In the beginning, there was the word...

...and the word was 'psychedelic'.

Back in the late 80s/early 90s, Ivor Trueman and Richard Allen's empire consisted of three psychedelic pillars, each one dedicated to the promotion of 'head music': Freakbeat magazine, the Freak Emporium, and Delerium Records.
Freakbeat came first in the late 80s and was a lysergically-enhanced and unfortunately short-lived magazine that gave page space to a whole load of new psychedelic bands from around the world. Every page required utmost concentration, mostly due to the brain-melting explosion of colours, fractals, patterns and artwork that lay right behind the text. Sometimes it was mind-expanding, other times headache inducing. Always, it was well-written, exhaustively researched and crafted out of a deep love and respect for the music. A flexi-disc was often included showcasing some of the bands interviewed. It soon became clear that a 3 or 4 track flexi disc was not enough to fully explore and promote the new and exciting psychedelic bands that were emerging at that time.

In the early 90s, The Freak Emporium and Delerium Records were born to rectify that situation. Delerium records to get the bands recorded, and the Freak Emporium to distribute them. After initial success with the 'Freakbeat' bands, the Freak Emporium soon expanded into other areas, selling classic psychedelia, punk rock, krautrock, soul, tropicalia, ambient, electronica, avant garde, garage punk, exotica, acid folk, psytrance, black metal and more. As for Delerium Records, they ended up selling over 250,000 records! Not bad for what was a cottage industry built upon a deep passion for the music they were promoting rather than a love of the filthy lucre.

Sadly, all three are now defunct. Freakbeat magazine was discontinued in 1993 after 8 issues, Delerium records stopped business in 2001, and The Freak Emporium finally and reluctantly closed their doors for the last time in 2007. Reasons? From the website "...eventually, the pressures of corporate business and the stupidity of the British Governement has led to the untimely demise of the business." A sad day indeed, but the memory of Trueman and Allen's endeavours continue to echo within the minds of all those who were lucky enough to have come into contact with them and the great music that they promoted.