Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started in 1993 by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut, with a strong leaning towards electronic, alternative hip hop, instrumental hip hop, nu jazz, drum and bass, and chillout music.
The label has developed a number of DJs, producers, and live acts. Ninja Tune's sister imprints, Ntone (now defunct) and Big Dada, specialise in experimental electronic music and hip-hop, respectively. The label has a satellite office in Montreal, Quebec, owned and managed by Jeff Waye. In 1994 Matt Black's close friend Mixmaster Morris introduced Matt to Openmind a DJ & design collective in Camberwell at the Telepathic Fish chill-out club they were running. Openmind included Kevin Foakes aka Strictly Kev of DJ Food. After submitting a re-styled company logo he was employed by Ninja Tune in the capacity of overall design consultant.
In 1995 Shadow Records start to collaborate with Ninja Tune. This partnership introduced the likes of Funki Porcini, DJ Food, 9 Lazy 9, Up, Bustle and Out, Hedfunk, London Funk Allstars to US audiences. In 2006, a new imprint, Counter Records, was set up to release the début album of Pop Levi (of Super Numeri), with artists to follow in a rock music vein. The first release on the imprint was Pop Levi's single "Blue Honey" in September 2006, which was followed by Pop Levi's first LP The Return To Form Black Magick Party in February 2007. Subsequent releases have included cross genre, punk rockers The Death Set. In May 2008 Mr. Scruff launched a new project: Ninja Tuna. The first release was Donkey Ride, a collaboration with Quantic, which came out on May 12.
Ninja Tune Compilations
* The Original Sampler (July 1993, BS001)
* Ninja Cuts Funkjazztical Tricknology (March 1995, ZENCD15)
* Ninja Cuts Flexistentialism (24 March 1996, ZENCD22)
* ColdKrushCuts - Mixed by Coldcut / DJ Food & DJ Krush (February 1997, ZENCD26)
* Ninja Cuts Funkungfusion (28 April 1998, ZENCD33)
* Zentonedada (sampler from Ninja Tune, Ntone and Big Dada) (1999, ZENTONEDADA 001)
* Xen Cuts / Xen Cuts Missed Flipped and Skipped (September 2000, ZENCD49, ZENCD49X, ZEN49)
A three-disc version of Xen Cuts was also released (ZENCD 049X) which included Xen Cuts Missed Flipped and Skipped.
* Solesides Greatest Bumps (31 October 2000)
* Urban Renewal Program (August 2002, ZENCD72)
* Zentertainment 2002 (August 2002, ZEN2002)
* ZENtvDVD - Video Retrospective (2003, DVD containing 2 hours of Ninja Tune videos, ZENDV85)
* ZEN CD - A Ninja Tune Retrospective (January 2004, ZENCD85)
* ZEN RMX - A Retrospective of Ninja Tune Remixes (January 2004, ZENCD85R)
* Zentertainment 2004 (March 2004, ZEN2004)
* Zentertainment 2006 (July 2006, ZENCD2006)
* You Don't Know: Ninja Cuts (March 2008)
Posts
0 comments