Synthesist and label head Ian Boddy contacted us to let us know that his label, DiN, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

To celebrate, the label is releasing new music, offering free downloads, selling their compilation albums at half price and more.

Boddy set up the DiN label in 1999 to release electronic music albums that ‘bridged the gap between the analogue sound of the early 70’s synth pioneers and the digital soundscapes of the more experimental modern exponents of electronic music.’

Since then, the label has released dozens of albums, including music by Boddy, Arc, Markus Reuter, Robert Rich, Parallel Worlds, Erik Wøllo, synth supergroup Node and many others.

Author Sid Smith revealed the origin of the DiN label in a post on Boddy’s site:

It’s Newcastle upon Tyne sometime in the autumn of 1998

Ian Boddy sits in a pub with a pint of beer that’s going flat as he talks. And talks. And then talks some more. He’s got an idea. It’s exciting and it’s dangerous. He’s thinking of starting up a new record label.

“I must be mad,” he says with a big grin on his face. Something Else Records established in 1986 had been his principal home, gathering a loyal following for what Boddy describes as ‘Berlin School’ output at the time.

So why fix something that isn’t broke? Why go to the time, trouble and expense of creating a new label?

It comes down to a shift in creative direction or, as Ian puts it more prosaically, “I’ve got this weird shit that I want to do.”

He gets another round in. What he wants, he says, is to do something a bit more experimental; he wants this new label to feature other fellow travelers and explorers; he wants each album to have striking artwork and for them to feel like a collectible artifact, each one a limited edition – once they’re gone, well, they’re gone.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary, DiN is offering its five compilation albums as free (pay what you like) downloads, and also offering the CDs at half their usual price:

• iNDEX01 (DiN10) download (covers DiN1 – 9)
• iNDEX02 (DiN20) download & CD (covers DiN11 – 19)
• iNDEX03 (DiN30) download & CD (covers DiN21 – 29)
• iNDEX04 (DiN40) download & CD (covers DiN31 – 39)
• iNDEX05 (DiN50) download & CD (covers DiN41 – 49)
• Submission 01 (DiNDDL10) download (covers DiNDDL01 – DiNDDL09)
• Submission 02 (DiNDDL20) download (covers DiNDDL11 – DiNDDL19)

Here’s a preview of the label’s latest compilation:

The specials run through May 17th, which will be the release date for the next DiN album, Altair (DiN59). Altair is a double live album of Boddy’s recent performances in Philadelphia at the Gatherings Concert series & on the Star’s End Radio show.

Here’s the official video preview:

Here’s a preview mix for Altair:

Full details on the albums, specials, free downloads and more are available at the DiN site.