Six Degrees Records produces and markets accessible, genre-bending records that explore world music traditions, modern dance grooves, electronic music, and overlooked pop gems.  The label’s catchphrase, “everything is closer than you think,” is a real reflection of Six Degrees’ commitment to different styles of music that appeal to a curious and increasingly sizable audience. 
    Six Degrees’ reputation – innovative, independent, and intelligent – is well-earned.  And at seven years old, the label has made its mark quickly, both in the recording industry, and even more notably, among the artists themselves.  Six Degrees’ respect for its musicians is evident in every step of the process; as in little things like the care taken in the visual design of each of the label’s unique and readily-identifiable digipaks; and in the biggest things, like the label’s refusal to accept musical pigeonholes. Whether it’s the dub and dance influenced music of Mali’s Issa Bagayogo, the jaw dropping guitar work of singer-songwriter Willy Porter or indefinable projects somewhere in between, Six Degrees makes records because the music demands it, not the marketplace.  The label’s recent signings include the upcoming solo debut from Ekova’s incredible former vocalist, Dierdre DuBois as well as the first release from Shrift, a duo comprised of former Smoke City vocalist, Nina Miranda, and multi-instrumentalist, Dennis Wheatly.
    Of course, the marketplace has taken notice.  It’s had to.  Six Degrees’ early release Festival of Light, a collection of contemporary works for Hanukkah in a variety of styles, was hugely successful, becoming a seasonal hit in 1997 and selling consistently for most of the following year. Over the next three years, Six Degrees continued to rack up an impressive list of unexpected success stories. The Euphoria project, a spacey blend of slide guitar and ambient trance, charted in the Top 10 at both R&R and Gavin’s Triple-A chart.  And the Six Degrees North American partnership with Ziriguiboom/Crammed Discs resulted in the debut of one of world music's biggest selling artists - Brazilian diva Bebel Gilberto’s Tanto Tempo spent 75 consecutive weeks in the top 5 of Billboard’s World Music Chart, and has shipped over 275,000 copies in North America alone. 
    Six Degrees Records is the brainchild of Pat Berry and Bob Duskis, two veterans of Windham Hill Records, who helped guide that label through one of its most fascinating periods in the early 1990s, This was when Windham Hill began to shed its acoustic new age label and spread into less easily-defined forms of electric, world, dance, and even classical music.  Berry and Duskis found that their years of working together resulted in a unique synergy between A&R and marketing, and the decision to strike out on their own, and to create something that reflected their shared, distinctive vision, was a natural one. 
    Six Degrees was originally associated with Island Records, but by 1999 Six Degrees Records, increasingly uncomfortable with major label machinery, left to become an independent company.   Their current U.S. distribution deal with Ryko Distribution Partners covers both Six Degrees Records including its Travel Series. The Travel Series is dedicated to the best in traditional and contemporary world music, including the sounds of the Asian Massive which mixes classical Indian music with dance and electronica.  Six Degrees artists such as dj Cheb i Sabbah, Karsh Kale and New Delhi’s MIDIval PunditZ are all pioneers in this growing global movement.  The Travel Series has also released a collection of critically-acclaimed samplers: Asian Travels (Volumes 1&2), Latin Travels, African Travels and Arabian Travels (Volumes 1&2).
    With all this genre-hopping, Six Degrees Records has become dependable, but not predictable.  If you’re wondering what Norwegian and West African folk musicians might sound like together, Six Degrees is a logical place to go. From electronic to traditional Cuban to Brazilian pop music, Six Degrees has stubbornly pursued its own idiosyncratic course through an often bewildering musical landscape. In the process, the label has created a haven for music that crosses cultures and styles. Because after all, in a world where the buttons on a remote or the click of a mouse can bring you a world of music, everything is closer than you think.