Qobuz has signed an exclusive partnership with Steve Shelley to bring rare, archival and previously unreleased recordings from his catalog to the service. The launch comprises three titles making their streaming debuts, including a live album by Sonic Youth and a previously unreleased EP.
Shelley, Sonic Youth’s longtime drummer, founded the independent labels Vampire Blues and Smells Like Records. He also oversees Sonic Youth’s SYR and goofin’ labels.
Three titles launch the partnership
The initial releases span a supergroup recording, a Sonic Youth concert album and a session recorded at New York’s Chelsea Hotel:
- Wylde Ratttz, Wylde Ratttz: The supergroup’s self-titled 2020 album was previously available only on Bandcamp and through a limited pressing of 1,000 vinyl LPs.
- Sonic Youth, Live in Berlin 2009: The concert recording was previously offered on Bandcamp and as a handmade double CD.
- Cat Casual and the Final Word, Mind The Program: The Chelsea Hotel Sessions: The previously unreleased EP was recorded and filmed live at the Chelsea Hotel in 2025 for the Mind The Program video series.
Musicians across the recordings
Wylde Ratttz brings together Shelley, The Stooges’ Ron Asheton, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Minutemen’s Mike Watt, Mudhoney’s Mark Arm, musician and producer Don Fleming, and Sean Ono Lennon.
The Cat Casual and the Final Word EP features Shelley alongside singer-songwriter-guitarist William Benton, bassist Greg Eckleman and pedal steel guitarist Rob Morrison.
Shelley said: “We’re having a blast shining a light on some forgotten and sometimes hard-to-find recordings. Qobuz is making the streaming world a better place, and I’m enjoying exploring parts of that sound world with them!”
Qobuz’s other exclusive initiatives and partnerships include Psychic Hotline (Sylvan Esso), Lomax Archive, Lucinda Williams and Sun Records (Johnny Cash).
