Apparently a small independent, closely associated with the Vortex Punk club of Wardour Street and with NEMS Records (q.v.). Vortex was responsible for just one single, a split one which featured 'Can't Wait 'Til '78' by The Wasps on one side and Mean Street's 'Bunch Of Stiffs' on the other. The single came out in November 1977, and its catalogue number, NES-115, was taken from the main NEMS series. Both tracks were featured on Vortex's other release, a Various Artists album called 'Live At The Vortex - Volume One' (NEL-6013; 12/77) - sadly there wasn't a Volume Two. Given the catalogue numbers and the fact that the label design was the NEMS one with 'Vortex' scrawled across the logo I always assumed that both records were NEMS releases, but their sleeves credit Vortex Records Ltd, with NEMS being responsible for marketing and Pye for distribution; Pye also did the pressing. The Wasps had previously had a single out on the '4-Play' label (q.v.), while Mean Street had once had Gary Numan among its members - he left prior to the recording. Thanks to Barry Adcock for bringing Vortex to my attention and for supplying the picture.
Copyright 2018 Robert Lyons.