Sain (Welsh for
Sound), in full –
Recordiau Sain Cyf (
Sound Records Ltd) is a
Welsh record label, which was in the Welsh folk revival.
Cwmni Sain (Sound Company) was founded in
Cardiff in 1969 by singers and songwriters
Dafydd Iwan and Huw Jones, and businessman
Brian Morgan Edwards, as a home for Welsh-language rock and folk music, which was otherwise finding it difficult to 'break through' in the UK market. Sain is regarded as being the first Welsh record company to be self-sufficient in terms of independence from other British companies, and laid the foundation for subsequent Welsh labels.The company released its first single in October 1969, Huw Jones' "Dŵr" (Welsh for
Water), a song about the drowning of the
Tryweryn Valley, in the north-west of Wales, to form
Llyn Celyn reservoir. Many of the company’s early releases were recorded at the
Rockfield Studios in
Monmouthshire. In the early 1970s Sain moved to the
Caernarfon area, and opened their first recording studio in 1975 near
Llandwrog. Musicians who have recorded for the label include
Meic Stevens and
Geraint Jarman.Today Sain remains the biggest producer of music of Wales, covering traditional, folk, rock, pop, hip-hop, rap, country and classical music.
The label has several subsidiaries including Crai, which was founded in 1988 and has released music by
Yr Anhrefn,
Mike Peters and
Big Leaves, as...
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