OTEL-records was founded in Berlin in 1998. It started in a small backyard studio in Prenzlauer Berg, producing music for Leto Love, the Lightning Voices, DJ Bohne, and The Watchdogs. Production began with an analog four-channel mixing console, a Groovebox MC303, a Kawai synthesizer, a used condenser microphone, and a 33MHz PC.

CD writer were not yet widely available, so in 1998, production began with an initial run of 10 CDs that had to be meticulously mastered on DAT and then pressed onto CDs. CD covers had to be produced in a print shop and cut to the correct format by hand. Until the turn of the millennium, many productions were created in this manner, with quantities reaching up to 200 units.

Today, OTEL-records exclusively produces music digitally in its studio in Mittenwald and distributes Leto Love's music worldwide through the internet.

Since its founding days, OTEL-records has also intermittently produced videos and short films across various genres. Starting in 2011, the sale of film material became the primary source of income for OTEL-records and remained so until the move from Berlin to Bavaria in 2012.

OTEL-records is now primarily a creative hub, a melting pot of creativity for audio and video production. It serves as a home for artists, companions, friends, and colleagues who have become a family over the decades.