Trevor Dunn from Mr.Bungle/Fantomas announced his new record label Riverworm Records. The first release from the label comes from Dunn’s latest project, SpermChurch. The project is an international, poly-electro, pan-genre duo made up of Dunn (electric bass) and Sannety (electronics).

The duo will release their first album, merdeka atau mati, in just a few short weeks, on September 3rd.

Dunn previously hinted at his new label and project during his interview with mxdwn. “I have this duo project called SpermChurch, which no one’s really heard of yet,” Dunn says. “We have a record that’s finished, and I’ve been looking for a label for it. I have access to some labels like Ipecac or John’s Zorn’s Tzadik label, I know some people who have small indie labels, but none of them seem appropriate for this project, so I’ve been having a hard time finding a home for it.”

Dunn also talked about considering releasing the album by himself, something that is now with the founding of his own record label, an exciting reality. “The label’s really only loaning you the money. The good thing about putting it out yourself is you don’t have to do that,” Dunn says. “After expenses, you get to keep that money and not have to pay back someone you don’t even know who’s running the label.”

The duo describes SpermChurch as hovering “within elements of abstraction and trap music, battling cultural conditioning with non-traditional tunings, glissandos, percussion, and a max/msp patch.” The title of the album merdeka atau mati is an Indonesian slogan used during the revolution of 1945-49 and means “live free or die.” Sannety had the slogan tattooed on her arm.

Sannety was a Dutch-Indonesian electronic musician. She focused on exploring different rhythms and designed her own instrument to “venture off grids and bend time, to create a panoply of polyrhythmic patterns.” Dunn is known for his work as bassist for Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk and Fantomas.

Photo Credit: Marv Watson