After the closure of Equinox Records in 2013, The Artless Cuckoo marked the continuation of DJ Scientist’s work as a label curator. The new imprint shifted its focus toward reissuing music from the 1970s and 1980s.

An information text from 2015 described the label’s ethos as follows:
“The Artless Cuckoo loves discovering music from around the world in dusty record bins or on old master reels—it’s a never-ending, exciting challenge.”

Notably, the label’s focus was never limited to material recorded in Germany. In fact, its first intended project was a Soviet Groove compilation, which ultimately did not materialize due to rights issues. However, a poster released in 2015 still reflects this original concept.

On August 23, 2022, it was announced that the label would be closed and directly continued under the new imprint, The Outer Edge.