12 of the most influential grime and dubstep labels of the last decade

Dubstep was first coined back in 2002 by Tempa founder Neil Jolliffe. It’s a pivotal player for many reasons, perhaps most importantly of all, for the early championing of Skream, who would go on to form the sonic framework the genre still relies on today. From the game-changing ‘Midnight Request Line’, one of the most recognisable dubstep productions in existence, to the seminal sounds of his debut album ‘Skream!’. Other key contenders such as Appleblim, Youngsta, Distance, Hatcha, Kode9 and Horsepower Productions also dropped cuts on the label, making it perhaps the most inherently influential outlet for unadulterated dubstep in it’s purest, rawest form.

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To call DMZ just an influential imprint would be an unjust remark. A cult concept, DMZ runs as both a label and a party, conceived by Digital Mystikz, the production duo made up of Mala, Coki, alongside Loefah (honorary shout out to Swamp 81), and Sgt. Pokes. Rooted in Croydon and Big Apple Records, the legacy and importance of DMZ reaches far beyond its humble beginnings, back when dubstep as a legitimate genre was all but unheard of. As intertwined with the music as an atmospheric wobble, DMZ tracks like, ‘Anti War Dub’, ‘Spongebob’ and ‘Mud’ still go off in the rave today.

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Deep Medi Musik was founded by the DMZ forefather Mala back in 2006. A fundamental figure, it’s an iconic label still pushing the old school stylings of early dubstep, with dark and tenacious cuts over the past decade from the bass wunderkind Commodo, Gantz, Goth-Trad, Silkie, Coki, Benny III, Hijak, Kahn, Loefah…(breathes), Pinch, Skream and Sir Spyro. The latter releasing one of the biggest belters of last year in the form of ‘Topper Top’… top top.

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XL Recordings started as an independent record label back in 1989. Despite being more widely-known for internationally-acclaimed artists like Radiohead and Adele, XL has been championing dance and grime at its core from its very first release. When Dizzee Rascal won the Mercury Prize back in 2003 for ‘Boy In Da Corner’, an XL album, it revolutionised the industry. Now, with names like Zomby, Mumdance, Mssingno, New Gen, Nines and previously Novelist on the roster, it remains a hotbed for new and exciting underground talent.

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Hessle Audio was formed in 2007 by Ben UFO, Pangaea and Pearson Sound (then known as Ramadanman). The formidable three sent shockwaves through the bass scene even back in their student days, with early post-dub releases from Blawan, James Blake, Objekt, Untold, Peverelist and the latter two founders themselves. Hessle was one of the first labels to look at dubstep from the outside in, and while their releases today seep through into the stylings of techno and house, it remains one of the most forward-thinking labels in the game. Blimey.

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BBK, the home-grown collective cultivating global grime contenders such as Skepta, JME, Wiley, Jammer and Frisco (as well as Jeremy Corbyn) alongside producers such as DJ Maximum and Preditah, is as synonymous with grime as DMZ is with dubstep. With too many seminal offerings to name, the label was originally founded by the Adenuga brothers, (Skepta and JME) back in 2005 as a means of publishing their own productions, growing in scale in recent years thanks to grime’s domination of youth culture.

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Pinch is the powerhouse producer at the helm of Tectonic, founded in 2005. Hectic and headsy, his offerings both on and off his imprint, (take the notorious 'Qawwali' for example) have cemented his status as a leading figure on the dubstep scene and his label releases are no exception. Loefah, Skream, Hijak, Roska, Joker, 2562 and V.I.V.E.K can all be found in the Tectonic back-catalogue, making it a firm favourite for those ‘in the know’.

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When Rinse FM, the former pirate radio station, began releasing music under its own name back in 2003, it was a natural progression for the London-based hub of all things unknown and underground. The station was one of the first places you could catch grime and dubstep in their earliest forms, championing Wiley, Skream, BBK, and more way back when. In the past decade however, they’ve continued to release music from both their rostered artists and their affiliates, as well as their ‘Rinse Mix’ albums, with Plastician, Oneman and Faze Miyake just a selection stepping up to the dubplate.

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Butterz is the independent grime label founded by Elijah and Skilliam. Established in 2007, first as a successful blog and then as an even-more successful label, Butterz has since gone on to distribute material from the likes of Terror Danjah, Swindle, Trim, P Money and Newham Generals, making it a crucial outlet in the resurgence of grime’s second coming; that’s when they’re not causing dizzying, devilish deconstruction in the dance with their club nights that is.

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Planet Mu is a label that has remained consistent, cutting-edge and classic ever since it launched back in the 90s. In the last decade however, it’s been a primary pusher of all things weird and wonderful thanks to its founder Mike Paradinas AKA µ-Ziq. Planet Mu is to thank for home-grown hardcore anthems, such as the before-mentioned, ‘Qawwali’ from Pinch, as well as releasing critically-successful compilation cuts of boundary-pushing bass and other-worldly dance music

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Jasmine Kent-Smith is Mixmag's Digital Intern. Follow her on Twitter