Artist

Teen Idles

1979-1980·Washington, D.C.

Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson's first band, formed in 1979 while both were still at Wilson High School, playing out until 1980. They drew crowds of around a hundred, huge by the scene's local standards and second only to Bad Brains. When the Teen Idles broke up, MacKaye and Nelson took what they'd made — around $600, scraped together from shows at VFW halls and community centers — and used it to start Dischord Records. They pressed 1,000 copies of the *Minor Disturbance* EP and hand-cut, folded, and glued every sleeve themselves, eventually producing 10,000 copies by hand across repeated pressings. It became Dischord's first release and the blueprint for how the label, and much of DC hardcore, would operate for years.

At a glance

Active
1979–1980
From
Washington, D.C., USA
Records in the issues
1 (1980), 1 of them a Start here pick
Original label
Dischord Records
Listening guide track
“Fiorucci Nightmare”

Listen

In the DC Hardcore listening guide: “Fiorucci Nightmare”

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In the issues

  • DC Hardcore
    Supporting cast · 1979-1986

    DC Hardcore is a music scene from Washington, D.C., USA, 1979–1986. Its principal artists include Minor Threat, Fugazi, Ian MacKaye and Bad Brains. This issue covers 10 essential albums and 18 dated events.

Records