Trevor Dunn, the inimitable bass player who rose to fame with Mr. Bungle, is part of the frenetic Fantômas and swaggering Tomahawk, as well as a frequent contributor to John Zorn’s musical output, and a gaggle of jazz ensembles, has launched his own label: Riverworm Records. 

“Like most DIY labels, I started my own because I could find no appropriate home for this first release,” explains Dunn. “The idea of a ‘label’ is nearly defunct as marketing is essentially all DIY, that is, unless you are a heavyweight influencer, corporation or actual rock star. This is mom and pop at its most niche-within-niche. I know I’m absolutely insane or branding myself mid-pandemic in a world where art is nearly expected to be free for the consumer but the will to have this music heard is part of what drives me. I’ve never expected everyone to like everything. That goes against common sense. That’s why everyone has boundaries. Having total control of a very personal release is the core motivation, and the feeling that, at this ripe old age, my own branding is as relevant as any grass fed mammal.”

The first release on the fledgling label comes from Dunn’s SpermChurch, a poly-electro, pan-genre duo featuring the bassist alongside Sannety, who covers the electronic portion of the pairing. SpermChurch and the forthcoming album, merdeka atau mati (Sept. 3), hovers within elements of abstraction and trap music, battling cultural conditioning with non-traditional tunings, glissandos, percussion, and a max/msp patch. Using minimal elements to play with (a lot of bass drums and bass mostly), the pair turn patterns inside out. A video for “A Puzzle & Not Intended For Use” can be viewed here: 

Album pre-orders are available now: https://spermchurch.bandcamp.com/.