Founded in 1977, Crispycat issues solo and collaborational recordings by David Reilly.

Nameless between 1977 and 1981, it was re-launched as David 14 Cassettes, named after the call sign for the President's plane in the John Carpenter movie "Escape from New York". Ten years later came the second name change when Reptile Records was formed, based at the Edinburgh record shop of the same name. The imprint was an in-store only medium operating from the shop.

The current imprint, Crispycat Recordings, was formed in May 1998 following the decision to close the shop and publish CD-R's based on private orders placed on a word of mouth basis and from the extensive mailing list built up via Reptile.

The launch of the Crispycat website in July 2002 saw the long awaited resurgence of the label with the first world-wide release of several CD's recorded post Reptile.

David started making his own music back in the mid-seventies.  He played euphonium baritone in his school's brass band before starting to experiment using his father's Bontempi Electric Organ.  He would spend hours creating drones by sellotaping down specific notes on the keyboard.  This was called "The Drone Effect".

His first "popular music" instrument was a bass guitar and, soon after, he added his elder sister's nylon string acoustic to his orchestra. For percussion he used his mother's knitting needles and Tupperware boxes.  His first live appearances were to the neighbourhood children, accompanied by his younger sister in their back garden during the summer holidays.

The purchase of an ancient electric guitar and fuzzbox from a junk shop and the influence of Fripp & Eno's "No Pussyfooting" and The Velvet Underground's debut album, led him to start making his own recordings in September 1977, double tracking back and forth between two mono portable cassette recorders.


Today, thirty years into his "career" as songwriter and ambient instrumentalist, David has been involved in over 200 releases in one form or another, contributing as, variously, lead-singer, guitarist, bassist, synth-ist, soundscaper, drummer or producer.