Chances are, Lio Kanine is the reason you’ve heard of bands like Grizzly Bear, Chairlift, Drink Up Buttercup, Surfer Blood and slew of others with indie cred and broad appeal—all are signed to his Brooklyn-based label, Kanine Records. The musical tastemaker moved to New York in 2000 and settled almost immediately in Williamsburg, where he’s been ever since. His first job was at the West Village record store Rebel Rebel. Kanine soon began DJing and then landed a job at ADA, the big-time indie music distributor, which gave him the know-how to start his own label, a move he made with his wife in 2003. The rest, as they say, is probably playing on your iPod as we speak.
Read on to take a tour through Lio Kanine’s Brooklyn.