2010 was a very good vintage for London's independent labels, our clubbing editor Tomas Olesen takes a look at the three that have emerged as his favourites.
The constantly evolving landscape of London dance music is a tough place to make your mark and an especially hard place to excel above the competition. It's the crazy level of competition, however, that raises the overall standard and makes London the global musical powerhouse that it is. 2010 has been an especially rich year for UK music that has seen boundaries between genres blurred until really they don't matter any more. There were three labels that defined my 2010 musically. Although all quite different I think they're unified by a real desire to put out music that will stand the test of time, music made purely for the joy of making great music rather then to satisfy a marketing department.
Night Slugs
Bok Bok, L Vis 1990 and their fledgling label have had a stellar 2010. The music they and their roster of production talent make and release is unified not by an overriding style per se but by what it nods towards. You can see a direct link between their music and elements of all the best bass-led music from the last 30 years. It's rave updated, in fact if anything deserved that ridiculous NME-championed genre - Nu-Rave - it's really Night Slugs' releases. Personally the biggest win for the label has been the Girl Unit releases IRL and Wut. The former sounds like an ultra stripped down Al-Naafiysh by Hashim and the latter is easily my tune of 2010. Wut represents a milestone in electronic music in this country in the same way that things like D-Mob's We Call It Acieed, or A Guy Called Gerald's Voodoo Ray did, Night Slugs are truly the future of UK dance music, perhaps because they seem to understand it's past so intimately.
Eglo
Alex Nut and Floating Points' label has been a consistent joy in 2010. The music they're releasing, and the ethos behind it, all smacks of quality and love. From the fact that Floating Points lugs a very expensive custom built mixer to all his DJ gigs so that his beloved vinyl sounds at it's best, through to Fatima's ultimate running-man dance. There is a sense of fun, family and passion that is nothing but infectious. Personal favourite releases this year were Fatima's Mind Travelin EP which included the massive SaRa-esque Soul Glo produced by FunkinEven whose She's Acid/Must Move 12 is also a monster release. People's Potential by Floating Points is the other tune from the label that has been getting a lot of plays in the office but really nothing Eglo has put out this year has been anything but excellent.
BBE
2010 is also the year BBE became more to me than just the label putting out the incredible 'Beat Generation' series of LPs. They did this by releasing two of my favourite albums this year, TY's 'Special Kind Of Fool' and Richy Pitch's 'Ye Fre Me Ritchy Pitch'. As well as these they put out a slew of other good stuff like Gilles Peterson's Worldwide compilation, Pugs Atomz's 'The Decade' LP and the excellent 'Done It Again' EP by Space Invadas. Real music released by people who really love and believe in the music they're releasing.
Honourable mentions must also go to:
Planet Mu - who have continued to push the envelope and are the only label over here releasing the concentrated brain-itch that is Chicago footwork music.
Ninja Tunes - for celebrating two decades at the forefront of independent music in right royal style with lots of specials, give-aways and even a takeover of the Albert Hall at one point. Ninja are still what other independent labels hope to be when they grow up.
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