the word about emerging hardcore bands in Michigan, inspired by the pioneering DIY spirit of Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn distributing music via his own label, SST.
Once Necros bassist Rusk came onboard and moved the base of operations to Chicago, Illinois, in 1983, Touch and Go went on to provide a launchpad for some of the world’s finest purveyors of artistically rendered noise. In the decades since, its catalogue has included landmark releases by the likes of Slint, Shellac, Girls Against Boys, TV On The Radio, and far many more than space permits to mention.
Although the label has scaled back operations since 2009, many of the records released under the Touch and Go name remain hugely influential. What follows is a sample selection of some of the very best, every one a bona fide cult classic.
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