MPS Records

German jazz label founded in 1968 in Villingen by [a=Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer] as a successor to [l=SABA]. MPS stands for Musik Produktion Schwarzwald (Music Production Black Forest), but was later advertised as Most Perfect Sound. It is often referred to as a German equivalent of [l=Blue Note], a jazz label famed for its sound. The releases were distributed from 1971 by [l=BASF] and from 1976 by [l=Metronome Records GmbH] (renamed [l=Metronome Musik GmbH] in 1977). In 1983, when the budgets for recording jazz had irrevocably dwindled, Brunner-Schwer switched to recording classical music for his [l=HGBS] label and sold the rights to MPS to Philips, which then transferred it to [l=Polydor], whose sister company [l=Motor Music] began re-releasing MPS recordings in 1993. In 1999, the MPS archives were handed over to [l=Universal Jazz Germany] in Hamburg. Several vinyl reissues were also released by [l=Speakers Corner Records]. On January 7, 2014, ten years after Brunner-Schwer's death, [l=Edel] acquired MPS's back catalogue from Universal and his son [a=Andreas Brunner-Schwer] and long-time colleague [a=Friedhelm Schulz] now head the team recording once again in Villingen. The label was official relaunched in 2022 when key releases from its catalogue were reissued on CD and limited-edition vinyl in partnership with New York-based [l=Bob Frank Entertainment]. Label code: LC 0979 / LC 00979. Studio: [l=MPS-Studio, Villingen]. Record company: [l=MPS Records GmbH] (until August 1983).