for the final ninja tune<\/u> related treat of the week, here’s a quick q-n-a that the labels managing director, peter quicke, has sorted out for blog-n-press types.<\/p>\n
no doubt you will spot various lifts from this over the next few months in various articles, but for the sake of history, here’s the whole interview in full for all to enjoy.<\/p>\n
what were the ambitions of ninja tune when the label began ? and its influences?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n to be coldcut’s technicolour escape pod from major label bullshit. what was the context of this birth in london?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n the warehouse party scene in late eighties had been very eclectic with many sorts of music played but as ecstasy became fashionable most clubs switched to relentless house music coldcut were championing eclecticism on ninja tune against this trend <\/font><\/p>\n what is the philosophy of the label?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n to put out great music from our artists, to treat our artists well, to experiment with music. <\/font><\/p>\n how do you define the ninja tune \u00c2\u00ab sound \u00c2\u00bb?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n i don’t think you can write this down 100% accurately, its a feeling more than a sound, but you can say this…. in 1994 we decided to focus our sound on instrumental\/experimental hip hop and jazz (with ninja tone (ntone) releasing other sound) but ninja tune has expanded beyond that to include more elements of electronic music, rock and soul… <\/font><\/p>\n what are the common points between all the ninja tune artists?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n too many to make sense! <\/font><\/p>\n could you tell me more about the musical and multi-media innovation of black and more?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n coldcut have always innovated. their first records were innovations in cut-and-paste hip hop, then pop-house and hip-house. what are the men behind the label?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n i run the label and have done for 18 years, coldcut taught me how they thought it should be done and i’ve been doing it ever since. what are the biggest strengh of the label (the radio\/podcast…?)?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n the artists! what are the important dates of the story of ninja tune?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n sep 1990 – the first release! ‘zen brakes vol.1’ by bogus order (aka coldcut) 20 years, it’s a very long time, what are the secrets of the label to have this long life?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n be honest with your artists what is the biggest selling ninja album?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n mr scruff ‘keep it unreal’ & roots manuva ‘run come save me’ <\/font><\/p>\n how did you manage to stay independant?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n we don’t want to sell our label! why do you choose to do a compilation of new and not old tracks?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n all the old tracks already exist! and are available for all on amazon & itunes what is the thing you are the most proud today?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n the ninja tune catalogue <\/font>…. and my children :) <\/font><\/p>\n what others label do you love\/admire, now, and why?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n warp – incredible experimental music and obviously stax, old motown, old blue note, impulse, profile, old atlantic…….. <\/font><\/p>\n what are the next projects\/releases?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n coldcut currently co-producing album with switch in london & la. very exciting – big big sound – out next year what are the most exciting things in england now?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n toddla t !!!! what do you think of the electronic music scene and club culture of nowadays?<\/em> <\/font><\/p>\n music is more exciting that ever – the combination of post-dubstep fragmentation and experimental music from flying lotus has meant that people are experimenting as never before – very exciting.<\/font><\/p>\n
to release whatever music coldcut wanted
influences were hip-hop, jazz, soul, house, techno
steinski’s cut-and-paste records
and labels like stiff, rough trade and later warp and mo wax <\/font><\/p>\n
coldcut changed the meaning of the word "remix" with their remix of paid in full by eric b & rakim, coldcut added many entirely new elements as opposed to re-balancing and re-arranging existing or similar elements.
they championed ambient music with hex (not hexstatic), producers for bob, original big chill dj sets,
coldcut also made big moves in creating trip-hop – their jazz brakes productions (under the name dj food) were part of the inspiration for the trip hop movement.
coldcut were in at the start of club visuals, vjing at the 1994 telepathic fish and big chill sessions in london.
coldcut changed the meaning of how radical a "mix album" could be with their journeys by dj mix album ninjatune.net\/press\/article.php?id=287
coldcut were innovators in interactive technology and music – check out the second disc of the 1997 ‘let us play’ album
coldcut were innovators in interactive music – check out timber youtube.com\/watch?v=rb7qcydbeie
coldcut were early adopters of sampling technology.
many ninja artists are <\/font><\/p>\n
there are 20+ excellent staff at ninja tune who cover every area
we have a saying that if we are careful and honest with our money and finances, we can be more experimental with our music. if we spend large amounts of money hyping releases then we cant afford for our releases not to make large profits – so we don’t require projects to fit any commercial profile – they can live only as art and entertainment – not as a driver for commerce. <\/font><\/p>\n
the records!
the 50\/50 net profit deals we do with our artists
solid steel radio show and podcasts
the publishing deals we do with artists allow us to get many great film and games and tv placements for our music, which are artists love! <\/font><\/p>\n
1993 – move from wood green in north london to clink street on the banks of the river thames
1994 – the ninja tune – ntone split
march 1995 – the release of our first compilation funkjazztical tricknology, thats when people started to take notice of ninja tune
may 1995 – funki porcini ‘hed phone sex’ – the seminal instrumental trip hop album
october 1995 – the first ninja tune club night at the bluenote in hoxton, london – became massively popular – too popular actually so we stopped it in sept 1996
august 1997 – the first two big dada releases – 12"s both produced by luke vibert
sept 1997 – the first coldcut album on ninja tune – let us play – complete with interactive cd-rom
nov 1998 – the first cinematic orchestra release ‘diabolous’ – a new direction for the label
june 1999 – the first mr scruff ‘keep it unreal’ (biggest selling ninja tune album)
sept 1999 – the first cinematic orchestra album ‘motion’
march 2000 – the first kid koala album – our first full turntablist release
sep 2000 – xen cuts (10 years!)
oct 2000 – solesides greatest bumps – ninja tune release dj shadow’s quannum projects label
august 2001 – roots manuva ‘run come save me’ released – biggest selling big dada album
sept 2001 – the first solid steel mix album release – dj food & dk ‘now listen’
feb 2002 – the first fog album – our first rock album (with turntables and scratching!)
feb 2002 – new flesh ‘stick & move’ (big dada) – the first grime record ever released? maybe not but certainly the precursor to grime
nov 2002 – first jaga jazzist album – our first norwegian prog album!
may 2003 – the cinematic orchestra ‘man with a movie camera’ – classic soundtrack to the classic silent vertov film
jan 2005 – amon tobin – splinter cell – the first computer game soundtrack by a ninja tune artist
feb 2006 – coldcut ‘sound mirrors’ – big big deal for ninja tune
april 2006 – fink goes vocal with ‘biscuits for breakfast’
feb 2007 – amon tobin trades dusty vinyl samples for his own recorded sound samples on the release ‘foley room’
sept 2009 – speech debelle ‘speech therapy’ wins the mercury music prize!!
sep 2006 – the first counter records release – the amazing ‘blue honey’ single by pop levi
november 2007 – ninja tune present the cinematic orchestra live at the royal albert hall – selling out 4000 tickets
(released live album in march 2008)
june 2008 – the bug ‘london zoo’ – having avoided dubstep previously, we dive in with this acclaimed album – was top of most critics charts for 2008.
feb 2009 – the qemists ‘join the q’ – our biggest selling album in japan (25,000 copies)
jan 19th – emika ‘drop the other’ – first female artist release on ninja for 15 years!!! and what an incredible tune….
jan 2010 – jaga jazzist ‘one armed bandit’ – ninja tune’s best album ever!?
march 2010 – ‘black sands’ – bonobo’s best album ever?!
august 24th 2010 – andreya triana album – our first soul album….?
sep 20th 2010 – ninja tune xx
oct 4th 2010 – the debut eskmo album………mmmmmm……………. :) <\/font><\/p>\n
love and respect their music!
help them make the best music
don’t believe the hype – don’t start spending crazy money promoting a record just cos a few fools tell you it will sell millions
don’t give up – ever……….
get your digital promotion, marketing and distribution working well.
make sure your accounting and copyright administration are tight <\/font><\/p>\n
we don’t believe the hype – don’t start spending crazy money promoting a record just cos a few fools tell you it will sell millions – so we never went bankrupt
we release some great records people want to buy <\/font><\/p>\n
and because the label is developing and moving forward faster than ever – with new artists like: emika, toddla t, the bug, eskmo, daedelus, grasscut, king cannibal……
and the best is yet to come… <\/font><\/p>\n
4ad – some amazing albums, especially tv on the radio
xl – so clever! <\/font><\/p>\n
toddla t full of energy and fun. album coming early next year.
amazing dancehall vibes in the ninja tune xx compilation, too
emika – beautiful, dark, brooding electronica – album next year – two singles already this year.
eskmo – sublime mix of heavy heavy downbeat-step music with his own special vocal delivery
andreya triana – august this year – you know about that right?
amon tobin – new twisted ‘acoustic’ electronics album next year
stateless – set of great songs produced by bjork producer damian taylor, crunchy and heavy – out late this year
roots manuva dub album in september – groovy!
cinematic orchestra – recording in budapest and london this month – album next year – hoorayyy!!!! <\/font><\/p>\n
zomby
actress
dels (big dada artist – co-produced by hot chip)
outside uk: flying lotus, eskmo, emika, dorian concept <\/font><\/p>\n