The Organic Grooves of Acid Jazz Records

Acid Jazz Record Label
Funky bass lines and upbeat hip-hop breaks

Formed back in the heady days of 1987 at the start of the ‘acieed’ explosion, by Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson, Acid Jazz was the first of the groundbreaking new indie labels and paved the way for the likes of Mo Wax, Wall Of Sound and Talkin’ Loud

Initially a simple bedroom operation established by Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson, within three months of the first 45 release (Galliano’s Frederic Lies Still), the label had grown rapidly, acquired premises in London’s east end and laid out a unique manifesto of alternative club sounds – jazz, street-soul, funk, latin, reggae and jazz poetry all put in an early appearance.

Galliano, Chris Bangs, The Night Trains, The Last Poets, A Man Called Adam and Snowboy & The Latin Section were amongst the first wave of label signings and they all appeared live at groundbreaking jazz themed nights at London clubs like the WAG in Soho and Camden’s legendary Dingwalls.

That this label is the namesake of the acid-jazz movement which sprouted in the late-80s from a vibrant London club scene, says a great deal about their impact. Unlike other "acid" genres, the naming of Acid Jazz had nothing to do with drugs, and was just a joke by the founders of the Acid Jazz record label, who sought to distance themselves from house music and the Acid House craze in particular at the beginning of the 90's.