Wales' oldest record label tunes into tomorrow as new CEO steps up at Sain

14 May 2025 - Press release

Kev Tame has been announced as the new chief executive of Sain.

A native of Waunfawr, Tame has been behind a range of exciting new projects at Wales’ oldest record label over the past 18 months and has now taken on a permanent role.

Sain, which means ‘audio’ or ‘sound’ in Welsh, was co-founded by Welsh protest singer Dafydd Iwan in 1969. In the 56 years since its first release - Dŵr by Iwan’s fellow co-founder Huw Jones- the Llandwrog-based label has released some of the most iconic records to come from Wales. 

Since Tame first joined the label as a consultant in 2023, his focus has been on the future, running a project preserving thousands of tracks from the label’s archive. Over five decades of political protest music, pop, hip hop, classical and folk are now digitised and available to stream or download on commercial platforms.  The archive had new life breathed into it earlier this year in a sample-heavy album from producer and DJ Don Leisure, Tyrchu Sain, which saw singles playlisted by BBC 6Music.

Tame grew up just seven miles from Sain’s studios and his musical career began as a member of Beganifs and the indie pop band Big Leaves, and as founder member of the electronic collective Acid Casuals. He will continue to lead the creative consultancy, Oleia, which oversees music production projects and live events, including the prestigious annual Welsh Music Prize.

He said: “My Sain story first started on work experience, when aged 15 I thought I’d be spending a week in the studio hanging out with bands and musicians, but it turned out I was packing boxes of CDs to mail to customers and shops from the mail room! A few years later, when I played in the band Big Leaves, the Sain imprint Crai released our records.

“Like so many in Wales, Sain has played a major part in my musical journey — and it’s a real honour to continue the work at Sain with Dafydd Iwan, whose unwavering passion for championing Welsh music continues to inspire. Sain holds the world’s largest archive of Welsh-language music — a cultural treasure that deserves both celebration and preservation. But what excites me most is the future: recording and developing new musical talent in Wales, sharing it with the world, unlocking the full potential of our back catalogue, and deepening our collaboration with local and creative communities.”

“Working on Don Leisure’s recent sample-based album Tyrchu Sain gave me the chance to dive back into the classic Sain records of the 1970s — a true golden era for Welsh-language music. The sound of those albums is incredible, and the artwork just as striking. Sampling artists like Brân, Edward H. Dafis, Sidan, Meic Stevens, and Hergest — to name just a few — took me right back to the original recordings, which feel every bit as powerful and influential today as they did back then.”

Dafydd Iwan said: “Sain has been a major part of my life for over half a century, and this feels like a new beginning.  I look forward for Sain to be an exciting part of the future Welsh music scene.”

There are a number of exciting releases planned for 2025/26 including the second edition in a new anthology series Stafell Sbâr Sain (Sain’s Spare Room). Curated by creative partners, the project sees up-and-coming and legacy artists recording in the iconic studio in north-west Wales and is set for release later this year. In addition, Sain will be releasing new music from some of the label’s most established names, as well as from new artists and collaborators. 

These new artists follow in the footsteps of indie favourites Catatonia, the genre-defying Endaf Emlyn, influential iconic folk singer Heather Jones, international opera star Bryn Terfel, and poet-musician Geraint Jarman — among hundreds of others who have recorded music with Sain.

In another new initiative at the Sain Centre in Llandwrog, freelancers, creatives and microbusinesses in north-west Wales can use co-working spaces at Canolfan Sain.

The expansion will offer a new hub for collaboration and innovation. Bookings and information is available on the new Sain website. 

Alongside playing a pivotal role in Welsh music history, the Sain Centre has also been a core part of its north-west Wales community for over half a century. The reimagining of the space at Canolfan Sain will further enhance creative opportunities in the area, while maintaining the state-of-the-art recording and production facilities that Sain Studios is known for.