Rotterdam has always had a heartbeat of its own, but for the last decade thereโs been an extra thump in its chest โ the pulse of two indie labels whoโve carved out a place for prog lovers, folk dreamers, experimental wanderers and genre rebels across the world.
January 2026 marks a massive milestone: 10 years in the music business and 7 years as fully independent record labels for OOB Records and Friendly Folk Records, the twin creations of industry firestarter Kathy Keller. And butt, what a journey itโs been. ๐ค
๐ฑ HOW IT ALL STARTED: ONE WOMAN, ONE VISION, ONE VERY BUSY EMAIL INBOX
Roll it back to 2015. Keller launches My Music Matters Management, a boutique service for emerging and established artists in prog and folk. Tailored management, proper graft, hands-on support โ not the shiny corporate nonsense.
By 2017 the whole machine had levelled up, transforming into Friendly Folk Records & Promotion, a full-service label dedicated to folk, acoustic and indie artists. Think intimate voices, intricate strings, and storytelling that feels like it was born by firelight.
But you canโt keep creatives in one genre box forever. By 2020 the artists were whispering โ โKathyโฆ what if we want to go prog? Or experimental? Orโฆ everything?โ
Cue:
๐ฅ Out Of The Box (OOB) Records
A label built for the weird, the wonderful, the genre-leaping and the prog-powered. From soaring synth epics to modern indie stories, OOB opened the gates wide.
๐ธ A DECADE OF WINS WORTH SHOUTING ABOUT
These arenโt labels that sit still. They evolve, adapt, and sprint alongside their artists. Over 10 years, both labels have racked up achievements like guitar picks at a festival:
๐ฅ 10 YEARS OF ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
Supporting musicians from their early days all the way to international streaming success and radio features.
๐ฅ GLOBAL COLLABORATIONS
Partnerships with distributors, festivals, and promotion teams have boosted visibility far beyond the Netherlands.
๐ฅ A COMMUNITY, NOT A CORPORATION
OOB and Friendly Folk are steady proof that indie labels survive because they actually care. The artists arenโt just catalogue numbers โ theyโre collaborators.
๐ THE ARTISTS DEFINING THEIR LEGACY
โญ Kayak (OOB Records)
Dutch prog legends. Multiple labels over five decades, but their final ever production? That lands with OOB in 2025. A historic closing chapter for a giant.
โญ Ton Scherpenzeel
Composer, keyboardist, lyrical architect. Known for Kayak, Camel, Earth and Fire, Youp van โt Hek โ and his own deep catalogue. Releases across both labels. A cornerstone artist.
โญ Tom Portman
Irish steel guitar alchemist. Touring partner of Brother Dege (of Django Unchained fame). A folk storyteller with bluesy thunder under the surface.
โญ Cristiano Varisco
Brazilian sound-shaper blending folk, blues, prog and raw soul. A highlight on the OOB roster.
โญ Mark โTrueyโ Trueack
Australian prog royalty. Unitopia and UPF fans know exactly how much musical firepower this man brings.
And then thereโs the massive global roster:
Philhelmon, Argus, The Boxx Orchestra, Glorious Wolf, Flight Recorder, Marcel Singor, Jyoti Verhoeff, Greenrose Faire, Aeldfire, Jamie Toomey, The Midnight (Italy), Trina Mungai, Daymoon, Drusuna, Counterโs Creek, Elevenwire, James Houlahanโฆ
Itโs basically a world tour disguised as a label list. ๐๐ฅ
๐ฃ๏ธ THE HEART OF IT ALL โ A MESSAGE FROM KATHY KELLER
Keller sums it up with a smile:
โIโm proud of the journey weโve had and excited for the future as we continue to support talented artists worldwide.โ
And thatโs it right there โ the passion that keeps the whole operation humming.
๐ท๏ธ ABOUT THE LABELS
๐ป Friendly Folk Records
Born 2015, reborn 2017, expanded 2025. Focuses on folk, indie, acoustic and all things atmospheric and poetic.
๐๏ธ OOB Records
Founded 2020 for progressive rock, indie, and genre-bending artists. The home for music that refuses to fit tidy little boxes.
๐ Websites
www.oob-records.com
www.friendlyfolkrecords.org
๐ HEREโS TO THE NEXT DECADE, MUN!
Ten years is no small feat in the music business, especially in the indie trenches where love of the art often outweighs profit margins. What OOB and Friendly Folk have built isnโt just a pair of labels โ itโs a sanctuary for storytellers, sound sculptors, and sonic explorers from every corner of the globe.
Raise your glasses, your horns, and your prog capes.
Hereโs to the next chapter โ louder, braver, and gloriously out of the box. ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ค
