Noise is a musical genre that explores extreme sound textures, noise, and dissonance, often with an abrasive and experimental approach. This genre pushes the boundaries of traditional music by blending intensity and innovation.
Discover our complete collection of Noise vinyl records for lovers of powerful and bold sounds.
This page gathers noise vinyl records in the broad sense. On one side, noise rock, the abrasive, overdriven rock that took shape in the 1980s: Big Black, Lightning Bolt, Brainiac, Tar and Bob Mould are all in the catalog. On the other, noise music proper, built from feedback, distortion and harsh textures, descended from industrial music. Both scenes care a lot about the physical record: small labels, short runs, screen-printed sleeves. Each record page lists offers from several partner stores so you can compare available editions.
Noise has some of the shortest runs of any genre: a few hundred copies, sometimes fewer, and lathe cuts for the most underground releases. Sold-out records are rarely repressed, and an original pressing can climb in value quickly. Noise rock classics, on the other hand, have been repressed regularly, which makes them much easier to find than obscure harsh noise releases.
Technically, noise is hard to cut: a dense, distorted, bass-heavy signal often forces a lower cutting level or shorter sides. A well-made reissue on a careful pressing can therefore sound better than a worn original. If you can, listen to a sample before paying for an expensive edition, and check the grading carefully.
On the noise rock side, Big Black, Steve Albini's band, released "Atomizer" (1986) on Homestead and then "Songs About Fucking" (1987) on Touch and Go. Sonic Youth pushed dissonant guitars all the way to "Daydream Nation" (1988), and Hüsker Dü, Bob Mould's band, made "Zen Arcade" (1984) for SST. Around the turn of the 2000s, Lightning Bolt reinvented the distorted bass-and-drums duo. On the pure noise side,
If you come from rock, start with noise rock: Sonic Youth, Big Black and The Jesus Lizard offer familiar landmarks. Noise pop, from The Jesus and Mary Chain's "Psychocandy" (1985) to the shoegaze of My Bloody Valentine, blends noise with melody. Japanese harsh noise is a radical listen best approached out of curiosity. To branch out, the Alternative collection and the experimental music selection are this page's natural neighbors.
From$35.98
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AlternatifNoise
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