Six Degrees Records, San Francisco’s independent modern world music label, has made a name for themselves over the past 10 years. Their rep is for issuing innovative recordings by musicians and producers from all over the globe, many of whom have unique takes on melding world music traditions with the digital age. Their impressive catalogue includes recordings by Ceu, Cheb i Sabbah, Karsh Kale, Bebel Gilberto, Banco de Gaia, the Real Tuesday Weld, the Bombay Dub Orchestra, Willie Porter, King Britt, DO (Omar Sosa and Greg Landau), DJ Spooky, Steve Tibbetts and Chöying Drolma, and DJ-composer-producer Tom Middleton, one half of Global Communication; Middleton’s autobiographical Lifetracks album is being reviewed — and enjoyed — globally. Here’s a sample from the cut “Serendipity.” The label also released the 2007 Latin Grammy winner for best Flamenco recording, Techarí by Ojos de Brujo. Here’s a sample. They’ve done a number of soundtracks too, including the award-winning Genghis Blues. Six Degrees is a music freak’s label if there ever was one.

Six Degrees is meeting the download age head-on. Last year they launched a smart, cagey new imprint called Emerging Artists. The EA label releases digital-only EPs by musicians and producers, using the internet’s virtual marketplace to both garner excitement and spread the word by virtue of sound and other media. Rather than spend lavishly on physical product that has to be sent to distributors, SD has invested its capital on getting these new artists’ releases to every major digital download site, and they promote the product like crazy. In addition, the Six Degrees website is hosting a killer introduction to EA. For the past month they have been releasing a free digital download each week from some of their signings — like Indo-jazztronica duo Alien Chatter, producer-performer-songwriter Harri Kakoulli (at right, former bassist of Squeeze), DJ-producer David Starfire, Brazilian electro-pop sensations Da Cruz, and ZAMAN 8 & Hafez Modir. These tracks are all DRM-free. What are you waiting for? Go here now.