Around the world in 80 labels: Hypercolour / Glass Table – Alex Jones and Jamie Russell

After getting lost for a week in the wilderness, with no map and only basic bushman survival skills to call on, we’re back exploring some of dance music’s key movers and shakers. This time round we’ve left the States behind, and find ourselves in Britain once again for an instalment we’re particularly pleased to present.

Born in 2006, or thereabouts, the Hypercolour camp has been responsible for putting out some fine house and deep techno cuts since friends, and DJs in their own right, Alex Jones and Jamie Russell decided to dive into the world of record releasing. Known for a rather lackadaisical approach to the often overly-serious industry that somehow managed to spawn from nocturnal debauchery, and frequently donning smiles, the pair obviously understand something about business too, what with lasting half a decade and coming out on the other side one of the UK’s most in-demand organisations.

Last year the sister label, Glass Table, opened, and the combined camps lay claim to releases from acclaimed upstarts and established contemporaries alike. Those looking for a name drop can check out work from Jimmy Edgar, Soul Clap, Glimpse, Frankie Flowerz, Jozif, Mark Henning, Shenoda, Plasmik, and Tom Demac to name but a few, before even getting round to Britain’s leading young lady, Maya Jane Coles (take a look at our review of her recent EP, Don’t Put Me In Your Box, by clicking here). Exciting times, and as such we thought it best to field those same six questions. So then, unabridged, here are the responses…

Hypercolour / Glasstable – UK – Alex Jones and Jamie Russell

Describe your imprint’s output.

Left of centre house and techno (and all in between), constantly looking forward.

What would you say makes it different?

Our music has feeling, soul and depth, and we’re not scared to take a chance.

What is it that makes you keep looking for new talent to expose?

New talent is where the fresh ideas are coming from, it’s new talent that is pushing things forward. To keep ourselves interested in electronic music we feel the need to seek out new artists.

What’s the label’s pinnacle achievement so far?

Selling out of 500 picture disc vinyls within a week, three releases in a row! (That’s those lovely Glass Table vinyls we’re talking about).

If people were going to hear one release from your camp, what would you prefer it to be?

Kris Wadsworth – Mainline; a game-changer for us, a timeless record. We have Jimmy Edgar and Sven Weisemann remixes of this about to drop on our new pro-vinyl label, Hype_LTD as it goes…

All being well, skip forward five years, where would you like things to be?

We’d expect to be up to 50 releases on Hypercolour, Glass Table picture discs still going strong, and would like for some of our super talented artists to be receiving the respect and recognition they deserve. An office somewhere would be nice too, with a walk in recording studio, possibly giving something back to the community in the form of teaching kids how to make music, inspired by that recent RA real scene piece on Detroit. Mike Huckaby is a hero.

Recent stops 

USA – Ellum – Maceo Plex

USA – Large Music – Jeff Craven


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