Hospital Records

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Hospital Records
Hospital Records.svg
Founded1996 (1996)
Founder
  • Tony Colman
  • Chris Goss
Distributor(s) Proper Music Distribution (Physical)
Merlin Network (Digital)
Genre
Country of originUK
LocationForest Hill, South London
Official website hospitalrecords.com

Hospital Records is a British independent record label based in South London. Primarily releasing drum and bass, the label was started in 1996 by Tony Colman (London Elektricity) and Chris Goss and has grown in recent years to become one of the most well-known labels within UK dance music. The label has been home to artists including Blame, Danny Byrd, Camo & Krooked, Logistics, Nu:Tone, Urbandawn, Metrik, Fred V & Grafix, High Contrast, and S.P.Y and releases music from across the DnB genre. In Forest Hill, South London, Hospital runs the publishing company Songs in the Key of Knife and their worldwide events brand, Hospitality. Until the end of 2019, they also ran the more experimental label Med School Music. [1]

Contents

From 2009 to 2011 and 2014 to 2021, Hospital Records has won the Best Label title at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards. [2] The label is also known for its frequent appearances in Playground Games' Forza Horizon series since Forza Horizon 2 as an in-game radio station, with Goss and Colman acting as DJs in the second, third, and fourth games in the series, while musician Degs replaces Colman as Goss's co-DJ in Forza Horizon 5 .

Current roster

The following musicians are signed to Hospital Records. [3]

Hospitality

A Hospitality night at Heaven Ibiza, 2007 Hospitality.jpg
A Hospitality night at Heaven Ibiza, 2007

'Hospitality' is Hospital Record's event brand. Drum and bass events involving a set of artists from the label are often advertised as 'Hospitality' events, with events such as 'Hospitality Brixton'. [6]

In 2014 Hospital Records celebrated its 18th birthday by revisiting some of the venues it had used for past Hospitality events. The first event took place at 02 complex in Greenwich, London. This was formerly the Matter nightclub. On 4 May Hospitality visited Heaven near Charing Cross station in central London . [7]

In 2017, the label turned 21, a milestone marked by the release of a 'best of' compilation album featuring a selection of tracks produced by the label during its lifetime. [8] Named 'We are 21', the album was released as a precursor to a year of planned events celebrating the breadth and variety of the entire drum and bass spectrum. These include the follow-up to 2016's award-winning Hospitality in the Park festival in London's Finsbury Park, where a sold-out crowd of over 10,000 watched more than 100 artists performing across 5 stages in a single day. The festival marked a step into unknown territory for the label, is by far the largest Hospitality event ever planned. The day was later described by label boss Tony Colman (Aka London Elektricity) on his weekly podcast as, "One of the best days of my life."

Hospitality in the Park 2017 set out to be even more ambitious. 2,500 extra tickets were made available, taking the crowd capacity up to 12,500. Despite this, the event sold out once more. With many more performers than at even the record-breaking 2016 event – this time appearing in one of eight different arenas – the festival further broadened its already eclectic focus. [9] Hospitality in the Park has returned for the following 2 years.

Other big events for the label included the sold-out Hospitality in the Dock, which took place in April 2017 in London's sprawling Grade 1 listed tobacco dock. This was the biggest indoor event ever held by Hospital Records, again showcasing a wide variety of acts across a number of stages. Hospitality in the Dock built on the success of Hospitality in the Park 2016 and further underlined the importance of the label to both the industry and the genre. The unprecedented size, scale, and success of these events have cemented the reputation of Hospital Records as one of the leading players in the industry.

In 2018, another main event, Hospitality on the Beach, took place at The Garden Resort in Tisno, Croatia. The event was a 5-day beach festival that included boat parties, beach-side stages as well as sets featuring artists from the Hospital and Med School labels, along with many other artists from other labels such as Critical Music and Spearhead Records. The event has returned for 2019 and will also return for 2020. [10]

Hospital Records provides a number of compilation albums throughout the year named 'Hospitality'. The albums contain tracks, VIP mixes, and remixes from both artists of the label as well as artists outside the label, such as Genetic Bros, Cyantific, Sub Zero, and TC. All of the albums contain about 30 tracks, as well as a mix (mixed by recognised DJs such as London Elektricity, Stanza, and Tomahawk) containing all of the tracks in the album.

Subsidiaries

Soulvent Records

In May 2020, Hospital Records first showed interest to support Drum-and-bass label Soulvent Records. In June 2022, it was announced that the label will join Hospital as an imprint. [11]

Songs in the Key of Knife

Working in partnership with long-established music publishers Fairwood Music Ltd, Nichion Inc and Westbury Music Ltd, Songs in the Key Of Knife makes every effort to develop the careers of both established and emerging writers whilst maximising the potential of their works. [12]

Clinic Talent

In 2015 Hospital created its in-house booking agency, Clinic Talent. Clinic Talent manages bookings for a range of DJs, MCs, and live acts, some signed to Hospital and some from other labels. Acts include Hospital CEO London Elektricity. Clinic Talent is managed by Blu Mar Ten.

MedSchool

In 2006, an imprint particularly designed for newcomers was set up, some of which were S.P.Y., Keeno and Etherwood. The label ceased operations in 2019. [13] [ non-primary source needed ]

Podcast

Tony Colman was the original host of the Hospital Records Podcast. He was occasionally joined by a guest from the label or an up-and-coming unsigned artist. Colman often played demos from budding producers on the podcast. [14]

Starting in April 2022, the Hospital-signed DJ Degs took over as the main host of the podcast. [15]

The podcast has won the BT Digital Music Award for Best Podcast in 2006, 2007 [16] and 2008.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drum and bass</span> Type of electronic music

Drum and bass is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast breakbeats with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, samples, and synthesizers. The genre grew out of the UK's jungle scene in the 1990s.

Kava Kava is an English rock band/live dance act from Huddersfield, England featuring the vocals, production, and songwriting of Pat Fulgoni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Contrast</span> Welsh musical artist (born 1979)

Lincoln Barrett, better known by the stage name High Contrast, is a Welsh electronic music producer, DJ and record producer. He produces drum and bass music, and his 2009 album Confidential reached BPI gold certification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Elektricity</span> English electronic musician

Tony Colman, better known by his stage name London Elektricity, is an English electronic musician and the co-founder and CEO of Hospital Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquid funk</span> Subgenre (music) of drum and bass

Liquid funk, liquid drum & bass, liquid DnB, melodic drum & bass, or sometimes just liquid is a subgenre of drum and bass. While it uses similar basslines and bar layouts to other styles, it contains fewer bar-oriented samples and more instrumental layers, harmonies, melodies and ambiance, producing a sentimental atmosphere directed at home listeners as well as nightclub and rave audiences. Music genres such as jazz, soul and sometimes blues have a pivotal influence on liquid funk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nu:Tone</span> Musical artist

Dan Gresham, better known by the stage name Nu:Tone, is a British drum and bass producer who is signed to the Hospital Records label.

Drum and bass is an electronic music genre that originated in the UK rave scene having developed from breakbeat hardcore. The genre would go on to become one of the most popular genres of electronic dance music, becoming international and spawning multiple different derivatives and subgenres.

Matt Gresham, better known by his stage name Logistics, is an English drum and bass music producer and DJ from Cambridge, England. He is signed to Hospital Records and has released eight albums.

Nu:Logic is a collaboration between drum and bass producer brothers Dan Gresham (Nu:Tone) and Matt Gresham (Logistics), both of Cambridge, England.

<i>Syncopated City</i> 2008 studio album by London Elektricity

Syncopated City is the fourth studio album and sixth album overall by liquid funk act London Elektricity. It was released on LP on September 1, 2008, on CD on the September 26, 2008, and via digital download a day later. Before release, several of the songs featured on the album were played on the Hospital Podcast presented by London Elektricity frontman Tony Colman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camo & Krooked</span> Austrian electronic music duo

Camo & Krooked are an electronic music duo from Vienna, Austria with their musical roots embedded in drum and bass, consisting of Reinhard "Camo" Rietsch and Markus "Krooked" Wagner.

Matia Lenická, also known by the stage name B-Complex, is a drum and bass producer and DJ from Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2015, she came out as bi-gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrik</span> English electronic music producer

Tom Mundell, better known as Metrik, is an English electronic music producer from London. He has been releasing records since 2007 and currently is one of the top drum and bass producers in the world, with 888,000 monthly listeners on Spotify as of spring 2023.

Will Keen, known by his stage name Keeno, is a British record producer and DJ from Winchester, known for adding orchestral elements to drum and bass. His debut album, Life Cycle, was released on 30 June 2014 through Hospital Records' imprint label Med School. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 198, the UK Dance Chart at number 13 and the UK Indie Chart at number 34. Keeno has also received airplay on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra drum and bass shows.

Edward "Woody" Allen is a British record producer and singer-songwriter from Lincoln, England. He has released four studio albums, five singles and numerous remixes under the name Etherwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultraviolet (Fred V & Grafix song)</span> 2016 single by Fred V & Grafix

"Ultraviolet" is a single by English drum and bass record production duo Fred V & Grafix. It was released on 18 March 2016 as the lead single from their second studio album, Oxygen (2016). "Ultraviolet" features vocals from Bristol-based singer-songwriter Chelsea Watts. The B-side track "Comb Funk" features vocal samples from singer Shannon Kitchen. Both tracks have been played on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra by British DJs MistaJam and Friction.

S.P.Y is a Bristol based Brazilian DJ, record producer and musician from São Paulo, Brazil. He is influenced by genres such as house, UK garage, R&B and the jungle sound. He primarily releases his music through Hospital Records, the UK-based independent drum and bass music label. His DJ name was Spyder, but two months before the release of his first track he had to change it because another producer from America also released an EP under the same name. He left the last three letters out and changed his name to S.P.Y or SPY.

Robert Dickeson, known by his stage names Apex and Robert Oaks was a British drum and bass music producer and DJ from Kent, England.

Hospitality in the Park is an outdoor one-day music festival held annually in Finsbury Park, London, England. Held since 2016, when it launched it was the first outdoor event in the UK based solely around drum and bass music.

References

  1. ↑ "We close the doors of Med School…". Medschoolmusic.com. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "Drum&BassArena Awards 2020". Awards.breakbeat.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "Hospital Records – Artists". hospitalrecords.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  4. ↑ Muniz, Chris (2 September 2014). "Logistics Interview". Kmag. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Hospital Records – nulogic". hospitalrecords.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Hospitality" . Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Hospitality London 2014". Hospitality 2014. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "Hospitality 21 2017". Hospitalityrecords.com. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Hospitality in the Park 2017". Hospitalityinthepark.london. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  10. ↑ "Hospitality On The Beach". Hospitalityonthebeach.com. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  11. ↑ "SOULVENT RECORDS JOINS FORCES WITH HOSPITAL". ukf.com. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  12. ↑ Songs in the Key Of Knife Songs In The Key Of Knife – Home
  13. ↑ Med School | Twitter
  14. ↑ "Hospital Records". 13 May 2007. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  15. ↑ "Degs is the New Host of The Hospital Records Podcast". 6 April 2022.
  16. ↑ BT Digital Music BT Digital Music Awards 2007 – All the winners Archived 23 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine

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