Aztec Music, the respected label founded by Gil Matthews and Ted Lethborg in 2004, has been placed in receivership.
Gil Matthews. Photo by Ros O'Gorman
The Melbourne-based record label reissued historical significant classic Australian album releases overlooked by major labels. The work Gil and Ted did was of national historic significance for the Australian music industry.
Since 2004, Aztec re-released over 60 heritage recordings, all remastered by Matthews, and with bonus tracks and new liner notes. The packaging for the albums was world-class. Aztec Music brought back rare recordings as works of art and superbly presented.
In a statement to Mess & Noise Ted said, “I have put my heart and soul into the label: often working seven days a week, building relationships with record labels and artists alike (actually building and re-building relationships with labels, as they change personnel with alarming frequency). I have met so many incredible people and discovered/been introduced to so much amazing music (much of which, being almost 20 years Gil’s junior, I had never heard before) that I feel truly blessed”.
Aztec’s most recent issue was Normie Rowe’s “It Ain’t Necessarily So But It Is … Normie Rowe’ and ‘Normie Rowe A Go Go’. The titles had not been available for decades.
The label reissued Gil’s recordings with Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Lobby Loyde, Mark Gillespie, Tumbleweed, Masters Apprentices, Chain, Wendy Saddington, Band Of Light, Buffalo, Blackfeather and Spectrum.
Ted was behind Jim Keays’ recent, brilliant new album ‘Dirty Dirty’. The album was released through Shock.
