SOLEX

Solex was a short-lived British record label introduced in October 1930 by the British Homophone Co. Ltd. This company was already known for producing records under the Homochord (mainstream) and Sterno (budget) brands. Solex was British Homophone’s first foray into small-format records, starting with 8-inch shellac discs (as opposed to the standard 10-inch format) .

British Homophone, led by William D. Sternberg, produced Solex records at its own pressing plant in Stonebridge, London. The Solex brand was conceived as a low-cost label, targeting budget-conscious customers during the economic hardships of the Great Depression—similar to other labels like Broadcast and Eclipse.

Solex records had some unique technical and marketing innovations:

• The 8-inch discs featured narrower grooves, allowing for up to 3½ minutes of music per side, almost matching the playtime of standard 10-inch records.

• A distinctive feature was the printed stroboscope ring on the label’s edge—designed to help listeners set the correct speed (78 rpm) under flickering electric light .

The label debuted with 12 initial releases. Catalogue numbers started at 1 and reached around 70 by the end of 1931. After this, production declined sharply. The 8-inch format didn’t achieve widespread popularity, and Solex soon switched to standard 10-inch records in an attempt to improve sales .

From 1932 to 1935, British Homophone occasionally reused the Solex name for special or promotional records. One notable example was a picture disc advertising Robertson’s Golden Shred marmalade, issued as Solex AX 100, featuring a colorful Gollywog illustration .

Solex focused on popular music of the time—dance band tunes, waltzes, foxtrots, and contemporary film songs. Performers listed on the labels were mostly studio ensembles created by British Homophone. Names like the "Solex Dance Orchestra" or "Solex Military Band" were used as catch-all pseudonyms .

Many recordings were actually made by artists working across multiple Homophone labels. For instance:

• The Solex Dance Orchestra was often led by Nat Star, a prolific bandleader and arranger for British Homophone.

• Well-known vocalists like Maurice Elwin and Cavan O’Connor appeared on Solex under aliases such as “Mick and Mack” or “Pop Parnell” .

Almost all of the recordings released on Solex were recycled matrices from Homochord or Sterno sessions, allowing British Homophone to cut costs by repurposing existing masters .

By 1931, Solex had effectively ceased regular operations, with only a few releases in later years. The 8-inch record concept failed to establish itself in the UK market—competing labels like Broadcast and Filmophone had already saturated the niche. British Homophone briefly revived the Solex brand for advertising records and special editions until around mid-1935.

The final blow came in 1935, when British Homophone was acquired by the Crystalate Group, which already owned rival labels like Rex and Imperial . Following the acquisition:

• British Homophone stopped producing records for retail sale, instead focusing on pressing work for third parties, broadcast recordings, and later transcription discs.

• A 1937 agreement with Decca and EMI prohibited British Homophone from releasing public records under its own brands, effectively marking the end of Solex .