Aiming to be like Mo’Wax, Alan Wills started his first label EVA in January 2000, primarily to release material by Joe Fearon aka Paracruzar. However, after three promo-only releases on clear 10-inch vinyl, including the first release by ‘Mountaineers’ (credited on the record as ‘The Sandpeople’), he decided to move on to new areas and, with the help of his partner Ann Heston, he started a new label called Deltasonic Records. The name is an amalgamation of two ideas, as Wills explains: “I predominantly wanted it to be a guitar label and the guitars we liked are rooted in the Blues, so Delta, and Sonic is from Sonic Youth, just the coolest band name ever.”
The discovery of The Coral gave Alan the impetus to bring his idea of a new guitar-band label to life by starting Deltasonic. “It was always the aim to release them through Deltasonic, and it was always their aim to be on Deltasonic … Most people wouldn’t have understood the Coral at that point.”[1]
The label originally had a joint venture deal with Sony, . The partnership was a gamble for Sony that was motivated by chairman Rob Stringer and president Muff Winwood‘s love of the label’s roster, and their belief that guitar music was on the rise. The venture proved a success with millions of albums sold world wide.
The first single released was by The Coral. Other bands later signed to the label include Mountaineers (who later moved on to Mute records), the Zutons, The Dead 60’s,The Little Flames, The Rascals, The Basement, Candie Payne, and their first long-term signing from outside of Liverpool, The Longcut followed by The Suzukis.
Deltasonic is also a publishing company, and had success in 2009 with Miles Kane, and The Last Shadow Puppets #1 album, The Age of the Understatement.
Since the untimely death of Alan Wills in May 2014, Deltasonic has continued with his partner Ann Heston at the helm. Releasing The Vryll Society whom Alan had been developing, and going on to sign Hidden Charms, Tom Low, TV ME, Psycho Comedy, God on my right and White Room