It’s gone from a cowshed to a cultural institution. As its 3,000-album archive gets digitised, different generations explain how Sain deepened Welsh identityOne of the oldest indie labels in Britain sits down a muddy lane on an old RAF site, less than a mile from the sea, half an hour from the mountains of Eryri. Founded in 1969, Sain – meaning sound in Welsh, pronounced (in English) like “sign” – is an unusual label, host to a remarkable treasure trove of music. And now it is on a drive to explore its past, present and future.It has recently launched a new anthology series, Stafell Sbâr Sain (Sain’s Spare Room), which gets up-and-coming Welsh musicians to record in its vintage analogue studio. Tyrchu Sain (Digging Sain) is a new album by Don Leisure (AKA producer Aly Jamal) which remixes the label’s 56-year-old catalogue into mesmerising new shapes. Meanwhile the label’s archive of Welsh-language music – more than 3,000 albums of pop, psych, prog, punk, funk, folk, opera, choral mu...
Sain, a 56-year-old Welsh indie label founded in 1969, is digitizing its 3,000-album archive of Welsh-language music, spanning various genres. The label is also engaging with new artists through projects like "Stafell Sbâr Sain" and Don Leisure's remix album, "Tyrchu Sain", to revive and preserve Welsh musical heritage. Founded by Dafydd Iwan and Huw Jones, it has political roots in promoting the Welsh language and culture.
