Les Disques du Crépuscule

Les Disques du Crépuscule, known as Crépuscule, is an independent record label founded in Belgium in 1980 by journalists Michel Duval and Annik Honoré. Duval and Honoré had worked together as concert promoters in Brussels at the Plan K venue. Their first published work together was the fanzine Plein Soleil in June 1980. Crépuscule is translated as twilight, which is reflected in the label’s catalogue numbers beginning TWI.

The concerts organised at Plan K by Duval and Honoré included appearances by acts on the British independent record label Factory Records. Duval and Honoré developed a working relationship with Factory that resulted in Crépuscule issuing recordings by Factory Records-affiliated artists under the Factory Benelux imprint from August 1980. The first three releases were co-credited to Factory Benelux and Crépuscule, but from 1981 Factory Benelux operated as a separate imprint.

Crépuscule’s catalogue included recordings from artists as diverse as Michael Nyman, Wim Mertens, Cabaret Voltaire, Richard Jobson, Durutti Column, and The Pale Fountains, with artwork by design director Benoit Hennebert. The label was popular in Japan.

The label moved its operations to Paris in the late 1990s and ceased operating in 2004. Duval moved over to Virgin Music, working in music publishing for the major label. Former Crépuscule and Factory Benelux employee James Nice began reissuing Crépuscules back catalogue on his LTM label in 2011.

In 2013, Duval and Honoré gave permission for Nice to revive the Crépuscule label. As well as releasing reissues, the revived label also issued new releases by Crépuscule artists. Nice and Duval have since worked together on new Crépuscule projects.