– – SPECIAL OFFER – –

All albums featured on this anniversary album are available now for 25% OFF! View the track list below to find all the album [click on the catalogue number in blue in the track title].

*Offer valid through Friday, October 3, 2025 at the end of day Central Europe Time (CET). Discount will be applied automatically at checkout.

[I] consistently hear greater clarity, transparency, and dynamics in Pure DSD256 files over both [my] Playback Designs MPD-8 and Teac UD-501 DACs. The sonics are consistent across both DACs. Subjectively, the Pure DSD256 files just make [me] feel closer to the music; the sound is more natural, more real.
– Rushton Paul, Positive Feedback (view article)

The Beginning: Recordings in Stereo 16 bit. 44.1kHz PCM
In 1999, the idea arose to start our own label, one that had significantly different rules than those in effect at the time. Our label would, above all, give more voice to the musicians’ artistic freedom. The programming would not be determined by the label, but by the musicians’ explicit wishes. The name “Cobra” was chosen after the painters’ group Cobra (Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam), which rebelled against the established order almost 100 years ago. But Cobra also represents a snake that weaves its way through everything.

A Friendly, High-Quality Label
Our label became increasingly recognizable in terms of content. Productions increasingly became “storytelling” albums—much more than just a collection of beautiful/well-performed repertoire. The story got around. And more musicians spontaneously reached out to us. The musicians brought in projects for which they were deeply motivated to tell story—to share something meaningful that connected all of the music. This artistic freedom found a great match with Cobra Records, and the albums we released received many rave reviews. We quickly became known as a friendly, high-quality label.

Pure DSD for the 25th Anniversary Producer’s Choice Vol. 1
For the 25th anniversary compilation album of Cobra Records, I have chosen to select from the recordings we made in DSD during this period of 2007-2014. To achieve the most accurate and transparent reproduction of these recordings, I asked NativeDSD mastering engineer Tom Caulfield to re-master all the tracks entirely in the DSD domain, without any PCM in the mixing process.

To accomplish this, the original, unmixed DSD tracks from our archive were collected. The result is a complete Pure DSD album that matches the original recording perfectly, but in sound quality that even better matches what I hear in the studio. For more information about this, please refer to NativeDSD’s article What We Mean By Pure DSD.

The recordings on this compilation album are a selection of projects recorded in DSD 64 since 2007. The transition to the highest recording quality available at the time was in line with our philosophy of dedicating ourselves to the utmost dedication in all aspects of our projects. (From 2017 onward, this would be DSD 256.)
This selection is very personal. Often, sweet memories or impressive memories that unfolded during the sessions, but especially the beauty of the performances that these tracks showcase. Many albums mark the beginning of long-term collaborations with musicians, while others yielded a fine debut that led to opportunities with major labels. We can still be proud of both.

I encourage listeners to listen to these tracks with an open mind, savour the beautiful sounds, and, above all, discover the fascinating story behind each release. You’ll undoubtedly discover gems that will pique your interest in the entire accompanying album. I wish you much listening pleasure!

– Tom Peeters, Cobra Records (founder/manager/engineer)

Dimitri Ferschtman (Track 1)
Mila Baslawskaja (Track 1)
Osiris Trio (Track 2)
Trio Suleika (Track 3)
Cuarteto Quiroga (Tracks 4, 6, 12)
Música Temprana (Tracks 5, 10, 14)
Hannes Minnaar (Track 7)
Philippe Graffin (Tracks 8, 11)
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra (Track 8)
Ari Rasilainen (Track 8)
Sirius Saxophone Quartet (Track 9)
Brabants Orkest (Track 11)
Winds Unlimited (Track 13)
Lisa Jacobs (Track 15)
The String Soloists (Track 15)
Chen Halevi (Track 16)
Noam Greenberg (Track 16)
Mengjie Han (Track 17)