Deformat now has physical releases again, after roughly 15 years. Here, I’ll go over what this means for Deformat, what I’m working towards, and what I have planned for the future.
About The Merch
For the first round of physical releases, I’ve decided to take a somewhat more conventional approach to manufacturing. CDs and cassettes are being produced through established services, allowing me to get things moving without having to invest in all the equipment and materials upfront.
For this first round, I chose Kunaki.
Physical music has always been part of Deformat’s identity, going back to the original CD3s and tapes. I’d like to bring some of that back, while also making physical releases more accessible and interesting.
Additional Merch
Along with CDs and cassettes, I have also been experimenting with other merchandise, including shirts, stickers, and other items.
I don’t necessarily want Deformat to become a merchandise store, but I do think there’s room for things outside of the music itself. Some of these items will be release-specific, while others will simply feature Deformat artwork, logos, and assorted nonsense.
Presently, anything like shirts I intend to keep POD, aside from occasional one-off releases. Although I intend to screenprint our main logo T-shirt again when the ability arises. There is no roadmap, however, or plan to change from POD. POD is economical and environmentally the best option for our volume until such time as I can make it myself.
Manufacturing
For now, the majority of physical releases are being manufactured through third-party services. This makes it possible to produce reasonably consistent products without having to maintain a full production setup myself.
There are obvious advantages to this, particularly when starting out again. However, there are also limitations.
Minimum quantities, manufacturing costs, available formats, turnaround times, and production options are all dictated by somebody else. There is also the matter of shipping, overhead, and the margins involved.
Ideally, I’d like to move away from relying so heavily on these services. Not necessarily eliminate them, but can produce more things myself, on my own terms.
Future and More
Ideally, this will be more than a trial run. If it is successful, my plan is not to rely as much on larger manufacturing and go back to a more DIY approach.
While I will continue to sell on Bandcamp, and all digital will still be distributed through there, I will also be using the website for sales (which will have less overhead and allow lower prices) and keeping all digital files backed up via sites like Archive.org
I don’t particularly like the idea of music disappearing because a platform changes its policies, shuts down, or decides something is no longer worth hosting. Keeping independent archives is important.
Future Releases
Several are planned, but none are announced at the time of writing this.
While Breakcore/Hardcore has been the main focus of Deformat, especially since returning, I do not want it to be limited to only that. IDM, noise, and more experimental music are always welcome. We have put out in the past a more varied range of music, and I plan to keep moving in that direction for 2027 and beyond.
We are accepting demos and submissions; check the Submissions page for how to get in touch with us.
I do warn you, I may have a tone and aesthetic in mind, and I may not think it fits. If it does not, I will certainly tell you. You may feel free to argue with me regarding that to state your case.
Making It Ourselves
Ideally, we want to rely less on a third party. Rather than being limited to 90-minute cassettes from Kunaki, I would like to take the initiative to make and dub our own cassettes.
Whether through self-tape duplication or by using a more specialized cassette manufacturer. I plan to make that a larger focus on Deformat.
I also very much want to push DIY as an option for anyone interested. Kits and files for people to make and print their own CDs, Tapes, DVDs, and more. I always want there to be a free option for everything from Deformat.
Upcoming DIY
Upcoming DIY projects will happen slowly, as they are mostly being done by myself (John Merrik)
There are several things I’d like to put together, including printable CD artwork, cassette J-cards, disc labels, packaging templates, and other materials for people who want to manufacture their own copies.
I’d also like to experiment with more unusual formats and packaging. Things that might be impractical or too expensive to produce commercially can sometimes be quite easy to put together at home.
Eventually, I’d like the DIY section to become a small resource of its own, with downloadable artwork, instructions, templates, and other useful materials.
This isn’t something that will happen overnight, but it’s something I want to build upon over time.
Timeline
Budget affects the timeline greatly. I presently don’t have a lot of extra money to invest beyond what I’ve already put into getting things started again.
Depending on how well this round of merchandise and physical releases sells, the plan is to reinvest whatever comes back into Deformat.
The current priority is ideally a decent quality printer for producing release artwork and packaging in-house. After that, I’d like to build up some capital for additional releases and improve the equipment I use for cassette duplication.
My current tape duplication setup is perfectly adequate for personal projects and small experiments, but the speed and quality aren’t really where I’d like them to be for larger distribution. I’d like to improve that before making it a more substantial part of production.
Beyond equipment, the biggest goal is simply to keep releasing music.
But ideally, I would like this to grow; I would like to put out releases with a more consistent schedule, and I would love to keep building Deformat with the vision I had 20 years ago when it started.
Thanks & All that
Thanks again to everyone who has supported us over the years. It is really great to have Deformat back after so long, and amazing to be releasing music again.
Deformat will always be a WIP; I never want to stagnate or get comfortable.
Anyone with feedback, advice, or ideas can reach out to me on IG @wolfmerrik
Praise be Hastur, the yellow king.