Qobuz Partners With Steve Shelley for Exclusive Archival Releases

Qobuz has entered an exclusive partnership with Steve Shelley, longtime drummer of Sonic Youth and founder of the independent labels Vampire Blues and Smells Like Records. Shelley is also the caretaker of Sonic Youth’s SYR and goofin’ labels.

Why it matters:

• The partnership brings a selection of rare, archival, and previously unreleased recordings from Shelley’s catalog exclusively to Qobuz, with three titles available on streaming for the first time.

• The collaboration joins a growing slate of Qobuz exclusive initiatives and partnerships, including Psychic Hotline (Sylvan Esso), Lomax Archive, Lucinda Williams, Sun Records (Johnny Cash), and more.

The first drop:

• Included in the first collection of releases is supergroup Wylde Ratttz’ 2020 self-titled LP.

• Wylde Ratttz features 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 album was previously available only through Bandcamp and a limited run of 1,000 LPs in 2020.

• Also included is Sonic Youth’s Live in Berlin 2009, previously available through Bandcamp and as a handmade double CD.

• The drop’s third title, Cat Casual and the Final Word’s Mind The Program: The Chelsea Hotel Sessions, has never previously been released.

• Featuring Shelley, singer-songwriter-guitarist William Benton, bassist Greg Eckleman and pedal steel guitarist Rob Morrison, the EP was recorded and filmed live at New York’s Chelsea Hotel in 2025 for the Mind The Program video series.

What they said:

• Steve Shelley: “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!”