THE SOUND OF MARIONETTE RECORDS

July 31, 2026

Musical tastes change over time. For some people, this change can happen drastically, brought on by change in circumstance, environments, or relationships. For most however, this change is a slow burn - more of an evolution or a journey, if you will. Over time, thousands of ideas, experiences and influences all combine to represent current listening tastes.

I see many parallels between the musical journey that I and Marionette label head Ali Safi have taken. He found electronic music at a young age, which led to exploring Djing and production during the mid noughties. He was particularly drawn to minimal / deep techno, a genre which was rising in prominence at the time.

Marionette Records Label Head Ali Safi (grimwig)

Over the years, outside influences led him to explore more niche / experimental forms of electronic music and all of this was ultimately crystallised in the creation of Marionette, an experimental / ambient imprint which Ali has consistently and successfully steered since 2013.

“I'm very drawn to expressionism when it comes to visual art, I’ve had experiences seeing full scale pieces in a museum that would get my neurons all fired up as though I’m listening to music. I also love stop motion animation. Typography from old film credits and magazines. Seeing someone craft something whether it’s woodworking or cooking a meal. Nature is always at the core of all this - there’s endless inspiration there.” Ali Safi

My first introduction to Marionette was in the spring of 2020, when the world was about to slip into a period of unprecedented unknown. Like many, I was spending hours a day consuming music, be that in the form of new releases or finding myself down impossibly long Discogs rabbit holes. Strangely enough, despite all this time digging, there was little that stood out - perhaps it was my fault in consuming too much, or certainly not dedicating enough time to each listen - either way, I was keen to find a fresh sound.

‘Gestrüpp’ was a seven track LP from Stuttgart-based Miniminae (Bastian Epple) complete with striking artwork and tracks with titles such as ‘Lüftschopfen’ and ‘Algenüberzug’. Not entirely sure where or how I stumbled upon it, but the first track certainly captured my interest, but I found myself becoming more hooked as the album progressed - a very addictive brand of modern electronica.

I then proceeded to trace my way through the Marionette discography, from the off-kilter (acoustic) drum-led percussion found on ‘Sula Pelle’ (a collaborative release from experimental artists Valentina Magaletti & Julian Sartorius) to the tribal, hypnotic electronic rhythms of early collaborator Kilchhofer. It is here in these earlier releases that you can really hear the techno elements that had influenced Ali since a teenager - the monochromatic artwork (produced by Jake Fried) certainly leans this way too.

Since this first introduction, the release schedule has remained consistent both in terms of frequency and quality. Ali chooses to put out two to three albums per year, with cherry-picked artists producing some of the most forward-thinking ambient / electronica the genre has to offer. All neatly packaged with Kilchhofer’s distinctive cover designs, which saw a creative refresh in 2018 (for the release ‘Death Must Die’ by Sound Collective) with the introduction of bold colours and graphics.

2025 was a big year for both Ali and the label. Marionette released two albums (‘Thauma’ from London-based producer Big Hands and ‘Mélodies pour Clairons’ from french multi-disciplinary artists Ioa Beduneau), both extremely well received by fans and critics alike.

In late March / early April, a long-standing relationship between Ali and Takuro (owner of Dotei Records in Tokyo) led to a collaborative mini tour, and, joined by label affiliate Minimanae, hosted events in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo across a seven day stint in the country.

Marionette x Dotei Records Japan Tour Poster

“It’s always been a natural progression that’s sparked through passion and shared interests. Without record shops that carefully curate and recommend releases to their customers whose trust they’ve earned, not sure how vinyl labels would survive. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Through this, the artists and label are exposed to a wider audience that get to experience the music in a live setting which can be transcendent.” Ali Safi

And since August of last year (under his DJ moniker ‘grimwig’), Ali now has a monthly residency on Kiosk Radio, where he often leans more into club ready sounds and digs deep across the minimal / hypnotic / dub techno genres - a contrast to the sounds that Marionette is now synonymous with, but vital inspiration in its initial inception.

2026 has already been a busy year for Ali and the label, with four releases thus far and further plans for events and collaborations across the globe (further info on events and collabs can be found via the Marionette website).

Listening to all 30+ releases from Marionette Records not only shows the growth of a much coveted label, it exhibits the evolution of Ali’s personal music taste. I highly recommend spending a few hours getting to know it.

I've listed some of my favourite Marionette releases below.

Francesco Cavaliere & Tomoko Sauvage - Viridescens