Iberian Records

Independent record label in love with Bass'n'Groove music. IBERIAN RECORDS: GEOBIOGRAPHICAL MISSION STATEMENT 1) ORIGINS - a tale of two cities: Iberian Records was founded in 2006 by 23Hz & Numaestro - who are based in Barcelona - and Conspira - who are based in Lisbon. ... Numaestro met Conspira at the very first DMZ Dubstep event in London in 2005 and from there they formed a friendship and began collaborating together. 23hz & Numaestro were the first dubstep producers in Barcelona - having their first tunes played on Jay Da Flex's seminal BBC 1Xtra show in 2004 - and Numaestro as DJ - the first to introduce Dark Swing and the early Dubstep sound from 2000. Conspira were the first to introduce Dubstep to Lisbon - and were instrumental in co-organising the Roots & Routes Festival in 2006, which featured Kode9 & Spaceape, Boxcutter, Various Production and Geiom. 2) DIRECTIONS - international flows: Iberian Records was born within the context of Dubstep - a movement originating from Croydon (South London) - which is part of which journalist Simon Reynolds describes as the "Hardcore Continuum" (HC). As we know, the HC theory sees a tradition in British electronic dance music running from Hardcore (itself a British appropriation of Techno in the early 90's) through Jungle, UK Garage, Two-Step, Breakstep, Grime and Dubstep - with the common factor being an inclination to using heavy bass sounds that resonate through the sound system - which was itself appropriated from Jamaica and reinstalled in the UK. The characteristic UK sound then is intrinsically linked to a number of reappropriations, adopted uses and the transatlantic flows of both peoples and ideas. 3) NEW CONSTELLATIONS - creating new hubs: IBERIAN has tried to extend the logic of immanent progression inherent in the HC - by (re)reappropriating some of its techniques and multiplying the possibilities of creative and physical flows. If the HC is understood as the result of a certain few transatlantic currents between main hubs (Jamaica/London, New York/Jamaica etc) - Iberian proposes the diversifying of these currents and extending the networks to smaller off centre hubs (Bass enclaves and havens) and so creating new possibilities for further flows of musical ideas and the creation of new constellations. 4) REDEFINITIONS - short circuits and the logics of exclusion: The inspiration from Dubstep has been enormous - but having reached the second decade of the 21st Century new definitions and forms have arisen. Iberian chooses to define its musical output as Bass'n'Groove. We understand the roots of Bass'n'Groove to lie outside the main hubs (London, New York, Jamaica etc) - and to be located in flows emanating from the South Atlantic, Angola, Cape Verde, Lisbon and Barcelona - as well as a creative (re)reappropriation from the main hubs. In this way we aim to short circuit the logics of exclusion - the dynamics of passive consumption of products from the main hubs, the mimetic reproduction of old forms and decontextualised pastiche.