www.catskillsrecords.com

Catskills is a Brighton, UK based independent record label covering many genres of music from folktronica to UK Hip Hop. Catskills is run by people involved at every stage of the game, DJs, producers, retailers, the point is to understand all angles. However, the emphasis is always on experimentation, artistic freedom and artist diversity.

New Releases

2007

Husky Rescue are following up their much acclaimed debut album "Country Falls" from 2004, with the darker, more melancholic "Ghost Is Not Real".
“This album is like a death trip of the emotional world.” Explains Marko Nyberg, band former and bass guitar player.
Marko grew up in a small town 60 kilometres north of Helsinki in Finland and was a musical prodigy from an early age. He found that orchestral works such as Camille Saint-Saens’ ‘Carnival Of Animals’ inspired raw emotion in him, even as a boy, and later went to the famous Sibelius Academy with the intention of becoming a music teacher. His intellectually inquisitiveness got the better of him, however, and he spent much of his early twenties travelling to destinations in search of inspiration. “My mum works for Finnair,” he explains. “I went often to London and New York, a really good contrast to the smaller circle of Finland. I wasn’t into clubbing so much as the music in clubs, drum & bass and the whole city scene. My music now is such a contrast to that. I couldn’t make banging music, I’m into making music that’s comforting rather than distracting.” Thus he turned inwards away from the frenetic urban scene. “I don’t have a beach in Helsinki but a very beautiful sea shore,” he ventures, then laughs, “I’m a bit crazy. I can feel my head going to the sea sometimes. Also, if you don’t have the water round you, you can’t build a raft and sail away when hard times come.”
The single "Nightless Night" was released on the 15th January and includes exclusive remixes by Fink, Justus Kohncke and Black Grass
the album "Ghost Is Not Real" will be out on Catskills Records 29th January 2007.

It's been four years since Pepe Deluxé's "Beatitude" was released, and eight years since the debut album "Super Sound" saw the light of day.
And now it's time for another round.
Spectrum and JA-Jazz are the core of Pepe Deluxe but they describe the current incarnation as “more like a small scale art movement than a traditional band”. The new album "Spare Time Machine" includes Marko Nyberg and Reeta-Leena Korhola of Husky Rescue, Chris Cote who once was a member of eccentric Boston fop-rockers, the Upper Crust sings much of the album and reckons “Finland is truly a place where you can get some weird shit done.”
Even Australian tour manager Boi Crompton, who has worked with everyone from Tom Jones to the Rolling Stones, ended up singing three numbers.
Spectrum buzzes with the excitement of adapting technology to any eccentric whim via wire, pliers, gaffer tape and limitless imagination. He describes the years since ‘Beatitude’ as spent “on a sort of musical archaeology, tracking down obscure studio gear and Russian electronic components, working on various inventions.”
"Spare Time Machine" has all the funk of their best material but doused in the spirit of uproarious ‘60s psychedelia and ‘70s prog-rock.
Releasedate is set for May 21st, however the single "Pussy Cat Rock" will be out earlier than that- 19th March

The Ripps consists of chilean born brothers Patch Lagunas (guitar and lead vocals) Raul Lagunas (bass guitar and backing vocals) and their close friend Rachel Butt (drums and backing vocals). Formed in the autumn of 2003, their influences include legends such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Buzzcocks and The Kinks as well as everyday life in Coventry! For a year they rehearsed every night, experimenting with ideas and forging their own sound. In the autumn of 2004 they performed their first ever gig at the Jug of Ale in Moseley, Birmingham, supporting the then little known band The Editors.
With their album ready to drop in February of 2007, The Ripps are set for big things. We’re not the only ones that think so either!
NME says they are ‘Unquestionably the smiliest band in the whole of the Midlands, the trio’s brand of catchy and quintessentially English power-pop only furthers their case for an all conquering aceness that deserves to escape the region’.
Their sound can be described as tongue in cheek, fun, fast, sometimes satirical, punk power pop. Easier said than done, but they’ve done it with aplomb!
The album "Long Live The Ripps" will be out on the 5th of March,

Also this year the label celebrates 10 years of putting out music. This will be done by releasing a new compilation album displaying the diversity Catskills and its artists stands for.
Out 4th June

Catskills History

Catskills was formed 1997 by a London / Brighton collective to release underground talent from their home turf. The label represents the best that both scenes have to offer, and has now spread its wings to other parts of the UK and now to Europe and the rest of the world with the signings of Pepe Deluxé from Finland, Capsule from Germany and Nobody from the USA.

2001 was a landmark year for the Cat, with Pepe Deluxé sound-tracking Levi's biggest and most successful advertising campaign to date (Twisted Jeans) and consequently landing Catskills with their first UK Top 20 hit with ‘Before You Leave’. 2002 saw the label step up a gear with successful singles (including ‘Never’ and ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’) and album ‘Hiya!’ from Bushy as well as the amazing debut album from Hardkandy ‘How Do You Do Nothing’ which has been blowing up the spot on vinyl as well as on the live circuit around Europe with a full-on 9-piece band!

2003 saw the release of the groundbreaking new album from Pepe Deluxé ‘Beatitude’ proceeded by the single ‘Girl’ as well as the award-winning ‘Salami Fever,’ ‘Ask For A Kiss’ and ‘Lying Peacefully’ video on Pepe's Website. As well as the self-titled debut album from white-hot new signings Black Grass featuring Blak Twang and the cream of UK Hip Hop, jazz and breaks.

2004 started with a bang as Feature Cast’s “Channel Surfing” was featured in the worldwide iPod / iTunes TV advert. Later in the year saw the release of the stunning album from Finnish sensation Husky Rescue “Country Falls” ("A very cool line in folktronica" The Sunday Times). The band had a highly successful UK support tour with Morcheeba and were booked to play Glastonbury, 02 Wireless Festival as well as Big Chill and Bestival.

In 2005, Husky Rescue's critically acclaimed Country Falls album was internationally released throughout the world, and tours, and Bestival, and Big Chill, and Shepherds Bush Empire. It also gave the cats a great excuse to release some great singles and get remixs from artists like Vector Lovers, Evil 9, Bonobo, Linus Loves to name a few.

They also released vinyl from Nylon Rhythm Machine, and a slew of good tracks on their development sister label Catskills:Projects - releasing follow ups from Aldo Vanucci, Kidda (now signed to Brighton label SKINT), Infinite Potential and Ch3vy, who followed up a fabulous 4 tracker with the single Hard Massage this year, to co-incide with the international roll-out of a set of PUMA T-Shirts designed by Ch3vy themselves - a good look...

In the year of 2006 we saw many more releases from the label including Hardkandy's long awaited album, with singles backed with remixes by Nu:Tone, Simian Mobile Disco and Ellmore Judd and collaborations with the legendary Terry Callier, a new single from Husky Rescue and the return of Black Grass with the album "A Hundred Days In One"

Roster of Artists

Black Grass

Bushy

Capsule

Ch3vy

Feature Cast

Hardkandy

Husky Rescue

Nobody

Nylon Rhythm Machine

Pepe Deluxe

Sonorous Star

Catskills Radio

Every Friday and Saturday Catskills co founder Jonny Reggae presents The Hook Up on Brighton's finest FM station, Juice 107.2 FM. The point of the show is to hook you up with the finest in new release music, regardless of genre or trend. Always delivering those exclusives and of course keeping you up to date with the latest Catskills releases.
Broadcasting live at 8pm on Fridays and 10pm Saturdays, the show guarentee's nothing but the freshest in new release music, plus interviews, exclusive tracks and DJ mixes from some of the finest DJ's on the planet. Stream it live at http://www.juicebrighton.com

Other Projects

In addition to the record label, the team from Catskills run Beathut, the online independand mp3 download site combined with the very cool monthly magazine Beatmag.

Catskillls:Projects

2004 also saw the launch of sister label Catskills:Projects – a new imprint designed to drop the best in one-off 12s and singles from upcoming artists (hot tunes by Aldo Vanucci, Kidda, Feature Cast and Infinite Potential) and a return to the original Catskills ethics of dropping dope track after dope track without the fuss of marketing budgets or album plots – just the hottest tunes!

Compilations

Straight Out The Cat Litter (1999)

Straight Out The Cat Litter Scoop 2 (2000)

Straight Out The Cat Litter Scoop 3 (2002)

Straight Out The Cat Litter Scoop 4 The Cats Get Remixed (2003)

See also

List of record labels

List of independent UK record labels

External links

Official site

Catskills Radio Show