Brian Eno relaunches cult ambient label Opal Records with two album reissues

The ambient maestro's "lost" LPs 'Another Day on Earth' and 'Drawn From Life' are getting a new pressing on the "label for outsiders.

Brian Eno is relaunching his cult ambient label Opal Records with resissues of his "lost" albums 'Another Day on Earth' and 2002's 'Drawn From Life.

Initially founded in 1988, Opal Records has been mostly inactive since 1991, aside from some Record Store Day releases and serving as a home for Eno's compositions for installations.

In its short original run, it released records by the likes of Brian Eno and brother Roger, Laraaji, Jon Hassell and John Cale. Eno once described the imprint as a "label for outsiders.

Such a description might appear to condemn to permanent obscurity the artists to whom it is applied", Eno said about Opal at its launch. "But popular music has always drawn its strength and richness both from the centre — from the Beatles, for example — and from the edges — like the Velvet Underground.

And sometimes the tables suddenly turn and what was on the outside shows up very close to the centre.

Now Eno is reinvigorating the imprint by giving two of his albums that haven't been available outside of Japan new pressings: 2005's 'Another Day on Earth' and 'Drawn From Life', Eno's 2002 collaborative album with J.

Peter Schwalm. They're out on 16th October, with more new releases planned for the future.

One percent of proceeds from Opal Records sales will be donated to Eno's sustainability initiative EarthPercent.

To mark the occasion, Eno is releasing live videos for two pieces from the reissued albums: 2001 performance of 'Caught Between' off 'Another Day on Earth' recorded at Porto Festival on 16th June 2001; and ‘Persis’ from 'Drawn From Life' performed at Fuji Rock Festival on 29th July 2001.

On 20th September, six Manchester Camerata musicians will perform Eno's groundbreaking 1979 LP 'Ambient 1: Music for Airports' at Manchester Airport.

EarthPercent recently published an open letter signed by Brian Eno, Bicep, Massive Attack and 200 additional artists opposing the Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea.