Elara S. Novikova
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Akin Fernandez

c.1963 · Founder of Irdial-Discs; compiler of The Conet Project (1997), the definitive numbers-station recordings

Compiler of The Conet Project; founder of Irdial-Discs

Timeline - Fernandez in the record

4 referenced events from the UVB-76 - The Buzzer archive.

1985 Founds Irdial-Discs

In London, Akin Fernandez founds Irdial-Discs, dated to 1985 by his own label profile, an experimental electronic-music label that will later adopt a 'Free Music Philosophy' of free online downloads, an unusual home for what becomes the definitive archive of Cold War spy broadcasts.

1992-12 Starts recording numbers stations

Fernandez begins systematically recording numbers-station transmissions off the air, a hobby that grows into a five-year archival project as he tapes the voices, tones and tunes crossing the shortwave bands.

1997 Releases The Conet Project

Fernandez compiles his recordings into 'The Conet Project', a four-CD set with a thick booklet of station lore. It becomes the single most influential public documentation of numbers stations, cited by researchers, artists and journalists ever since.

2004 The Wilco settlement

After Wilco use a Conet recording on 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' without clearance, Irdial-Discs sues and settles for a share of royalties. Fernandez uses the money to revive the label and re-release the collection, keeping the archive alive.

Sources for this dossier

The research file for this dossier holds 11 verified source entries, 11 of them distinct works. The sources page lists every one of them with what it covers, how it was reached, and the sharpest point at which this page and its sources come apart.

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