Believers Roast

Kavus Torabi (pictured in 2022) started Believers Roast to release his own recordings.

Kavus Torabi set up Believers Roast in 2009.[3] The label was initially conceived to only release recordings relating to Torabi and his band Knifeworld,[3] which started out as a solo project.[12] The label released the first Knifeworld single, "Pissed Up on Brake Fluid", on 13 July, and debut album Buried Alone: Tales of Crushing Defeat in August.[13] The label expanded upon its second major release,[3] Leader of the Starry Skies, a tribute album by various artists to Cardiacs founder and frontman Tim Smith which aimed to raise funds towards his care.[14][15] Released on 13 December 2010,[15] Torabi was also among those who helped assemble the musicians for the album,[16] which features contributions from the Magic Numbers, Oceansize, Andy Partridge of XTC and Julianne Regan of All About Eve among others.[14][15] Released through Believers Roast as no other labels were willing to take 0%,[12][17] the endeavour raised the band's profile further.[18]

Believers Roast released the Knifeworld EP Dear Lord, No Deal on 4 July 2011,[12] the first recording to feature a full band line-up.[19] With the label, Torabi planned to release a boxset of studio recordings by his former band the Monsoon Bassoon that summer.[12] In 2012, the album Sleep Furiously by art rock quartet Thumpermonkey was released through Believers Roast.[20] In 2013, the label announced the collaborative album The Exquisite Corpse Game, where each artist contributed a one to four mintue-long instrumental passage called a "fold" after hearing the end of the preceding track, in reference to the Surrealist technique Exquisite Corpse.[21][4] The album was released on 2 September, recorded by a cast of collaborators including JG Thirlwell, Appleblim and Max Tundra.[21] Other players assembled by Torabi include the left-field artists Weasel Walter, Khyam Allami and Bob Drake.[22]

The Gasman, an alias of Portsmouth resident Christopher Reeves, released the albums Hiding Place and Hiding Place #2 on Believers Roast in 2012 and 2014 respectively, which feature complex digital piano compositions.[24] He has also released albums on the other Cardiacs-adjacent label Onomatopoeia.[25] Torabi allowed German label Inside Out Music to release Knifeworld's second album The Unravelling (2014) rather than Believers Roast.[23][1] In 2015, Believers Roast released the album Strange Relations by Karda Estra, a project of composer and multi-instrumentalist Richard Wileman,[26] and folk group Admirals Hard's album Upon a Painted Ocean in 2016.[27] Torabi released the three track EP Solar Divination through the label in 2018,[28] followed by the solo album Hip to the Jag on 22 May 2020.[29][30][2] Arch Garrison's third record The Bitter Lay was released on the label on 18 September.[31]

Believers Roast released Knifeworld bassoonist Chlöe Herington's first solo album Silent Reflux in 2021,[32] and Thumpermonkey singer and guitarist Michael Woodman's solo album Psithurism on 6 August.[6][7] Baber Wileman, a collaboration between Sanguine Hum's Matt Baber and Richard Wileman, released their self-titled debut album through Believers Roast on 10 January 2022.[9] North Sea Radio Orchestra's Craig Fortnam released his second solo album Instrumental Music 1 through the label on 17 June,[10] followed by the loose concept album Lunar One.[11] Torabi collaborated with Wileman for the album Heaven's Sun which was released through Believers Roast on 2 June 2023.[33]

Adapted from the liner notes of each release and the Genepool website.

• Believers Roast discography at Discogs