When XL started, back in the heady Acid House days of 1989, we specialised in the gritty, street-orientated, D.I.Y. rave sounds that were coming from London’s suburbs. Alongside other independents like Shut Up And Dance and Suburban Bass, we helped shape a sound that was equally influenced by American urban music and European electronic sounds. Our noisy, abrasive records were shunned by all media and had a fuck you aesthetic reminiscent of punk.

This spirit is neatly encapsulated by The Prodigy's Experience LP, the work of an Essex teenager, Liam Howlett. His follow-up LP, Music For The Jilted Generation, went straight to number one, and with its more sophisticated production and arrangements, stands up as one of the definitive works of electronic music.

We then signed Irish-American rap group House Of Pain, whose edgy and boisterous white-boy hip-hop found many fans.

In the second phase of our development, we made forays into the type of artist development that we now specialise in, with innovative albums by Leila, Breakbeat Era, Jonny L and Empirion.

In 1997 The Prodigy delivered their world-wide breakthrough LP, The Fat Of The Land; it charted at number one in 26 countries including the U.S.

Whilst continuing our unique partnership with Martin Mills’ Beggars Group, we re-located from their Wandsworth H.Q. to our own offices off Portobello Road in London, W11.

The wonderful Basement Jaxx were our third platinum artist; with Badly Drawn Boy’s Mercury Prize winning debut album The Hour Of Bewilderbeast we broadened our musical horizons further.

Next came more great records by artists including the Avalanches, Lemon Jelly, Gotan Project, The Electric 6 and Peaches.

We were sufficiently taken with a Detroit duo called The White Stripes to license their first 3 LPs; when they then delivered their fourth LP, the number one multi-platinum Elephant, they became perhaps the most original and important new rock group in the world. Then Dylan Mills found us, an East London teenager who called himself Dizzee Rascal. His perceptive lyrics and groundbreaking production made his Mercury Prize winning album Boy In Da Corner every bit as uncompromising, uncouth and innovative as The Prodigy’s early work. Like The Prodigy, Dizzee rose from the street, via pirate radio and raves, to critical acclaim and mainstream success; and with their respective homes of Bow, E3 and Braintree, Essex they grew up only a few miles apart.

As Dizzee says on his LP: “round we go”

Richard Russell
Owner, XL.