June 19, 2000 9:00

'TONE FREE!

[b]'Tone Def'[/b] will offer bands the opportunity to bypass record company machinations..

THE DEFTONES are in the process of setting up their own record label, and are are naming it 'TONE DEF'.

The band, who have just released their new album 'White Pony', came up with the idea after being frustrated with modern record company machinations. Singer Chino Moreno told nme.com: "One band we are working with sound really epic, Tool-esque. I don't want to reveal their name just yet but their music just starts at one place and takes you to outta space, kind of like 'Star Wars' type music. This is a band we are working with right now but are not sure exactly when it will come out."

When pressed on precisely why the Sacramento quintet felt the need to join the ranks of label heads Fred Durst, Dexter Holland, Trent Reznor and Lars Ulrich. Moreno commented: "A lot of bands know the type of music people want to hear as opposed to what an A&R guy or 50 year-old sitting in an office behind a desk thinks.

"We live around music and are constantly seeing bands play. We are basically our own A&R people but we are doing it for our own label, and hopefully once we start releasing music people will benefit from it."

Meanwhile, bassist Chi Cheng is recording a spoken-word album. The dreadlocked guitarist has a penchant for writing poetry, and has already completed two books, with the first volume due for publication this year.