Two decades of uncompromising DIY culture: Abaton Book Company's 24-track label retrospective.

ABC 20 (20th Anniversary Compilation) celebrates two decades of fearless DIY publishing and underground recording, serving as both an archivist's treasure chest and a definitive survey of the Abaton Book Company universe. Released in 2017 as a 24-track digipak CD, the collection chronicles the label's evolution since its 1997 founding by artist Mark Dagley and writer Lauri Bortz in Newton, New Jersey, prior to its move to Jersey City. For an independent DIY label, retrospective compilations like ABC 20 are vital milestones. They validate decades of grassroots endurance, map out interdisciplinary creative networks, and offer listeners a unified lens into their creative aesthetic. The compilation highlights an extraordinary roster of artists. At the center is visionary multi-instrumentalist Marianne Nowottny; appearing solo, in spoken-word pieces with poet Barry Schwabsky and via her various projects (SHELL, Marzanna, All American Band). The tracklist showcases an international array of talent, including Hindustani classical vocalist Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Russian bard Julia Vorontsova, English psych-folk musician Pantaleimon, P.G. Six, and an excerpt from the Elliott Sharp & Lauri Bortz opera featuring The Yellin String Quartet featuring Joan Wasser and
Eric Mingus. Co-founder Mark Dagley appears across multiple eras: solo classical guitar, vintage Boston punk with The Girls, and backing P.G. Six. An eight-page booklet features a comprehensive label history written by award-winning author and cultural journalist John Strausbaugh. Strausbaugh provides crucial context detailing how a small press expanded into a home for boundary-pushing art. ABC 20 stands as an essential document of uncompromising artistic independence.

Track Listing

• Marianne Nowottny - What Would I Do ?
• All American Band - Ain't Gonna Be Pretty
• The Yellin String Quartet - A Modicum of Passion Overture
• The Yellin String Quartet - Fais Dodo
• Marianne Nowottny - Fountain of Youth
• M.S. Dagley - Folia
• Shell - Centipedes Have Needs, Too
• Shell - Maypole
• P.G. Six & the Flaming Manholes - You Know the Signs
• Marianne Nowottny - Kung Fu Kitty
• Abaton Radio Theater Players - Baby (Excerpt)
• Marianne Nowottny - Afraid of Me
• Julia Vorontsova - Cities & Countries
• Marzanna - Cognac
• Fuzzy Wuz She - Frick It!
• The Girls - Cubist Grid
• Pantaleimon - Tall Trees
• Barry Schwabsky & Marianne Nowottny - Crickets, Inc.
• Veena Sahasrabuddhe - Vanda Mataram
• Julia Vorontsova - Illusions Are Real
• Abaton Radio Theater Players - Lobby (Excerpt)
• Sensorium Saxophone Orchestra - Tomorrow Never Knows
• Marianne Nowottny - Our Day Will Come
• Marianne Nowottny - Sequin Serenade

Additional Details

Label: Abaton Book Company

Genre: Alternative/Punk

Run Time: 50 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 11/06/26

UPC: 675130546423