Philosophy
Sonic Transmission Records is the artist-run label of Norwegian-born, Chicago-based bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten — a musician who occupies a unique position at the intersection of the Scandinavian free jazz tradition and the Chicago improvised music community. As a founding member of The Vandermark 5 and a prolific collaborator across both continents, Håker Flaten created Sonic Transmission to document his work on his own terms, without waiting for external labels to determine what was worth releasing and when.
The label operates within the Catalytic Sound cooperative alongside PNL Records, Aerophonic Records, and Relay Recordings — a network that shares infrastructure, visibility, and a common commitment to the economic empowerment of improvising musicians. Sonic Transmission represents the transatlantic dimension of that network: a label that physically embodies the dialogue between Oslo and Chicago.
Aesthetic
Sonic Transmission releases carry the directness that defines Håker Flaten’s playing: no aesthetic distance between the music and its documentation. Covers lean toward live photography and typographic clarity — the design communicates the immediacy of the recorded performance rather than constructing an identity around it.
The visual language is consistent with its peers in the Catalytic Sound cooperative: music-first, format-second, commerce-last. These are releases designed to be discovered by listeners who already know what they’re looking for.
Emblematic Catalog
The catalog centers on Håker Flaten’s most active musical relationships: duo recordings with Paal Nilssen-Love, Dave Rempis, Ken Vandermark, and Joe Morris, as well as larger ensemble work that draws on his extended network of collaborators from both sides of the Atlantic. The recordings are typically live, unedited, and captured at full intensity.
Håker Flaten’s approach as a bassist — muscular, deeply rhythmic, and relentlessly interactive — defines the catalog’s sonic character. These are not background documents; they are full-contact musical encounters, recorded and released without post-production softening.
