independent music Tag

⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⫷ OVERLOOK HOTEL RECORDS ⫸⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬

Founded in August 1999, Overlook Hotel Records began as a personal creative outlet and has since evolved into an independent label and archive, releasing music that is weird, beautiful, experimental, and occasionally rediscovered from the vault.

A Bit of History

The foundation for Overlook Hotel Records was laid in the early 1990s when I was living in Nashville, Tennessee. I owned an Amiga 500 and was using OctaMED to create music modules, inspired by musicians such as Dr. Awesome, Jesper Kyd, and Frédéric “Elmobo” Motte (not to be confused with the American artist Moby). The 8-bit sampling and digital audio editing possibilities were endlessly fascinating to me.

If you would like to read the full background on my electronic music origins, you can find that here: Origin Story.

In late 1993, I moved to Cincinnati, settling into an apartment just a block away from the legendary Sudsy Malone’s and Bogart’s, two essential music venues of the time. By the late 1990s, I owned a Korg Triton and had already begun learning the early versions of Pro Tools.

It was during this period that a friend of mine, Paul, came down from New York City to record a handful of tracks. We released them independently. That effort marked the true beginning of Overlook Hotel Records – and of a lifelong, all-consuming passion for writing and recording music. It eventually led to the construction of a modest home studio, where much of the label’s output has taken shape.

The Creative Drive

Although I have nearly fifty years of experience as a drummer, what I find most fulfilling is the process of songwriting, arranging, and producing. Since childhood, I have been captivated by the mystery of music – its construction, its origin, and the people behind it. I spent countless hours singing or drumming along to records, trying to replicate what I heard using the instruments I had on hand. That natural curiosity evolved into creating my own interpretations, variations, and eventually, entirely original compositions.

It was only once I began focusing on becoming a multi-instrumentalist that everything truly expanded. Rhythm and grooves have always come naturally – but melody is where the real magic unfolds for me.

Remembering the People

I have had the privilege of working with many musicians over the years, some of whom were extraordinarily talented. A few are no longer with us. One of them was a best friend from high school – an astonishing guitarist with a surreal sense of humor, ambition, and vision. His eccentricities gave the impression he came from another planet, which I absolutely loved. He had moved to California to find his place in the music scene and had asked me to move there as well. At the time, I was still living in a small town, holding on to a short-sighted viewpoint of things. Tragically, he died in a car accident just before his twenty-first birthday.

It was because of him that I first picked up the guitar. That moment eventually led to buying my own Fender Stratocaster, then keyboards, bass, and so on. His influence continues to echo in some capacity  through nearly everything I create.

Now, decades later, I have worked on thousands of recordings and continue to make it a part of my daily life.

Catalog Stats

• 36 LPs
• 7 EPs
• 74 Singles
• 871 Tracks
• 17, 729 Folders
• 472,050 files
• 4.09 TB

Total music duration: 1 day, 16 hours, 18 minutes, and 51 seconds

Genres

• Synthwave / Synthpop
• Medieval
• Bellydance / Middle Eastern
• Post-Punk / Darkwave
• Progressive Rock / Classic Rock
• Glam / Sludge / Doom
• Disco / Psychedelic
• Giallo / Score / Soundtrack
• Industrial / Dark Ambient
• Americana / Folk / Southern Rock

And plenty that defies categorization altogether.

Notable Highlights

• Most Prolific Year: 2024, with 51 new releases
• Longest Release: Disturbed by Kevin Hartnell (3:58:26) – R237-036
• Shortest Release: Retro Ident by Plastic Horizon (0:00:11) – R237-093
• Most Tracks on One Release: The Sounds of Nightmares 5 (55 tracks) – R237-029
• Curious Match: Echoes by Plastic Horizon (R237-039) runs exactly 2:37 – matching the label code

The vault holds hundreds of unreleased tracks, with new material written and recorded every week – sometimes daily.

Overlook Hotel Records is not just a label. It’s a living archive of underground sound.

Thanks to everyone who’s listened, collaborated, supported, or wandered through these sonic hallways.

⧉═══════〔 KEVIN 〕═══════⧉

Musicians

Thanks is due to each of these musicians: