Flyer for British band Tramway’s West Country Hospitality E.P., the debut release in 1992 by Spanish label Siesta Records.
I’m a big fan of the current Spanish indie scene, fueled by labels such as Meritorio Records, Bobo Integral, Discos de Kirlian, Pretty Olivia and El Nebula. But the first Spanish record label that caught my attention, back in the early nineties, was Siesta Records.
This flyer—perhaps acquired in one of many trans-Atlantic zine swaps—touts Siesta’s first release, of a 7″ by Tramway. I’d heard of UK band Tramway via their singles the year before on Sarah Records, so that naturally piqued my interest. But the label followed up soon enough with releases by homegrown bands Moving Pictures and La Buena Vida.
Siesta continued to release records and CDs at a regular pace until about ten years ago, with just a handful more until 2015, when they put out their last album.
Sometimes labels flicker out then come back to life (see: Sunday Records). But even when they seem to have finished their run, long-lived labels such as Siesta have inevitably had a huge influence on a successive generation that’s helping to get music from bands like Melenas, Juvenilia and Kiwis out into the wider world.
