The Fulcrum

2014 marks the 45th Anniversary of the launch of the Invictus, Hot Wax and Music Merchant labels – the trio of labels that Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland launched following their acrimonious split from Berry Gordy’s Motown Empire. Since the 45rpm record was the fulcrum of the new operation, we thought this would be the perfect excuse to celebrate the 45th anniversary by pulling together every single 45 release from the discography of Invictus, Hot Wax and Music Merchant - both A and B sides. That’s 96 x Invictus 45s, 44 x Hot Wax 45s and 17 x Music Merchant 45s – 157 singles and 269 original recordings total.

Steeped in dark cinematic soundscapes and complex turn-on-a-dime arrangements, Ottawa's The Rebel Wheel features a frenetic mix of rock aggression, and unpredictable odd-meter vamps. A five piece featuring guitars, keyboards, sax, drums and bass, The Rebel Wheel focuses on modern, genre-blending Progressive Rock. The band's second CD full-length release, 'Diagramma', contains seven songs with the largest piece (the 20 minute epic "Diagramma Suite") in the middle, acting as the fulcrum. 'Diagramma' features tracks that alternate between hard-edged vocal tunes and instrumentals that range from the quiet pastoral to hard-edged fusion. The Rebel Wheel has experimented with more modern midi percussion elements and loops, but the core sound is based on the dynamic interaction of real players and real instruments…