BRIAN BRANDT – Mode Records

Brian Brandt was born 1957 in New York, and graduated from The School of Visual Arts, New York, BFA in Design & Illustration. He writes:

“As a child, my parents gave me a portable record player and would buy me the 7” 45-rpm singles of hit songs. From this beginning, a deep appreciation for music grew. I amassed a collection of over 8,000 LPs of many genres. Intensive listening developed my sensibility of how a well-recorded and produced record should sound. I started a mail order record company specializing in rare imported and audiophile records. Tapping the vast international PolyGram catalog, I was able to import titles otherwise unavailable in the USA. A chance encounter with John Cage at a concert led to a long collaboration and the beginning of Mode Records in 1984. Cage introduced me to many fine musicians, and these meetings led to new recordings and contacts with other composers and performers. For 28 years, Mode Records has become one of the leading independent labels devoted to contemporary new music. Cage’s friendship, influence and unique personality had a profound effect on my life. I decided to make it my mission to record all of Cage’s works, a kind of homage to him.”