Record Label
German jazz label founded in 1968 in Villingen by [[artist:Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer]] as a successor to [[label: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 [[label:Blue Note]], a jazz label famed for its sound. The releases were distributed from 1971 by [[label:BASF]] and from 1976 by [[label:Metronome Records GmbH]] (renamed [[label: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 [[label:HGBS]] label and sold the rights to MPS to Philips, which then transferred it to [[label:Polydor]], whose sister company [[label:Motor Music]] began re-releasing MPS recordings in 1993. In 1999, the MPS archives were handed over to [[label:Universal Jazz Germany]] in Hamburg. Several vinyl reissues were also released by [[label:Speakers Corner Records]]. On January 7, 2014, ten years after Brunner-Schwer's death, [[label:Edel]] acquired MPS's back catalogue from Universal and his son [[artist:Andreas Brunner-Schwer]] and long-time colleague [[artist: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 [[label:Bob Frank Entertainment]]. Studio: [[label:MPS-Studio, Villingen]]. Record company: [[label:MPS Records GmbH]] (until August 1983).