Jump to content

De Underground Records

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

De Underground Records was a record shop, studio, and record label located at 18 Sebert Road, Forest Gate, London, operating from 1991 until 1996. In May 2021, Newham Council erected a blue plaque in recognition of its contributions to "the development of UK hardcore, jungle and drum and bass music".[1]

Details

[edit]

The shop and its associated labels, including In Touch Records, IE Records, Ruff Groove, U No Dat, Oddball, Pure Energy, and the home brand De Underground Records released many seminal[2] tracks. Owned by Mike De Underground (Michael Aymer), his brother Cool Hand Flex (Peter Aymer), Uncle 22, and DJ Randall, the shop was a hub for emerging sounds and artists. De Underground Records released Lennie De Ice's seminal track "We Are I.E." in 1991 on IE Records.

Legacy

[edit]

In May 2021, Newham Council erected a blue plaque where the shop and label had its premises, in recognition of its contributions to "the development of UK hardcore, jungle and drum and bass music".[1][3]

The 'Crate Digging: The Influence of De Underground Records' initiative, a project initiated by Rendezvous Projects for Newham Heritage Month 2021, was launched to document and preserve the history of De Underground Records, focusing on its impact on jungle and drum and bass music. This effort aimed to make the shop and studio's undocumented history accessible to the public for education and cultural preservation.[4][5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "London's De Underground record store awarded heritage plaque". Mixmag. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  2. ^ Neale, Matthew (2021-06-02). "London record store De Underground awarded heritage plaque". NME. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  3. ^ "Sonny Roberts, Jamaican producer who opened Britain's first Black-owned recording studio, to be honoured with blue plaque". DJMag.com. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  4. ^ "Crate Digging: The Influence of De Underground Records". Newham Heritage Month. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  5. ^ "The push to archive the history of jungle and drum'n'bass". The Guardian. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Crate Digging: The Influence of De Underground Records. London: Rendezvous, 2021.
  • Who Say Reload. Velocity, 2021. By Paul Terzulli. ISBN 978-1913231071.
[edit]