Draft:OOB Records

OOB Records
OOB Records is a multi-genre Record label based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. OOB is an acronym for ‘Out Of the Box’ and the label slogan is, ‘OOB Records, for music that doesn’t fit in a genre box’. The international independent label was formed in 2020 as a sister label of Friendly Folk Records also located in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to expand music distribution services to musicians outside the folk scene.

History
OOB Records is an international independent record label located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The label was founded in 2020 by Kathy Keller, who started it as a sub-label of Friendly Folk Records, to help musician friends release multi-genre music.

The first signed act was HEYLEL, a Progressive metal band from Portugal, whom Keller had been manager of (2015-2017), for the release of their final album, Presence of Mind. The label soon acquired seasoned Dutch musician, John Geel, who released an experimental album, Moments, under the moniker, Giovanni Blue. In 2021, Jyoti Verhoeff (Netherlands), Prophecy Playground (Israel), and Peel’s Myth (Scotland), who were originally signed on Friendly Folk Records, released their alternative music on OOB Records. Beat Rock Radio (UK) introduced the progressive rock band, Grace and Fire to the label, who signed with the release of their debut album, Elysium, which was produced by guitarist/producer Karl Grom who has been a consistent member of Threshold (band). The album and label received enthusiastic reviews and interviews in multiple publications including: iO Pages, Progwereld, Background Magazine.

With the 2023 signing of Dutch legend, Ton Scherpenzeel, the label had an influx of progressive rock musicians. Scherpenzeel’s releases on OOB Records, ‘Virgin Grounds’ (2023) and ‘Achter De Schermen’ (2024) are not Progressive rock, but the artist is best known as composer, keyboardist and founder, and he is the only member of progressive rock band Kayak (band) to have appeared on all Kayak albums. He was also keyboardist in the iconic British prog band Camel (band), Dutch band Earth and Fire, and composer of music for Dutch entertainer Youp van 't Hek. ‘Achter De Schermen’ released in 2024 is a collection of the instrumental compositions created by Scherpenzeel for Youp van ‘t Hek.

OOB Records artist rooster in 2023-2024 also signed many local Dutch bands and studio projects, mostly from Zuid Holland and Brabant provinces: Glorious Wolf, Argus, Peter Swart, My Own Army, The Boxx Orchestra, and Philhelmon. In addition, international progressive rock artists were signed: Elevenwire (USA), Residous Mentales (Greece), Cristiano Varisco (Brazil), Venus Loon and Peter Lawson (UK). And Dutch rock bands: My Own Army, Peter Bourbon-B Legacy Band, and Vandale (band). Vandale have been prominent in the Netherlands rock scene since the late 1970’s and have undergone many lineup changes over the decades. Eddy Bopp, the only remaining original member of this iconic Dutch rock band, signed with OOB Records for the long-awaited resurgence of Vandale. Bopp, in the role of guitarist and producer, is joined by Marcel Van Den Berg on vocals and each track features special guests, like the illustrious Henk Westbroek. . The Boxx Orchestra, a popular symphonic progressive rock band from Brabant, Netherlands joined the label in 2024 with release of their 2nd album, The Horn Of Plenty, and reissue of their debut album, Out Of the Boxx.

OOB Records represent bands, duos, trios, and singer-songwriters from a broad spectrum of genres providing worldwide distribution for digital music and physical cds. They also provide promotion and productions services. The label continues to claim support of all genres, however, the current trend leans towards Progressive rock, Rock and roll, and Ambient music.