Marionette

Marionette is a Toronto-based record label founded in 2013 by Ali Safi as a platform for avant-garde electronic and electroacoustic music. It specializes in heavyweight vinyl releases, often pressed on 180g, and features meticulously crafted, abstract artwork—initially by Jake Fried and more recently by Benjamin Kilchhofer—that’s considered as integral to the music as the sound itself.

The label’s output spans a broad spectrum of styles—minimal techno, ambient, folk-infused electronica, modular synthesis, percussive sound art—and tends to focus on artists who defy simple categorization. Releases have included work by Max Loderbauer (Petrichor), MinaeMinae (Räumlichkeit), Kilchhofer (The Book Room), Burnt Friedman (Dead Saints Chronicles), David Fenech & Klimperei, Soundwalk Collective, Pierre Bastien, and many others The label also issues compilations, such as Latibula, showcasing its wider community and evolving sound.

Built around trust and creative vision, Marionette champions a “nonconformist” ethos: artists selected for their long-term dedication to developing unique sonic languages, free from mainstream constraints  It’s grown into a tight-knit community of listeners, collectors, and musicians drawn by a deep appreciation for sound, texture, and visual artistry.

Today, Marionette remains committed to releasing thoughtful, genre-blurring music in tactile formats, balancing experimental ambition with immersive listening experiences.