Fourth Dimension Records
British label for international underground and experimental music.
Fourth Dimension Records is a British label focused on underground music from around the world. It began as a spin-off of Gary Levermore’s Third Mind label, then Richard Johnson—known as Richo—took over in 1983. During the 1990s, the label gained traction, putting out work by artists such as Simon Wickham-Smith & Richard Youngs, KK Null, The Gerogerigegege, Circle, Splintered, Thurston Moore, Hijokaidan, and Merzbow, as well as side projects from members of Amp and Skullflower, plus many 7" and 10" singles by experimental musicians from the UK, US, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Japan. Alongside the label, Johnson ran a mail order service that offered rare underground releases from across the globe.
Just before taking over the label, Johnson started editing a fanzine called *Grim Humour*, which initially covered non-mainstream acts like Big Black, Swans, Killing Joke, Lydia Lunch, Whitehouse, and Sonic Youth. The fanzine often came with cassette or vinyl compilations—usually given FD catalogue numbers—featuring artists such as Sonic Youth, Cindytalk, Ausgang, Con Demek, and Portion Control. *Grim Humour* stopped in the mid-1990s, but Johnson later launched a new title, *Adverse Effect*, which earned praise from *Record Collector* and *Ptolemaic Terrascope*, ran for four editions, and now exists as a blogspot and through the Fourth Dimension website.
Though Fourth Dimension went quiet for a short time in the late 1990s, it later relaunched with further releases from Merzbow and Circle, plus albums by Johnson’s own project Theme, The Fields of Hay, and British sound artist Andrew Liles. Johnson also started a second label, Lumberton Trading Company, a joint venture initially begun with Hassni Malik of The Vitamin B12. That label has issued albums by Experimental Audio Research, Theme, Thighpaulsandra, Human Greed, and Michael Gira, with more releases planned.
Both Fourth Dimension and Lumberton Trading Company continue today. Johnson still writes about music, plays in the band Theme, plans to oversee a reissue campaign for his former group Splintered, and is working on a book about his *Grim Humour* fanzine. A second book dedicated to *Adverse Effect* will follow.
- field
- Record label
- nationality
- British
- founder
- Gary Levermore
- taken_over_by
- Richard Johnson (aka Richo) in 1983
- known_for
- International underground and experimental music
- associated_fanzine
- Grim Humour
- second_label
- Lumberton Trading Company
Lore & Background
Fourth Dimension Records was founded by Gary Levermore as an offshoot of his Third Mind label before being taken over by Richard Johnson (aka Richo) in 1983. The label became quite successful in the 1990s, releasing music by Simon Wickham-Smith & Richard Youngs, KK Null, The Gerogerigegege, Circle, Splintered, Thurston Moore, Hijokaidan, and Merzbow, as well as side projects by members of Amp and Skullflower and myriad 7" and 10" singles by experimental artists from the UK, US, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Japan. Alongside the label, Johnson also ran a mail order service, stocking rare underground releases from around the world.
Shortly before taking over the label, Johnson began editing a fanzine called Grim Humour, initially covering non-mainstream artists such as Big Black, Swans, Killing Joke, Lydia Lunch, Whitehouse and Sonic Youth. These often came with cassette or vinyl compilations (usually given FD catalogue numbers) with participants including Sonic Youth, Cindytalk, Ausgang, Con Demek and Portion Control. The fanzine ceased in the mid-1990s, but Johnson has since launched a new title, Adverse Effect, which lasted four editions and now can be found as a blogspot and via the Fourth Dimension website.
Although Fourth Dimension was dormant for a short while in the late 1990s, it has since relaunched with further releases from Merzbow and Circle, as well as albums by Johnson's own project Theme, The Fields of Hay and British sound artist Andrew Liles. Johnson also began a second label, Lumberton Trading Company, a joint venture initially started with Hassni Malik The Vitamin B12, issuing albums by Experimental Audio Research, Theme, Thighpaulsandra, Human Greed and Michael Gira.
Reader's Guide
Fourth Dimension Records holds significance as a persistent outlet for international underground and experimental music, bridging the UK noise scene with artists from Japan, New Zealand, and elsewhere. Its legacy is tied to Richard Johnson's curatorial vision, which also produced the influential fanzine Grim Humour and later Adverse Effect. The label's 1990s output—featuring Merzbow, Thurston Moore, Circle, and others—helped document and disseminate extreme and avant-garde sounds. Its relaunch after a late-1990s dormancy, along with the founding of Lumberton Trading Company, demonstrates continued engagement with experimental music. Johnson's ongoing activities—writing, performing in Theme, planning a reissue campaign for Splintered, and working on books about his fanzines—ensure the label's historical footprint extends beyond its discography. Fourth Dimension remains active, with its website incorporating both the label and the Adverse Effect blog.
Did You Know?
- Fourth Dimension Records was founded by Gary Levermore as an offshoot of his Third Mind label before being taken over by Richard Johnson in 1983.
- The label released music by artists such as Merzbow, Thurston Moore, Circle, and The Gerogerigegege.
- Richard Johnson also edited the fanzine Grim Humour, which often came with cassette or vinyl compilations given FD catalogue numbers.
- Johnson later launched a second label, Lumberton Trading Company, as a joint venture initially started with Hassni Malik The Vitamin B12.
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