| Never Say Die Records | |
|---|---|
| Official logo for Never Say Die Records (since 28 July 2015) | |
| Founded | 17 July 2009 |
| Founder | SKisM Nicholas "Mobscene" Sadler |
| Defunct | 2 April 2022 |
| Status | Inactive |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Location | Clacton-On-Sea, England, United Kingdom |
| Official website | wewillneversaydie |
Never Say Die Records (NSD), commonly referred to and known as Never Say Die, was a British electronic music record label well-known for releasing bass music, dubstep, and trap music records [1] The label was home to artists such as Dodge & Fuski, Dr. Ozi, Eptic, Habstrakt, Kompany, Megalodon, LAXX, Spag Heddy, Must Die!, Trampa, and Zomboy. [2]
Never Say Die was founded and incorporated as a limited company (LTD) in London on 17 July 2009 by two dubstep artists: Thomas Petais (aka SKisM) [3] and Nicholas "Mobscene" Sadler. [4] Petais founded Never Say Die because he "wanted to continue making bass music and working in the industry" due to the decline of the breaks scene; a scene he used to be in. [5] On 7 December 2009, Never Say Die released its very first single, with remixes from other artists, called Ruffneck 09 by Ctrl-Z & The Freestylers with vocals from Reggae artist Navigator.
The name "Never Say Die" is a reference to a quote "Goonies Never Say Die" from the 1985 film called The Goonies. Petais owned merchandise from the film, and selected the name for the label because of that fact. [5] [6]
In February 2013, Never Say Die launched its very first sublabel called No Tomorrow Recordings as "a new platform for artists wanting to reach out to other genres [outside of Never Say Die's primary genres] like electro, trap and much more". [7] On 6 May 2013 the label collaborated with electronic music news outlet Your EDM to set up a launch party to celebrate the release of Eptic's Mastermind EP. [8]
In April 2014, the label won Best Label from The Bass Music Awards (BMA). [9] [10]
Never Say Die moved its headquarters twice: first from London to Birmingham, England in 2016 and, finally to its current location, from Birmingham to Clacton-on-Sea, England in 2021. [4]
In 2019, Never Say Die celebrated its 10th anniversary by going having various of its artists perform at the Shrine Exposition Hall in Los Angeles, the Mission Ballroom in Denver, Electric Brixton in London, and the Eden Club in Chengdu [11] [12] [13] [14]
On 2 April 2022 Never Say Die announced and explained that it would no longer release any more tracks due to its team "achiev[ing] everything [it] set out to do (and more...)" and wanting "to move onto other things". [15] [16] [17] The record label hasn't dissolved, thus making the label inactive instead. [4]
On 30 March 2014 Never Say Die launched a sublabel called Black Label where its darker-themed, and "simple but wonky groove[d]" tracks were released. Black Label was started because for a sound to accommodate the "new underswell of dubstep that was happening at the time". [18] [10] [19] [5] Those that were considered more melodic submissions were released on NSD. In March 2021, the sublabel was discontinued due to the music, being released on both NSD Black Label and NSD, sounding relatively indifferent from one another, compared to both labels' respective vision. [20] [21] The record label released 2,000 free NFTs via to commemorate the sublabel's legacy. [22] [23]
In 2013, Never Say Die's founders co-founded, along with Dodge & Fuski, Disciple Records. In 2017, Petais accused Disciple Records, via Facebook and Twitter, of "copying [Never Say Die's] marketing scheme". Disciple Records acknowledged that while Never Say Die "contributed towards early label expenses..." and "introduc[ed]. numerous contacts" to set itself up for success, it rebutted by stating that it wasn't a "marketing ploy on [Disciple's] part". [24] [25]
The record label released a total of 53 compilation albums and EPs on its primary label and Black Label to showcase music by its artists.
| Title | Details | Recording Type |
|---|---|---|
| Never Say Die (Deluxe Edition) [121] |
| Album |
| Spectrasonic |
| EP |
| Never Say Die, Vol. 2 [122] |
| Album |
| Never Say Die Fifty [123] |
| |
| Never Say Die, Vol. 3 [124] |
| |
| Never Say Die, Vol. 4 |
| |
| Never Say Die One Hundred [5] |
| |
| Never Say Die, Vol. 5 [125] |
| |
| Never Say Die, Vol. 6 [126] |
| |
| Black Ops: Enhanced |
|
| Title | Details | Recording Type |
|---|---|---|
| Black Label Vol. 1 [18] |
| EP |
| Black Label Vol. 2 |
| |
| Black Label Vol. 3 |
| |
| Black Label XL [127] |
| Album |
| Black Label XL 2 [128] |
| |
| Black Label XL 3 [129] |
| |
| Black Label XXL [130] |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 1 |
| EP |
| Black Ops I |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 2 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 3 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 4 |
| |
| Black Ops II [131] |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 5 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 6 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 7 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 8 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 9 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 10 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 11 |
| |
| Black Label XL 4 |
| Album |
| Black Ops III |
| EP |
| Black Friday Vol. 12 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 13 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 14 [132] |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 15 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 16 [133] |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 17 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 18 [134] |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 19 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 20 |
| |
| Black Friday Vol. 21 |
| |
| Black Ops XL [135] |
| Album |
| Black Friday Vol. 22 |
| EP |
| Black Friday Vol. 23 |
| |
| Black Label XL 5 |
| Album |
| Black Friday Vol. 24 |
| EP |
| Black Ops IV [136] |
| |
| Black Ops XL II |
| Album |
| Black Label XL 6 [137] |
| |
| Black Ops V |
| EP |
| Black Label XL 7 [138] [139] |
| |
| Black Ops XL III |
| Album |
He's following it up with "Here To Stay," a glossy new single out March 4 on NSD's new imprint No Tomorrow, meant to expand the label's focus from its dubstep specialty... "The big difference between the two labels will be purely musical," says Zomboy. "Never Say Die has built an incredible reputation around the world of dubstep, and is often seen to be at the forefront of the genre. No Tomorrow, however, will be a new platform for artists wanting to reach out to other genres like electro, trap and much more."
Born from NSD in 2014 was a sub-label, Black Label. It earned a prestigious reputation in bass music circles for its releases ...