DCide

Founding an Independent Voice in the Nation's Capital

Founded in the summer of 1995 by three partners—Jeffrey B. Clyburn, Burton Gray, and Mark Thorp—DCide carved out a distinctive niche as a privately held, independent record label and distributor rooted in Washington, D.C. Unlike the major-label machines that dominated the mid-nineties music landscape, the trio chose to build a company on their own terms, retaining full ownership and creative control over the artists they signed. The label's dual role as both a home for recordings and a distribution arm gave it a degree of operational flexibility that larger operations could not easily replicate. Operating out of the nation's capital, DCide brought a grassroots, artist-first philosophy to an industry increasingly defined by corporate consolidation. This foundational commitment to autonomy set the tone for every partnership and release that followed over the next two decades, allowing the imprint to take calculated risks on unconventional acts and to maintain long-term relationships with musicians across multiple genres.

Nothingface and the New Metal Standard

DCide's very first signing proved to be a defining moment for both the label and a broader musical movement. Nothingface, the group that launched the imprint's catalog, went on to move more than half a million records across the globe, a remarkable achievement for an independent operation in the mid-nineties. Beyond raw sales figures, the band earned a reputation as one of the principal standard-bearers of the new metal genre, a style that blended aggressive guitar work with melodic sensibilities and helped reshape the landscape of alternative rock.

For a young label still establishing its identity, having its inaugural act become a genre touchstone was a powerful validation that the partners' instincts for artist selection were sharp. Nothingface's success demonstrated that DCide could identify and champion acts with genuine cultural impact rather than mere niche appeal. The band's worldwide reach also gave the label a credibility and visibility that would open doors for future signings and partnerships, anchoring DCide's reputation in the broader music industry from the very start.

The Geffen Partnership and TRUSTcompany's Gold Record

In 2002, DCide made a strategic move that bridged the gap between independent spirit and major-label resources by entering a partnership with Geffen Records. The collaboration centered on TRUSTcompany, a guitar-driven rock band hailing from Montgomery, Alabama. Their sound drew comparisons to the Smashing Pumpkins in its melodic architecture, echoed the Deftones in its vocal approach, and carried the weight of Led Zeppelin's bottom-heavy riffing.

The debut album, The Lonely Position of Neutral, resonated with both critics and listeners, ultimately earning a Gold certification—a testament to the label's ability to identify commercially viable talent even within an independent framework. The partnership's momentum carried forward when DCide and Geffen jointly released the band's sophomore effort, True Parallels, in March 2005. Together, these two records established TRUSTcompany as one of the more distinctive voices in early-2000s alternative rock and showcased DCide's capacity to nurture an act through multiple album cycles while maintaining its independent identity.

From Cherrywine to Shabazz Palaces: Expanding the Roster

Beyond metal and alternative rock, DCide demonstrated a willingness to cross genre boundaries and build long-term relationships with artists in the hip-hop and experimental music worlds. In 2003, the label released Cherrywine, the first solo project from Ishmael Butler following his work with the Grammy-winning rap group Digable Planets, which he had created, rapped for, and produced.

That early collaboration laid the groundwork for a deeper partnership: in 2009, DCide joined forces with Templar Label Group to put out the debut EPs from Shabazz Palaces, Butler's next creative venture. The label's roster expansion continued into the 2010s with the 2011 release of Well-Done, a collaboration album pairing Action Bronson with producer Statik Selektah. These releases illustrated DCide's commitment to artists who valued creative freedom and genre-blending, reinforcing the imprint's identity as a home for musicians who refused to be confined to a single category.