Its artists may be wildly eclectic, but the London-based label Ninja Tune has forged a singular identity, mixing jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music into something fresh and innovative.
Started in 1990 by Matt Black and Jonathan Moore (a.k.a. Coldcut), Ninja Tune was the duo’s outlet to expose the underbelly of London’s burgeoning trip-hop/breakbeat scene. The label’s first release was a series of breakbeat albums by DJ Food.
By 1994, downtempo electronic music was getting worldwide exposure and Ninja Tune was at the scene’s forefront, releasing highly regarded records from Herbaliser, DJ Vadim and Amon Tobin.
Roots Manuva and Wiley soon followed, however, these artists contained a sound that was infused by dub, dancehall and hip-hop which led to launch of Big Dada in ’97 with the assistance of hip-hop journalist Will Ashon.
Check out some of their spotlight artists below and grab a free MP3 from each:
Amon Tobin “Surge” (Two Fingers Mix)
Amon Tobin has established himself as one of the most innovative sound geniuses of electronic music. His latest album ISAM released in late May see’s Tobin experimenting in ways he’s never done before. Stream the entirety of the album here, and be sure to come back and let us know what you thought. Until then, download a remix of “Surge.”
