Hotflush Recordings has released seminal tracks by artists such as Dense & Pika, Paul Woolford and Joy Orbison.
Hotflush Recordings is the label founded by Scuba aka Paul Rose and in 2023 it hits its 20th anniversary. It’s celebrating with a series of mixed compilations, a wide-ranging tour and a fresh collection of originals kicked off by a new collaboration between Scuba and dubstep pioneer Distance.
Launched in 2003, Hotflush stands as one of electronic music’s most influential labels. A multi-dimensional imprint that defined the development of bass music throughout the mid-2000’s, in the last decade it would evolve towards the liminal spaces between house, techno, and beyond – a journey which has given the dancefloor some of its true underground classics; from Paul Woolford’s ‘Untitled’ and Dense & Pika’s ‘Colt’, right through to ‘Hyph Mngo’, Joy Orbison’s famous debut that changed the shape of bass music forever.
Along the way, Rose would establish himself as one of the industry’s most astute tastemakers, helping to break the careers of artists including Mount Kimbie, George FitzGerald, Locked Groove, Or:la, Pangaea and Lawrence Hart. Today that deft ear for the fresh and next extends to bubbling talent such as Closet Yi and Anna Kost.
The celebratory mix series charts the history of the label and points to the future, with four compilations that each focus on a different musical angle of Hotflush and include both classic and unreleased material. The first ‘Hotflush Origins’ includes cuts from Benga, Shackleton and Boxcutter; ‘Post whatstep?’ features tracks by Mount Kimbie, Sigha, Pangaea, Or:la and early works by George FitzGerald; ‘Sidewalk Euphoria’ showcases Paul Woolford, Martyn, Mall Grab and the late great Trevino, while the final mix ‘Concrete Contradictions’ shares productions from Recondite, Agoria, Mind Against, Alan Fitzpatrick and Rose’s own Scuba and SCB aliases.
As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, Scuba will embark on a series of new collaborations with artists including bass music’s most exciting new artist Nikki Nair, UK funky legend Roska and dubstep pioneer Distance.
Talking about the 20th anniversary, Scuba said: “At the end of 2002 I was a new graduate with a boring job, making music as a hobby with a fairly deep suspicion that I wasn’t very good at it. But eventually a sense of obduracy took over and even though the dim view I took of my musical output hadn’t changed, it had become a point of principle. During summer 2003, the first units of my newly formed imprint Hotflush Recording arrived. What Hotflush is, really hasn’t changed that much in two decades. It’s a place to release my own music, and other music that I like, without much thought for anything else. I am hugely and eternally grateful to everyone who has contributed to the label, through music, artwork, administration, or just buying and listening to the music itself. You have, and this is no exaggeration, made my life worth living.”
Scuba and Distance’s new track ‘Opposites’ launches the anniversary celebrations, and you can pick up a copy HERE
