opinions on labels

[rhythmtech]

theres been a lot of chat on labels here but not many people will mention names. so i'm gonna give my honest opinion on some of the labels i can think of off then top of my head.. hope you all join in and speak your minds.


Established labels firstly...

stayupforever - was a great label up to 35ish.. went badly downhill from release 50... just started picking up again.

SUF rmx - again, was great but has become stale lately with the same few producers releaseing most of the stuff.

cluster - great label, a little lost in the market at the moment but always tyring something new and hard.

routemaster.. who knows. would love to hear something new. ;)

pounding grooves - always interesting if not perfect but has had a few absolute classics, top notch all round label. (need more!!!)

skank - wasnt my cuppa tea starting out but has developed into a class acid label.

powertools - when its good its very good, but can be a little hit and miss.

4x4 - started great. hit a low - sounding top class again with a very nice mix of producers recently.

apex - love it for the experimentation. doesnt always get it right but is miles ahead of other labels in innovation.

hydraulix - went from strength to strength then evened out, now storming again with some complete changes in direction.

glitch - dodgy to brilliant and now of to somewhere else.. not my cuppa music wise anymore but alex believes in it.

max min - sorry chris, never a huge fan (with one or two noteable exceptions)

raw - started out great, took a very bad nosedive (although not sales wise) but has picked up a little with some fresh blood coming in. i'll be keeping an eye on it.

hazchem - started great but been very hit or miss since release 8/9

racetrax - always solid but never really exceptional - good djs label

bionic orange - first couple of releases a little odd but then turned into a fantastic label, havent heard much lately though

wah wah - nice idea to update the classic sound. gets it right 80%. which is a good rate.

newer labels...

betamax - great so far, keep it up!

emetic - hit and miss

kickthedrum - gettin stronger with each release (6 is gonna be huge)

super conductor - a refreshing change, where i think cluster shoulda gone.

spartek - spot on first release. 100% techno from android.

tremors - (not really new but new to me) didnt really take much notice untill the last 3/4. fischer & murphy release was top!


anyway if i've left anyone out sorry... my head hurts after all that.
if anyone involved with any of these labels reads a bad comment, please dont be offended. its just one persons opinion and i probably love other stuff you've done anyway!!!

peace.

[tOM B]

honest opinions eh, no offence ment to anyone



stayupforever - used to buy every one as a matter of course but stopped after 50, as you say baz some of the more recent releases have been a return to form

SUF rmx - used to be ace but seem to be doing remixes for the sake of it a bit these days, i'd like to see more different producers doing the remixing in a wider variety of styles like they used to.

cluster - again i used to buy every one but got a bit more more picky after 50. i love the fact they always represent the harder end of the sound. not so into the newer releases myself but can see where they're trying to go (harder)

routemaster.. probably my favourite acid techno label, would love to see some new stuff, come on lawrie get back on the 303

pounding grooves - love this label, always sound different on a big rig and never afraid to be off the wall

skank - seems to me a lot are very samey, love the ddr release though would like to see a few folks other than the geezer having a go

powertools - responsable for a lot of great tunes, thought it hit a mediocre patch between 24 and 30 but seems to be right back on form now

4x4 - really like the off the wallness of this label, not all of them are that playable but it's clever stuff. The last four or five releases have blown my head apart

apex - really love some tunes on apex, others are not so great but love the general vibe of the label

hydraulix - always worth a listen, so many ridiculously good tunes - a few duff ones as well though

glitch - not into where the labels going now myself but has put out some amazing tunes

max min - i've tried really hard but just can't get into it

raw - very samey, was great when it started cause it was fresh now i tend to think there'll be one release worth having every now and again so will always check them out

hazchem - love the old skool tip going on - the older ones are the better ones though

racetrax - i really like racetrax, good solid pumping tunes, no 4 and no 6 stand out for me

bionic orange - been some fabulous stuff come out on this label, don't know what i think of the newest couple of releases need to hear them on a big clear system to make my mind up (hard to forget barndance and sonic eruptor though)

wah wah - Again a bit samey, two or three really good releases but let's see a few more producers not just the geezer and aaron again

newer labels...

betamax - great so far, keep it up! - same as that

kickthedrum and more punk than funk - imo some of the freshest tunes out there. just seem to get better and better

super conductor - i like where it's going, keen to see more

spartek - great first release, time will tell...

emetic & tremors - some are good some are not


in general i think there's some great stuff about at the moment and lots of different directions being taken which can only be a good thing - inevitably we're not all going to like all of them, i think unfortunately some labels go through patches of being very formulaic and a bit samey - be nice to see some different producers get in on the action to stir things up a bit

no offence ment to anyone any negative comments are purely down to taste, i have loads of respect for anyone going out there and doing there thing whether i like it or not and i'm sure there's even a max min out there i like somewhere ;)

[nihilist]

i feel preety much the same about these lables but cant be botherd to wright a big list as my head is swimming with snot,but i would have to say that i have loved every skank and caned them to disstruction allso have to say the same about wahwah aprt from a couple of tunes.
raw,max min,superconductor and pounding grooves i just dont get.

but dont ya find that when some one plays a tunes you think what the hell was that? only to find it was from one of those lables you generaly dont like?

suppose theres a lesson to learn from that---- take tunes on their merrits not from what youve heard on the lable before

[rhythmtech]

i would never dismiss a tune on label alone. i must admit there are times when i find myself seeing a new release and saying to myself "oh no... i know what this is gonna sound like", but i still make sure i listen. sometimes i can be surprised but sometimes i'm proven right in my own head.. but yeah, you gotta listen to everything that you can..

[Aratron]

PowerTools - The First 11 were classics. then up to around pwt 26 i thought the label went a bit gay (and not gay in the cool sense of the word)
then since 26 the label has gonew back to its roots and i cant stop listening to it.

Glitch - Glitch 7 is probably the best dance record i have heard - period.
Hit and miss

RAW - Ave some of that you wankers was great. soemof the stuff is hit n miss. you gotta be in a RAW mood. No complaints.

MAX MIN - Some of it has been garbage - but htere are some gems - i heard GREASE the other day and i was like wtf - awesome.

HYDRO - Totally amazing - seems to have lost its way from around 23 on imo. Dave the drummer trying to please everyone and not pulling it off imo.

4x4 - Jamiie Ball Stuff was amazing

Pounding Grooves - Really cool, my favorite label , i love the sound - dont what happened to no 34 though. last release 36 last March 2005. Makes me kind of depressed whats happening here. i know Mr cullen and immersion are doing some stuff. all i can say is get on with it!!

Routemaster - Last really good release was Lochi - Mow That Lawn oh yeah and steve stoll ( but you know what i mean ) . like everyone else i just cant wiat for the next release.

Infected - Ok . Last one was amazing - Deeper inside myself

Bionic Orange - Home of the best acid ever written period.

Skankadelic - Its all good.

Wah Wah / Yolk - Some good amongst the dross.

Cluster - Like playing 'Deal or No Deal' - you could end up with 250,00o grand or just a measley quid.

[The Germ]

what about torque, boscaland, choci chewns, Bag, Input Records, No Entry, Sidewalk Theroy, XSXSXS, Shimmy, Subvert, Techno Slut

some beats on those labels even Tec Records!

I miss playing those records
haha im kidding that label is to mellow for me

[rhythmtech]

like i said it was just of the top of my head...

there was a tune or two on tec - kektex - next phase was a classic.

[nihilist]

no entry and re-entry where class labels, still play some today

[AcidTrash]

SUF - Hit and miss. Very polar with little in between
No Entry/Re-entry - !!!!!!!!!! Wish they made more
Hydraulix - Superb
Skank - Untouchable at times
Wah Wah - good but not as good as skank
RAW - Bland
Routemater - Occaisional gems
Powertools - strength to strength
MaxMin - Lost on me
Superconductor - not bad at all
Glitch - Not bad. The hamster EP was great

[tOM B]

No entry were great - i remember the launch party in norwich... whatever happened to Mark Tyler??

[benji303]

suf - one of my all time favs about 98% of the tunes on this label are amazing
suf remix - bit of a hit n miss some times some amazing remixes like that latest drugs one by ap, but some time its just the same old rinsed formula
cluster - good solid techno most of the time, the early ones are deffo better
routemaster - same story as suf, one of my all time favs i dont think theres one tune on this whole label i dont not like :)
pounding grooves - okish tunes nothing really amazing, some good funky numbers
techno slut - the odd ok tune, rest is garbage, nothing compared to his mighty routemaster label
skank - some nice fast acidic monsters on his label, nice for ending sets with
powertools - some thing different to the other london techno stuff, some good tunes on this label
4x4 - never my cuppa tea only really liked the funky town one
apex - well produced techno, good funky tunes most of the time
hydraulix - brill label, metalic sounding nosies, nice label
max min - never really liked this label, couple of good tunes
raw - nice tunes for djing with in the house, some good tunes on here 9, 12,13 and 21 but most of them its the same old overused formula
hazchem - good label old skool sounding riffs and bubling 303s
bionic orange - nearly all good tunes, great label from the bastard
wah wah - great label all tunes on this label have been good so far apart from a couple
skankadelic - real shame this label stopped was some rite bangers
cant think of any more to mind?

[ChubbyGibbon]

Skank, Bionic Orange and Glitch are my favourites.

[DannyBlack]

stayupforever - I cut my acid teeth on this label. It still holds a place in my heart, as Baz says after 35ish it went a bit... I dunno, not to my taste.

SUF rmx - Good stuff. I dont own any but there have been some belters.

cluster - Love this label, it can do no wrong.

routemaster- love it. Have a couple of them, original copies.

pounding grooves - Indeed, we need more.

skank - Never heard of it.

powertools - As Baz says, hit and miss at times. BUt all in all some corkers.

4x4 - Savage labels.

apex - Yeah, from what Ive heard- top notch.

hydraulix - Consitantly savage.

glitch - Adore this label.

max min - Huge fan of this label. Esp midnight black and limehouse green.

raw - I own the Pink one, but apart from that- ah, I just dunno.

hazchem - Not heard much to form an opinion.

racetrax - Never heard.

bionic orange - Not too sure on this one tbh.

wah wah - Yeah, good just not too sure.

newer labels...

betamax - Never heard.

emetic - Interesting stuff.

kickthedrum - yes. just good. Fact.

super conductor - unsure.

spartek - never heard.

tremors - unsure.

[ChubbyGibbon]

skank - Never heard of it.


max min - Huge fan of this label. Esp midnight black and limehouse green.


racetrax - Never heard.



Theres some belters on Racetrax and Skankadelic. Skank 11 and 14 are crazy good on both sides.
I agree that Limehouse green on max min is a corker.

[DannyBlack]

Must check em out then!

[APC]

bumped this one to remind me to add to it later.

[teknohead]

hydraulix is by far the best imo (except for a odd couple of guff tunes) but every label will have a some bad release`s,you can`t expect classic tune after tune. i didn`t like any of the glitch and apex releases,what about these labels nobody has mention c.o.s.h.h,yolk,smitten,havok ?again hit & miss

[-LETHAL-ONE-]

no one mentioned "organgrinder"? "intensiv"? "FU2"? These labels had some bad ass tracks that were the bizznezz!!!!

[ChubbyGibbon]

Also I dont think Getafix has been mentioned. Probably the label with the most balls.

Speaking of which just found 7 new Getafix vinyls on ebay for 18 quid, I think Im a winner!

[acidpisar]

Also I dont think Getafix has been mentioned. Probably the label with the most balls.

Speaking of which just found 7 new Getafix vinyls on ebay for 18 quid, I think Im a winner!

Good price...but they sold it on auctions befor and i won same 7Getafix tunes for 4pounds.I think i'm winner :)

[ChubbyGibbon]

Good price...but they sold it on auctions befor and i won same 7Getafix tunes for 4pounds.I think i'm winner :)

Haha Nice one.