Creative, Honest, Positive

World Around Records was founded in 2006 by beatmaker Dr. Quandary (Kyle Tierce) and rapper Thirtyseven (Justin Boland), during the creation of their collaborative Algorhythms EP. In an effort to take advantage of new methods of digital music distribution, the two decided to pull together a collective of close friends & fellow artists who shared common goals & approaches to music. Kyle served as the creative director, guiding the overall aesthetics, while Justin handled promo, and the two tackled artist development as a team. In 2008, World Around officially made the transition from artist collective to label with the launch of its website, designed by Charles Choiniere, with visual branding by Detroit-based artist/designer Michael Prewitt (aka Gomar2).

Riding the rising wave of popularity for internet-based labels, World Around quickly began building its catalog with early releases like the digital reissue of Man Mantis' out-of-print debut Dawn of the Def, and S.Maharba's critically-acclaimed She EP. Over the following six years, as the roster continued to evolve, it grew to represent an eclectic mix of hip-hop, trip-hop & electronic music, featuring a diverse range of releases from Humpasaur Jones, Algorhythms, STINK TANK, Louis Mackey, dumate, Adam Kadmon, Daimyo, Naturetone, DJ MSP, Devastate, and Zilla Rocca.

At the end of 2012, Kyle left World Around for personal and health-related reasons, leaving long-time labelmate Michael Raso (Louis Mackey) to take up the mantle of creative director. The label continued to put together new & innovative hip-hop releases, including Dewey Decibel's A Different Drum, and the first album from newcomer Waldo from Cincinnati, Yonder Works (And Then Some).

By 2016, many World Around artists had moved on to bigger & better things: Man Mantis connected with legendary rapper Sole and his new label, Shoeboxx Recordings; Daimyo joined the ranks of the amazing Cult Classic Records; S.Maharba sold through multiple copies of his self-titled album on both tape and vinyl before settling in at BTS Records; Zilla Rocca went on to release a number of acclaimed solo projects with his own imprint, Three Dollar Pistol Music.

After a solid decade-long run, with its remaining artists focusing on their own personal endeavors, World Around closed its digital doors at the end of 2016, leaving behind an archive of over forty albums, EPs and compilations, as well as a number of singles and side-projects, many of which are still free to download.

GET IN TOUCH:
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holler@worldaroundrecords.com