Urbantorque was established in 2001 by Journeys By DJ A&R, album artist and resident DJ, Jason Moore. Since then Jason, who had also been a seminal artist with Paper Recordings and resident DJ/Promoter at Heaven for five years, together with his trusty sidekick and A&R / Label Manager Leigh Morgan, have been making an impact by releasing music marked by their distinctive swerve on deep electronic music.
It was clear from the beginning that Urbantorque was not going to be just another independent label. The inspiration came from the club night Urbantorque, which Jason established in 1998 and ran at Heaven with Leigh as resident DJ. Urbantorques reputation was immediately seared on club-land's consciousness, with a line-up never before seen in the capital. Juan Atkins, techno godfather, launched his first ever European residency, and was joined by such luminaries as Carl Cox, Dave Angel, Lee Buridge, Craig Richards, Adam Freeland, Steve Lawler, Danny Rampling, Danny Howells, Terry Francis, DJ Vibe and Murk. In addition, Tyrant, Friction & Wiggle held sway in the middle room on rotation. Many pundits have commented that this set the blueprint for many of the clubs which followed in London. Urbantorque's stint in clubland culminated in the Essential Christmas Party 99 (In Association with Mixmag & ffrr) with Pete Tong, Pete Heller, Stanton Warriors, Felix Da Housecat and Lenny Fontana.
But Jason was not happy with just soaking-up what was going on in London. He spent countless weeks in Manchester, immersing himself in what he still considers to be the most inspirational musical scene in the UK. These were his formative years. He owes a lot to Pete Jenkinson from Paper, who was quick to spot the belief and passion which Jason held for underground house music.
Urbantorque the label began life in 2002, signing up new talent to form the basis for its blueprint. After an inspirational trip to the Miami Winter Music Conference in the same year, armed with a scorching sampler, the label won early plaudits from DJs as diverse as Deep Dish, Charles Webster, Sasha, Roger Sanchez, and James Zabiela. It quickly began to set the pace, releasing some of the best deep electronic music around, leading iDJ to comment: Urbantorque has released some of the best deep house to come out of the UK in a long chalk, and has consistently released spot-on dance-floor fare. The UKs best new house label?
Even in those early days Urbantorque was never a label to release record after record after record, adhering to a philosophy that emphasises quality over quantity and genuinely values artist development and A&R. Consequently, releases from the label are keenly anticipated by DJ's, press and fans alike. Urbantorque's early deep house sensibilities have morphed over the past years into a more electronic take on the deep; beautiful, emotive music that also impacts heavily on the dancefloor. Its a sound that often crosses boundaries, defies genres and ignores passing fads. Little surprise given the outlook of its founder.
"I remember the excitement I used to have for hunting down that illusive record, sitting in record shops waiting for the van-driver to turn up with the last delivery before the weekend, and for certain DJs and clubs. Sadly, there are far too many useless tossers who have got fat sitting pretty in their little cliques, and who have forgotten the reasons and the people who put them there. They've hijacked, creamed-off and fucked-up the most creative and inspiring reason why we all got into this business in the first place. I'm not interested in conforming or being accepted - that bores me. We're discovering new and exciting producers who have belief and attitude. Music is art and expression. It's not just about pleasing people. It should ask questions, challenge your comfort zones and evoke emotion. Most of all, it should stand for something; and that's what I hope we as a collective will do..." Jason Moore - Label Founder, Urbantorque Records.
Momentum at Urbantorque has been steadily building since its inception leading to the drafting-in of two other team members. Neil Quigley, a regular spinner at Bedrock and Renaissance events, is the labels A&R man. With an ear for what he describes as electronic house with soul, Neils almost neurotic search for deep musical gems is an unquestionable asset to the team. More recently, Tim Hirst has joined the crew of the good ship UT charged with spreading the word and raising the flag of Urbantorque as its Press and PR bod.
Urbantorque is now in the enviable position of boasting one of the strongest forthcoming release schedules of any electronic label. It will soon be putting out new material from Francois DuBois (aka Funk DVoid) whose recent cut Blood has been bubbling away on underground dancefloors and radio across the globe for some time now. Other releases to watch out for include the second EP from Milton Jackson, Lilo from Josh Collins, and tracks from hot new South American talent Sergio Munoz whos already won favour through his previous release with the likes of M.A.N.D.Y and DJ T. Urbantorque will also continue to break new talent through its digital-only imprint, which looks set to generate attention with the forthcoming EP from Irish prodigy, I Am An Exit.
A landmark approaches, as Urbantorque prepares to release its first artist album, Hole Funk by Harold Heath, while other exciting projects in the pipeline include a tie-up with Eye Industries on hotly-tipped new electronic band Relation's second single release, and albums from Slovenian band The Rotors, and the recently discovered Eat More Cake, who again promise much.
Sometimes quiet, often understated Urbantorque is yet to gain the recognition that it deserves. But, reassuringly, its the music that comes first; and the team at Urbantorque have got plenty more gems waiting to be unearthed and delivered to a waiting world.
Sasha & Digweed drop "Blood" by Francois Dubois at Crobar WMC '06
Sasha drops "I Just Wanna Live" by Harry Peat at the Yacht Party WMC '06
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